A swathe of the Masai Mara (almost) cuts through the plains of Kent at Port Lympne. Set up by John Aspinall, the casino owner, the 600-acre reserve near Hythe is home to hundreds of endangered animals, from lowland gorillas to red pandas. So it’s coffee with a chorus of the jungle here. Scattered around is an eclectic range of digs, from pods, cabins and treehouses to rough-luxe wood-panelled lodges with outdoor baths and full picture windows overlooking lion enclosures. Most rooms come with a golf buggy in which to tootle around the reserve and all breaks include a one-hour safari. Several cafés and restaurants keep even tricky young eaters happy.
Overall score 9/10
Main photo: Get up close to giraffes at the 600-acre Port Lympne reserve
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Rooms and suites
Score 8/10
The 89 “units” peppered across the reserve are of all shapes, sizes and price tags. Interiors tend towards the sleek with a touch of Serengeti luxe, featuring tent canvas fabrics, rattan lamp stands and ostrich-feather blankets. Pictures of tigers, gorillas and co abound. Families love the two-bedroom treehouses with large decks. The centre point of the park is the red-brick main house (Mansion Hotel), which was built in 1913 in the Cape Dutch revival style for Philip Sassoon, the MP and socialite. Sassoon used it as a postwar party pad and eight themed rooms and suites are named after his famous guests, among whom were Sir Winston Churchill, Lord Mountbatten and Charlie Chaplin. Original furnishings and features include four-poster beds and tiled bathrooms. Aspinall, who bought the house in 1973, was also big on the eccentric aristo vibe. The reception rooms feature black and white marble floors, a pink Moroccan courtyard, a Tent Room with a trompe l’oeil from Rex Whistler and full-scale floor to ceiling murals of wild animals by the artist Arthur Spencer Roberts.
Food and drink
Score 8/10
The restaurants offer children’s menus and are open at the strange hours that children like to eat. Babydoll’s does a good line in pizza and pasta. For a less-carby, more refined offering, there’s the main restaurant, the Garden Room. Set in the converted stable block of the Mansion Hotel, it’s a light, verdant room with plush furnishings and an excellent bar. The menu is European, the right side of adventurous and uses a lot of local produce — grilled sardines, breaded lamb shoulder with polenta, Ibérico pork chop. Staff are lovely, even to tired young children.
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What else is there?
Score 10/10
Guests can buzz around the reserve on golf buggies and the included safari involves a ride in an open-sided modified military truck that goes into the park’s African, Asian and South American animal quarters. The rangers know their beasts. Expect facts about why giraffes have black tongues and why guinea baboons have about as many teeth as cheetahs. There are a huge range of add-on animal experiences — hand-feeding giraffes, keeper experience days. Away from the creatures, the house has 15 acres of beautifully kept Italianate formal gardens to wander through. A stay also includes access to the sister Aspinall Foundation property, Howletts Wild Animal Park (30 minutes by car).
Where is it?
Score 9/10
Central London is just under two hours away by car and the coastal town of Hythe is a ten-minute drive. The hotel can arrange taxis to Ashford International station, or there’s a bus. Views are over Romney Marsh to the Channel. On a clear day, you can even see France on the horizon.
Price room-only doubles from £139
Restaurant mains from £18
Family-friendly Y
Dog-friendly N
Accessible Y
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