Inside Beaulieu’s 17th Century English Country House Hotel

Sat next to an estuary opposite Beaulieu Abbey and Lord Montagu's home, Palace House, The Montagu Arms Hotel, is a boutique bolthole at the heart of Beaulieu village on the southeastern edge of the New Forest National Park.

Bearing just 33 bedrooms, it offers simple, cozy country glamour with comforting, solid interiors, wood underfoot, oak paneling, and carefully positioned, minimal classic touches — a self-assured nod to the British countryside.

Location

Once a meeting place for farmers, The Montagu Arms Hotel is a short walk from Hatchets Pond and the beautiful hamlet of Buckler's Hard (once a bustling shipyard) and the National Motor Museum — housing legendary Formula 1 Racing Cars and land speed record breakers.

In 1079, the hotels' backdrop, the New Forest National Park, was the Royal hunting ground of William the Conqueror and a favorite of Henry VIII, with over 140,000 kingly acres of oak, ash, beech, and endlessly romantic heather-hugged heathland.

Home to the largest area of lowland heathland remaining in Europe, it is adorned with roaming celebrity ponies and snuffling pigs — and with its close proximity to London, the New Forest is perfect for an overnight battery charging, leaf crunching, and Shinrin Yoku forest bathing detox.

The Montagu Arms Hotel

A winding descent down stone steps and pathways with well-stocked flower borders leads you past a kitchen garden, manicured croquet lawn, and a sculptural splashing fountain as you enter The Montagu Arms Hotel through an enviable conservatory.

It is pleasingly symmetrical, painted fresh and chalky with modern cream colors, sophisticated Chinese lamps, comfy sink-back armchairs, large open fireplaces and an autumn floral display.

At the top of the tree, its duplex Hayloft Barn Suites are ensconced by stately gardens where you can spread out and sink into deep feather cushions or glug a decanter of 'drink me' sloe gin.

Inside, you'll find timber floors, reclaimed beams, a hand-crafted super-king-sized bed and a private terrace with sweeping views of the croquet lawn along with a large walk-in drench shower, twinned marble sinks, and a double-ended freestanding bath. Along with little extra perks like hand-delivered tea and coffee to your room each morning.

Faithful hounds are not only welcome but become part of the decor (just like the two stone dogs who grace the entrance steps) with a new toy, dog bed and Beco Pets Doggy Hamper, ready and waiting in the room.

There are two main dining options at The Montagu Arms Hotel — the well-reviewed Terrace restaurant serving a sophisticated menu in a grand, stately, high-ceilinged room with thick opulent drapes, traditional dark oak furniture, and crisp white linen.

Or kick back in the muddy boots and wax jackets, proud of your day's step count in Monty's. Here, you can slurp pig and apples-inspired Mussels with bacon lardons afloat in a sea of creamy cider sauce, ready to be soaked by monster hunks of crunchy sourdough bread.

Spend your days at The Montagu Arms nibbling naughty pig ears' crackling on a Chesterfield loveseat with a Hendricks in hand or take a nostalgic afternoon tea next to the fireplace, like stepping through the wardrobe to Narnia and sitting with Mr. Tumnus.

You'll sip Earl Grey and Gunpowder green tea from pretty bone china with a three-tier display of finely sliced smoked salmon, ham hock and cheddar and pickle sandwiches, delicate and crisp pastry quiches, warm, sky-high scones and a top tier reserved for lemon mousse profiteroles and dark, rich, chocolate cream sponges with coffee undertones.

Only a short motor to nearby Brockenhurst, Senspa at Careys Manor Hotel (The Montagu Arms' sister hotel) offers an immersive sensory performance of jets and vibrations — leaving you a little woozy.

At over 22,000 square feet, it features a hydrotherapy pool, tropical rainfall & cold sea storm experience showers, an ice room, a Rhassoul mosaic steam chamber for two and a UV swimming pool overlooking the Zen Garden. As well as four thermal rooms; the Crystal Steam Room, with a gigantic bohemian amethyst; Herbal Sauna; Laconicum, and Tepidarium boasting heated mosaic loungers.

You'll also find a Thai Temple Studio offering yoga, body balance, and meditation classes, and 18 treatment rooms where you can indulge in treatments like a Shakti Body Boost with a Moksa Beautifying Mud Body Wrap, drawing out impurities and improving your skin condition and complexion, completed with a Swedish massage.

If you're feeling adventurous, try the Alphasphere Deluxe — it is a whole body and mind experience designed to induce deep relaxation and regenerate the body through sound therapy, color therapy, and aromatherapy. With ergonomic-shaped pod beds and futuristic gauzes, you'll experience vibrant throbbings of color and otherworldly filmic soundscapes interplaying to suspend your imagination.

Itinerary

A quick two-day tour is possible in the New Forest because all the main sites are relatively close together— especially with the addition of a classic car hire for the day. Picture soaking in the changing seasons in The Gardener Douglas 427 Cobra while cruising Rhinefield Drive, headscarf and retro shades adorned.

Be sure to visit the Bolderwood Deer Sanctuary, home to ancient Douglas fir trees and wild fallow deer. Then head for the gigantic Tree Top Trail, accessed from the Blackwater Car Park — with trees so closely grouped that they enshroud the light as you glare up.

Or walk to Kings Hat as you approach a dappled 'fairy' glen and ponies drinking at the stream as you tread quietly across a wooden trip-trap troll bridge before dashing to Barton-on-sea for freshly caught fish and chips at Beachcomber Cafe. All pleasure boxes ticked.