Think 40 minutes from London, think seclusion and privacy, think luxury, think history and culture – think Cliveden House.

Nestled in secluded woodland somewhere between Slough and Marlow there’s a huge brick wall surrounding a magnificent looking house in spectacular grounds boasting a diverse and fascinating history.  Owned by the National Trust, Cliveden House has been preserved to an amazing standard and its 5-star luxury hotel leaves you wanting for little.  From the moment you’re met at the front door, you’re pampered and pandered-to – looked after in the best sense.

There’s no proper ‘Reception’ per se at Cliveden House.  You simply walk into the grandiose entrance hallway and tucked away round to the right is a desk where the staff make sure you’re given your keys and shown to your room.  We stayed in the ‘Asquith’ – right up in the top corner of the building.

The room was fabulous!  A huge 4-poster, walk-in wardrobe, flat-screen TV, the room’s own tablet computer, pre-loaded with all the hotel information and internet access for anything else.  

The bathroom was done out in bright white marble and mirrors, and for those brave enough, with the blinds open, you could look out over the main courtyard and avenue, right up to the fountains at the end.

In the early evening we went for a pre-dinner Champagne cruise on the Thames on one of the hotel’s own river boats, where we watched the river scenery go past as we sipped cold Champagne and admired the views of the hotel from the distance.  It really was a fantastic way to watch the sun go down.

The hotel restaurant was probably the highlight of our stay, where we spoiled ourselves completely.  The menu offers both traditional and more adventurous dishes and an encyclopaedic wine list to match.  Cocktails are served in ‘The Library’ before dinner and these were accompanied by little appetisers brought to the table while we waited.

While we were there, there was some renovation work taking place to the terrace at the front of the building.  However this was dealt with very subtly and attractively by hanging prints of what was the view in each of the window frames.  If it hadn’t been pointed out to us we would hardly have been aware that anything was going on.  The pool and spa were also undergoing a major refurbishment at the time.

All-in-all though, this was a real treat for us.  We have always appreciated luxury and quality and Cliveden house has it in bucketloads.  We wouldn’t hesitate to go back again.