Driving up to the hotel at night made for an all the more impressive arrival. Turning off the snaking main road, we got just glimpses of the Grade I listed mansion as we crunched up the gravel and the headlights flickered through the mature trees.
The hotel’s austere grey façade was dramatically floodlit, and from the front door a suited gent emerged to welcome us and take our bags.
At the discreet reception desk just off the main hall he turned his hand to receptionist, then carried our bags upstairs and turned chambermaid when he prepared our beds for turn-down.
It was a relief to find that had a colleague when it came to ordering drinks in the lounge. Until then, I’d started to wonder whether we’d stumbled into a private country house with an overly-accommodating butler.
This feeling was only exacerbated by the hotel’s interiors. Whether it’s down to the Grade I listed status or the interior designer, there’s nothing there that makes it feel like a hotel. The furniture is one-off antiques and an extraordinary collection of classic art, sculpture and pottery adorn the walls and table tops.
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In the front hall there’s an army of leather Dubarry wellington boots tucked under the hall table, and only the brochures for the rest of the Von Essen hotel collection give the building’s true occupation away.
Our bedroom, Repton, was also exquisite, and accessed via an offset pair of staircases – no dreary hotel corridors of door-after-door here. The high ceilings, intricate dado rail, tall skirting boards and sash windows looked original, or exceptionally well restored. They were complemented by period-style wallpaper, prints and oils in gilt frames and dark polished wood furniture. Only the flat-screen TV screamed 21st century, but even that managed to blend in circumspectly on one wall.
The fruit bowl, freshly baked shortbread and Somerset bottled water were all welcome refreshments.
The bathroom was spacious with views over the hotel’s huge walled garden – worth a wander around if time allows (there’s also a tennis court, extensive parkland for walking with the hotel’s spaniel and a golf course nearby). The bathroom had a huge freestanding bath and double shower with rain-soak showerheads.
There were big towelling bathrobes and slippers, and the Culpeper toiletries, with their delicate herbal fragrances, made a nice change from the norm. The only disappointment was the puny compact hairdryer.
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The dining room offered more elegant period features, including sash windows and coving, although it was the striking plasterwork on the ceiling of the lounge, next door, that really stood out.
Back in the dining room, all the tables were taken on the Saturday night we dined, but service remained efficient and friendly throughout and the staff had good knowledge of the fairly complex menu.
The house champagne, De Nauroy a Reims, will become a firm favourite of mine, and was served with homemade cheese straws and olives.
Another “free” course later, of a butternut squash and parmesan soup amuse bouche, and my appetite was whetted for the West Country scallop ceviche with wild lime and fennel (£17). It was superb – very fresh with a perfumed citrus edge and just enough of the aniseedy fennel without overwhelming the delicate scallop.
My main of John Dory with parsley and bulgur wheat, rock oyster tempura and sauce iodee (£24.50) was also delicious – fresh fish and a crisp tempura, although the sauce was a touch too seaweedy for my taste. I found the portion size perfect, but a diner with a larger appetite may have been reaching for the bread basket.
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The delicate portions allowed me to enjoy an indulgent dessert of mille feuilles of hazelnuts with butterscotch, caramelised baby pear and mascarpone sorbet (£8.75). I left the plate clean – crisp pastry, a not-too-sweet sorbet and delicate pear proved too good to resist polishing off.
Much of the produce comes from the kitchen garden or local suppliers, so it’s not hard to eat with the seasons.
Breakfast in the same room was equally sound. The selection of cereals and muesli was impressive, with bowls of dried fruits and seeds to customise your own. The bowl of rich yoghurt was also tasty, and although the fruit salad was a bit apple and kiwi heavy, I imagine it’s lack of colour reflected the season.
The hot dishes were mostly good – delicious homemade sausage with a light herby taste, and so-so scrambled egg that was just a touch bland - perhaps bright yellow duck eggs would have been a better offering.
Tripadvisor users gave the hotel an average 4.5/5 rating, which is well deserved. The hotel scores highly for service, location and food, with one reviewer echoing my thoughts: “Overall, great experience to stay in a stately home which does not feel it has been converted to a hotel (in a good way)”.
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Bottom line: double rooms available from £175 per room per night, inclusive of full English breakfast and VAT.
Best thing: the arrival
Worst thing: the hairdryer
Access all areas: the hotel is accessible for wheelchair users but the rooms aren’t adapted for them – there is no lift and there are no rooms on the ground floor, owing to the building’s listed status.
Need to know: Ston Easton Park, Ston Easton, Somerset, BA3 4DF; tel. 01761 241 631; www.stoneaston.co.uk
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The hotel is about 11 miles from Bath. For more information on Bath and what to do in the surrounding go to www.visitbath.co.uk
Food: 9 out of 10
Service: 10 out of 10
Room: 9 out of 10
Value: 8 out of 10
Score: 9