Travel
GRAVETYE MANOR
So spectacular are the gardens at this luxurious 17-bedroom Sussex retreat that the 16th-century house they were built around almost fades into the background. Almost, but not quite. Built in 1598, by Richard Infield, for his wife, Katherine, the Elizabethan manor is also a showstopper. Wood-panelled walls, intricately carved fireplaces and ornate ceilings are par for the Course. In a surprise twist, however, the hotel's Michelin-starred restaurant is a glass-fronted paean to modernity, framing the gardens begun by natural English planting pioneer William Robinson in 1885 (and underlining the restaurant's plot-to-plate ethos) in beautifully understated style. prideofbritainhotels.com
CLIVEDEN HOUSE
The former home of the Astor family,the UK's biggest political scandals), it's served as a decadent backdrop to some serious parties in its day.
