View from the Room: Burley Manor

It’s not the miles of green as far as the eye can see that takes your breath away as you approach Burley Manor. It’s not even the jaw-dropping sight of the castlesque manor house itself. No, the heart-swelling, tear-inducing sight of deer in front of your eyes is what makes for as good a welcome as any hotel can offer you.

Once inside, my eyes are further treated to a display of pumpkins before walking past the traditional winding staircase to the discreet check-in desk. I left the bf to the formalities and discovered a large room seemingly just to relax, with complimentary jugs of water plus another that turned out to be the start of the bar and restaurant. Much has been achieved to ensure Burley Manor look like the resplendent house it once was.

There are only stairs up to our second-floor room although it’s worth dragging the little cases up as our window looks out to the deer park. Plus there is a jar of biscotti waiting to have with our coffee and a cosy, scrumptious bed. The bathroom is tricky, as it’s long and windowless, the ceilings need a new lick of paint but they’ve done well with the space. Hotel info and communication is on a little tablet. Digital information is so often the choice these days and it saves having to print endless paper.

As Burley Manor is so remote and we were only here for 24 hours (for a visit to Monkey World) we had both an excellent dinner and wonderful breakfast spread here. We devoured the biscotti too.  I’m reliably informed at other times there have been cookies. It’s these little touches that make the stay both special and luxurious.

Sometimes there were waits in reception although I wonder if like most of the hospitality industry they are short-staffed. Otherwise, the service from staff everywhere was impeccable.

On the edge of the walkable village of Burley, the hotel looks like it could have been the set of many films, adverts and photo shoots. A fantastic base to enjoy the New Forest.