My husband recently whisked me away for a surprise long weekend to Lymington where we stayed at the stylish Macdonald Elmers Court Hotel and Resort. One of several luxury hotels in the Macdonald Hotels group, it is a stunning, high-chimneyed, Tudor-gabled Manor House, which dates back to the 19th century. Over the years, it has had multiple owners and undergone several refurbishments to increase the capacity of the hotel. Large parts of the hotel are also offered as timeshare properties.

A short taxi ride from Lymington station (£3 one way) brings you to the hotel via a gated entrance and driveway, lined with trees.

The reception, Waterford Restaurant and the main bar are located in the Manor House; a traditional and charming country home, with opulent interiors and period property features. My husband had already pre-booked online so check-in was fairly straightforward. The hotel upgraded us to one of their suites which was definitely unexpected but very welcome.

The modern part of the resort is a collection of independent suites that look like Alpine lodges. They are detached from the main building, dotted around a landscaped courtyard. We were going to stay in one of these!

A flight of stairs took us to the first floor deck which doubled up as a balcony. It was a perfect spot to sit out on a sunny day or in the evening watching the stars.

A set of French doors opened into a spacious and high-ceilinged living area. On one side we had a formal lounge with plush sofas and a coffee table. A large skylight provided ample natural light to flood into the living room. For me, it was a great spot to snuggle with a cup of tea and a good book. But equally in the evening, we shared a glass of wine while watching the stars through the skylight.

On the opposite end were two comfortable armchairs and a small circular coffee table for a more relaxed setting and within easy reach of the Nespresso machine. The mini bar, hidden under the TV console, had a few other complimentary alcoholic beverages provided. The whole living room area was clean, bright, airy and very welcoming.

Towards the middle of the room, there was a circular dining table accommodating four people.

The hotel had offered us some complimentary prosecco and a half bottle of red wine, which was a real surprise! It was a nice gesture and started our weekend break on a fabulous note!

The bedroom was at the far end of the suite with a door separating the rest of the lounge area. It had a fairly decent sized bed and full height wardrobes. The interior scheme was modern and neutral with warm tones of burgundy and use of velvet fabrics to create a lush scheme.

There was a writing desk provided in the room as well.

A capacious en-suite bathroom had a bath and a shower which was really convenient.

There were complimentary bath robes and luxury toiletries provided which was really handy.

Overall we were very impressed with our suite; it had all the little details, was roomy but at the same time had a cozy and homely feel about it.

For our first night, we dined at the hotel’s own The Waterford Restaurant. The menu was refined British classics with seasonal ingredients.

For starters, I had the Leek and Potato Soup whilst Kris had the Smoked Salmon, pickled cucumber and dill with watercress.

For mains, I had the Braised Pork Belly, with sauté potatoes, buttered spring greens and cider cream sauce. Kris’s Grilled Fish, with crushed new potatoes, creamed leeks and hollandaise sauce was possibly the better dish that evening.

Our dinner was not without its groans. The service could have been better; the interiors although classy and romantic, had faded glamour written all over it. I think the restaurant’s interiors needs a bit of sprucing up.

The morning buffet breakfast in Elmers Court was a pretty standard affair, held inside the slightly lacklustre Scottish Steak Club.

However, for our second day we decided to order room service and enjoy breakfast in the comfort of our own suite which was definitely much more relaxing!

We enjoyed our in room breakfast so much that we decided to order room service for dinner as well! The steak (ordered from the Scottish Steak Club) was simply superb! Proper thick cut chips too!

Elmers Court has an Elemis Spa attached to the hotel, complete with indoor and outdoor swimming pool, sauna, steam room and treatment rooms. During our stay, we made full use of the facilities. It also has its own mini golf course and tennis courts.

It is also a popular venue for weddings as was evident from the two weddings that were taking place during the same weekend of our stay.

But perhaps the best thing about Elmers Court is the sprawling country garden that comes with the estate.

You can get some spectacular views of the Lymington Pier and the whiff of fresh sea and country air from the comfort of the hotel gardens. We ordered some prosecco from the hotel bar and perched on one of the benches under the glorious sunshine for a bit of boat watching.

Evenings in Elmers Court were spent in their intimate wood-panelled bar, with low lighting and huge period windows looking onto the gardens.

Our stay at the Macdonald Elmers Court Hotel was pretty memorable. We absolutely loved our room and the gardens. There are certainly areas of the hotel that need attention and improvement but overall it was a pretty spectacular weekend.

More information can be found here.

N.B. All photos and opinions are mine. We paid for our stay. This is not a sponsored post.