Though I've never watched an episode of "Downton Abbey," I felt like a privileged period character approaching Cliveden House's dramatic, graveled driveway, though it was hard to imagine myself in a horse and buggy while riding in a chauffeured Mercedes-Benz.
One can't help but be enthralled at the sight of the sprawled, neoclassical mansion estate in the Berkshire countryside, with 376 acres of gardens and woodlands to explore and with a legacy that predates the birth of our own nation. Once the home of the Second Duke of Buckingham and his mistress and later the uber-wealthy Astor family, Cliveden House has hosted royalty, presidents and other famous figures for many a party (and occasional scandal) over the last 350 years, and its reincarnation as a hotel transports guests into the lavish lives of yesteryear.
Cliveden House is but a 40-minute train ride from London, making it a very convenient stopover to and from the British capital. The mansion, now owned by billionaire developers Ian and Richard Livingstone, houses 47 classic, individually designed rooms and suites. While Cliveden has preserved its Old World allure with its recent refurbishment, the rooms offer 21st century comforts such as Sony tablets and handy USB outlets to forgo any fumbling with adapters. The bathrooms are wrapped waist-high in white-gray Cararra marble, and many of the rooms feature original, often one-of-a-kind portraits and tapestries. You won't feel as if you're a guest in a hotel but rather a guest of some esteemed 19th century aristocrat with exquisite tastes.
The great room at Cliveden House. The converted 19th century mansion is now a hotel with 47 rooms and suites.
I felt as though I'd won the jackpot staying in the Westminster, one of the Deluxe Suites in the main house, with its front-and-center view of the terrace and the Parterre in the mansion's rear. The word "enchanting" best befits the 4-acre, Versailles-like splendor of the house, with two large sets of interwoven garden beds and pyramid-cut elm trees set atop a cliff, all cradled underneath by the winding River Thames.
Cliveden's dining program is led by executive head chef Andre Garrett, who oversees the main dining room in the mansion and the informal Astor Grill. The latter, having opened in spring 2016, is housed in a former horse stable and cleverly infuses the equestrian theme in its contemporary decor. The grand Andre Garrett dining room — replete with chandeliers, sea green velvet seats and walls with stately portraits — will make you want to don your dandiest even for breakfast. Save the sense of occasion for dinner, though, when Garrett offers seasonal, modern British a la carte and eight-course tasting menus: think foie gras with pistachio and plum and turbot fillet with seaweed and borage veloute.
By summer 2017, the property will have completed the five-year restoration of its terrace and reopened its new and improved spa, which includes the infamous outdoor pool that played host to the Profumo affair, the scandal between an esteemed, married politician and a young model that rocked the British parliament in 1961. It was this salacious event that gave the
Cliveden House its fame, but the masterful, ongoing transformation of the mansion under the Livingstone brothers' tutelage is what's worthy of major headlines.
Go to www.clivedenhouse.co.uk.