Great Fosters, Surrey, UK
Photo by Lulu Townsend
Distance from airport - 15 minutes from London Heathrow airport. Unless you’re planning to explore the area by car you might be better off getting a taxi from the airport. There’s a large car park at Great Fosters.
Great Fosters
Great Fosters is one of the five Alexander Hotels which opened their first hotel in 1994. The collection includes Barnet Hill, flagship hotel Alexander House, Rowhill Grange and Langshott Manor (available for exclusive rental) all within an hour of London. Great Fosters became part of the group in 2018 and a great deal of careful (many parts of the estate are listed) renovation has taken place since then.
Minutes from the M25 Great Fosters is a beautiful red-brick Tudor building which has been transformed into a 42-room boutique hotel that welcomes families and four-legged friends. This country house hotel is surrounded by 50 acres of stunning grounds and gardens filled with sculptures, water features and beautiful listed topiary mazes. You could spend hours simply wandering around the gardens, there’s even a sundial which was given to the estate by Sir Francis Drake.
Little Fosters
With Windsor on the door step there’s so much to see and do en famille at Great Fosters, but if you prefer to stay on site to enjoy the gorgeous setting, you can take advantage of the heated pool, book in some tennis coaching or send the little ones off on a scavenger hunt. Family rooms at Great Fosters are spacious and there are plenty of surprises and treats in store for the children including mini bathrobes, backpacks and scavenger hunt kits.
The interiors at Great Fosters won’t be to everyone’s taste. This is not a Babington House and it doesn’t pretend to be. What Great Fosters is though is a perfect hotel to book for a mid-week break, within easy reach of London, where you can enjoy a delicious cocktail in the bar and the perfect fillet steak in The Estate Grill or a refined Michelin star experience in Tony Parkin at The Tudor Room. First of all the service is lovely; friendly, attentive, knowledgeable and welcoming and for me that is one of the most important things when it comes to a luxury hotel. All COVID-19 precautions are in place and there are hand sanitisers dotted around the building, along with a oneway system making you feel safe which nowadays is key.
Rooms at Great Fosters
Images of Great Fosters by Lulu Townsend
There are 42 en-suite bedrooms at Great Fosters spread across the main house, courtyard and cloisters with the suites all in the main house. I stayed in the Queen Anne Suite (which starts at £600 per night including breakfast) which is incredibly large, with its own sitting room, spacious and full of light with lovely views across the back of the house and the gardens. The four poster bed is literally fit for a King but it’s the bathroom that was pièce de résistance for me. Large and modern with a massive shower and gorgeous roll top bath under a large window, it’s a bathroom you could spend hours in! Properly big fluffy towels and plenty of them, with a towel warmer and a really generous supply of L’Occitane products, they’ve really got the bathrooms right here. The Tapestry Suite is where Charlie Chaplin used to stay and his family stayed in the suite above, rumour has it there’s a secret passage connecting the two but it’s yet to be found. This suite is massive with wood panelled walls draped with 17th-century tapestries. The en-suite bathroom is large with two basins, large walk-in shower as well as a roll top bath.
There isn’t SKY TV but there is complimentary WiFi (no code needed) and in some of the suites there’s a record player with a great selection of LPs.
Early morning view from Queen Anne Suite
Food
There are two restaurants at Great Fosters, The Estate Grill a relaxed, convivial affair and Tony Parkin at The Tudor Room the Michelin star restaurant. This low-lit room has a sultry and rather cosy atmosphere with only 5 tables. Everyone is served at once with a personal introduction to the dishes by Michelin star chef Tony Parkin. On a sunny day there’s no better place to enjoy breakfast or Afternoon Tea (beautifully executed and presented) than on the south-facing terraces which lead onto the manicured gardens. Even on cooler evenings it’s a lovely place to sit and enjoy dinner al fresco with outdoor heaters on request. The breakfast menu includes the Full English as well as pancakes and pastries, exotic fruits and muffins however you like them. New to Great Fosters is the wine room which was finished at the end of February. Now open it seats 3 tables of 4 (or less) and is perfect for small private events.
Children with fussy taste buds needn’t worry, there’s a great kids menu and they might even be tempted by a refreshing mocktail!
What to see and do
Photos of Great Fosters by Lulu Townsend
The gardens at Great Fosters are home to a tennis court, secret gardens, lake and a heated swimming pool which is due to be open year-round and there are plans to add a spa in the near future. Great Fosters has its own bee hives which produce delicious honey which you can try at breakfast. There are even secret gardens to find and explore…
Cosy up in front of the fire in the drawing room during the cooler months with a hot chocolate and Afternoon Tea. Ascot-goers will find it hard to find a better place to stay as Ascot Racecourse is only 15 minutes away. Legoland is 20 minutes away and Chessington World of Adventures half an hour.
Style - Country house hotel meets a bit of bling
Why stay here?
To get away for a night of rest and relaxation
Rates at Great Fosters start at £229 for a double room and go up to £800 per night including breakfast.
Check in — 15H00/19H00
Check out — 11H00
Airport Transfer
If you prefer to travel by train Great Fosters can arrange a pick up from Egham train station and the hotel is just a short taxi ride from London Heathrow airport.