Ultimate luxury: A Modern Mother visits Hampshire, England

When you think of luxury hotels, you usually conjure up images of relaxing spa treatments, lazy afternoons at the swimming pool and fabulous food. Children don’t really enter the picture. Think again.

Four Seasons Hotel Hampshire has given kids a lot of thought. “If children are happy and active and have a lot to do, then the parents are happy, too,” said Charlie Parker, General Manager. “And they are usually better behaved, which is good for everyone.”

Checking the family into luxury

Four Seasons is known for its attention to detail, and this goes for little ones, too. Located just one hour west of London, the hotel is managed at an impressive property at Dogmersfield Park, which dates from 1086 and is said to be the site of Henry VIII’s first meeting with Catherine of Aragon. It’s the ultimate English country getaway, with clay pigeon shooting, a full equestrian facility and an angling centre right on the property. Kids can get involved in all of this.

It started at check-in. While mum filled in all her paperwork, children were invited to climb up a specially-built mahogany step to “check in” themselves by filling out their name, favourite food and activity. My youngest said she liked pasta and swimming. After they “check in,” kids get to peruse a large wooden treasure chest full of little treats. My youngest picked a small honey-coloured teddy -“To keep me company, mummy”.

When we got to our room, there were jelly mice with the girls’ names etched in chocolate! There were carefully selected kids’ magazines on the coffee table (my girls are 6, 7 and 9), and in the bathroom the girls’names were laid out in brightly coloured bath foam letters. There was even a yellow duck. But the best bits were the pint-sized Four Seasons robes with child-sized slippers!

Swimming in bliss

The swimming pool is open for children from 6:30 a.m. – 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. – 9 p.m., and is kitted out for kids. There are swim nappies for little ones, floaties, noodles and goggles. I picked up one of the glossy magazines and settled into one of the lounge chairs, while the girls splashed around in the pool.

We left dad with a copy of The Economist to chill out at the pool, and went to check out the spa. The girls had appointments for a mini manicure and pedicure. They loved their individual spa confirmations, which were decorated with hearts and sparkles.  We were greeted by eager staff who offered the girls fluffy powder blue boas and sparkly white fairy wings. My youngest, age 6, looked confused. “But where are the animals, mummy?” She thought pedi had something to do with pets! The next task was choosing nail varnish colours. Oh, the agony of choice. Pink? Aqua blue? Sparkles? In any case, they looked way too comfortable getting their feet massaged and nails painted.

While they were busy getting beautiful, I snuck in a visit to the adjacent female relaxation room and heat experiences. I first tried the Clear Quartz Crystal Sauna, and when I lay down, I gazed into starry lights and then made my way into the Amethyst Crystal steam room.  I cooled down with a face towel that had been resting in a bucket of ice, and dipped in the “lifestyle shower”, which is an arctic mist of mint and a tropical rain of exotic flowers. Wonderful.

Eating up delight

Recharged, we headed for dinner in the Bistro, the casual dining option a la Four Seasons style. The girls reluctantly gave up their dressing gowns for smart-casual. I was very impressed with the kids’ menu. One of the starters was prosciutto and melon, which always goes over well with kids.  I’m not sure why more restaurants don’t offer it. There was so much to talk about at dinner. Hubby turned the mani/pedi experience into a language lesson: can you think of other words that have “mani” in it? Manual! And pedi? “Pedal!” My oldest chimed in.

Right on cue, our waitress brought over the “Bizy Bags.” Think activity pack on steroids: colour-your-own stickers, make a 3D cutout animal, word games and more. We actually got smiles from the other guests, and one couple leaned over to tell us how adorable and well-behaved our children were.

Breakfast, ponies, and pigs, oh my!

Yes, the famous Four Seasons is very comfortable. After a restful night, we had a walk around the estate grounds before we went down for a buffet breakfast. The kids’ newspaper was a nice touch, and at one point, both hubby’s and oldest daughter’s noses were buried in the papers. While Daddy read the Sunday Times, the girls had their noses buried in First News, reading about Justin Bieber, how to be safe on the Internet, and the soon-to-be-released DS.

While the girls spent the rest of the morning at the equestrian centre “owning a pony for the day,” we picked up some of the mountain bikes and explored the property. We found the lake with fishing cottage, highland cattle, and even a pig!

Having spent the morning burning a lot of calories, we tried the Farmers’ Market Sunday lunch. Executive Chef Cyrille Pannier has made this a local event that celebrates locally sourced ingredients. It’s not to be missed. There were several appetisers, a choice of roasts (including slow-cooked lamb shoulder marinated in herbs) and a display of desserts. There was even a kid’s station. Each dish is labeled with its provenance – many coming from Secret Farms, which is 15 miles away in Surrey and is delivered within 24 hours of harvest.

The end came too quickly

We were so busy, we didn’t even have time to check out the Kids for All Seasons club, where all kinds of scheduled activities, such as a movie afternoon with popcorn and outdoor games, were organised. We did manage to make it to the games room, which is housed in a cotton candy pink coloured cottage next to the spa.  No one else was there, and the girls had their choice of air hockey, foosball and a pool table.

The weekend flew by, and soon we were on our way home. It was a perfect weekend in the country with our girls, and one they will remember for a long time to come.

The opinions presented in this post are unedited, entirely the bloggers own, and are not influenced in any way by compensation, monetary or otherwise. The experiences in this post were provided to the blogger free of charge by Four Seasons for the sole purpose of review.