Lime Wood Hotel

"2 Michelin Keys | CN Gold List 2025 5* | 33 keys, from $650 Some country-house hotels — especially those in areas where the manor-house lifestyle is a thing of the distant past — strive heroically to re-create the atmosphere of 1938. In this part of Hampshire, however, there’s nothing to prove, no chips on any shoulders. Perhaps that’s the key to the casual, almost effortless luxury of Lime Wood, in the New Forest, just outside Southampton. There’ll be no bowing and scraping, just friendly, unforced, casual help. The house’s history speaks for itself, and a layer of crisp, contemporary interior design does nothing to dampen it. And it’s family-friendly without turning into one big romper room. What’s the secret? A place like Lime Wood, despite all appearances of insouciance, doesn’t just happen by accident. The minds behind the house’s current boutique-hotel incarnation are hospitality heavyweights, including alumni of some of Britain’s top hotels, both independent and corporate, and the staff is an all-star team as well."