The Ickworth Hotel – Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk

As part of the Luxury Family Hotels collection, The Ickworth is surely the most remarkable. For anyone, however aristocratic, it would make an impressive place to stay, but the fact that the East Wing, home to the eccentric Hervey family for almost 200 years, now offers fun for families, is remarkable indeed. Central to Ickworth is its view over the formal gardens and gently rolling countryside of the 1800-acre National Trust Estate. The hotel entrance is flanked by rows of flora and fauna, and families romp happily about. Babies are looked after in the crèche, while older children revel in the indoor pool or adventure playground. Parents can escape to the treatment rooms and enjoy romantic suppers, thanks to the baby listening devices available to borrow from reception. Bedrooms range from traditional to modern and include interconnecting rooms and suites, plus apartments in Ickworth Lodge, a short walk away. There is seemingly endless parkland to explore: hire bikes from the hotel and cycle round the estate’s new, all-weather, six-mile cycle route. With a dog friendly ethos, it’s also perfect for four-legged friends.

Doubles from £140

+44 (0)1284 735350; ickworthhotel.co.uk