Chilston Park Hotel Is A British Countryside Gem

Alice Smellie spends a spoiling night at elegant country hotel Chilston Park in Kent

Review: Chilston Park Hotel, Maidstone, Kent

It’s not often that a hotel makes you want to be a better person, but that’s how guests are likely to leave Chilston Park Hotel. Surrounded by verdant farmland, in the heart of Kent, this 17th Century manor house is compellingly charming, the food excellent, the pillows and bed linen luxurious, and the staff attentive and cheerful. 

Old houses often seem to hold the mood of their previous owners. If this is so, then Chilston Park was populated entirely by gracious and well-balanced families, some of whose portraits still beam benignly on hotel guests. Dogs are welcome, and there is the odd well-behaved spaniel and snoozing cockapoo curled up in the Marble Lounge, alongside contented-looking cream tea-consuming owners.

STAY

Each bedroom in the main house is delightfully distinct. The Queen Anne Suite is a vast yet cosy room painted a deep red, with a four-poster bed so tall that a footstool is required to clamber on, whereas on the attic floor the Tudor Suite has a rolltop bath in the centre of the bathroom, and an entire sitting room, all in muted but warm green. From every window there are views of the sweeping grounds and the lake. Or you might prefer a smaller Cosy Classic, in the courtyard building – with beamed ceilings and the same sumptuous bedding. 

A wooden balustrade surrounds the main hall, with two wide staircases sweeping into a small bar – excellent house champagne! – and an enormous fireplace. 

EAT

Dining is also a delight. You can eat on the Culpeper’s Terrace, enjoy afternoon tea in the elegant Marble Lounge or book a private dining room. Culpeper’s Restaurant is in the original dining room with high ceilings and elegant sash windows as well as two – well deserved – AA rosettes. Dishes are created rather than cooked. A delicious halibut dish is perfectly harmonised with smoked pancetta and girolle mushrooms. Hot and crunchy Parmesan and truffle fries are optional, yet somehow mandatory!

The same attention to quirky detail is paid to breakfast; the menu is packed with standard fare, as well as the most stunningly presented poached egg, spinach and avocado on a disc of soft sourdough, like an edible sculpture. 

DO

There are plenty of walks – or wanders; ramble through the verdant shrubbery and sheep-filled fields that surround the main house, and it’s almost impossible to get lost. A list of walks is suggested – taking in wildflowers, orchards and stunning villages. There’s a feeling of peaceful rural remoteness, in spite of being just over an hour from central London and close to the towns of Maidstone. Leeds Castle (such a misnomer) is just down the road and there is wine tasting at the nearby Chapel Down vineyard. For smaller guests, Buttercups Sanctuary for Goats is only eight miles away and Buckmore Park offers go-karting. 

It’s impossible to mention the hotel without a grateful nod to the staff who were attentive and charming. Everything was made effortless and they added so much to the general sense of relaxation. The only problem? Leaving. That was hard. 

BOOK IT:

From £175 for a cosy classic room b&b, from £232 for a Manor House double B&B. handpickedhotels.co.uk