In the know
- Our favourite rooms
- To feel like true country-house gentry, book into Colwall. The aubergine and gold colour palette, heavy Tudor-style bed with sumptuous sink-into mattress, opulent swathes of fabric draped by the windows and the garden views add up to a lord-of-the-manor setting. Colwall is also one of the hotel’s most spacious rooms, boasting a pretty sitting area overlooking the lemon-and-lime scenery.
- Packing tips
- Bring loose clothes for cream-tea gorging and trainers for post-cream-tea strolling; some understated chic for the stylish restaurant and bar; your iPod for tuning out giggles and squeaks.
- Also
- Look out for the friendly four-legged residents, George the cat and Tickle the chocolate labrador.
Current offers
- Smith card offer
- Half a bottle of champagne on arrival and, if you book dinner, bed and breakfast rates, you'll get a free upgrade to the seven-course tasting menu on your first night
More photos
The Elms
Worcestershire, United Kingdom[view map]
- Style
- Chilled-out child-friendly mansion
- Setting
- Amid the Malverns
The Elms’ ivy-clad country mansion is a luxurious playground for tots and adults alike. Sprawling gardens, stylish dining, a spa and plenty of activities for little'uns add up to a wonderful Worcestershire retreat. Don’t be deceived by the 18th-century exterior – there’s nothing musty or fusty about this hotel, packed with mod cons to entertain the entire family.
Need to know
- Rooms
- 23.
- Rates
- £250–£325, including full English breakfast and tax.
- Check-out
- 11am but flexible, subject to availability. Check-in, from 3pm.
- Facilities
- Gardens, spa with four treatment rooms, relaxation room, gym, bar, DVD library, Ofsted-registered crèche, outside dining area, tennis court, orchards, playground, free WiFi in the main house. In rooms: flatscreen TV, DVD player, free bottled water.
- Poolside
- Dip into the indoor heated swimming pool, relax in the sauna and steam room and cleanse and revitalise under the experience shower.
- Also
- If you want to bring a pet, book up an animal-friendly Coach House room.
Food & drink
- Hotel restaurant
- For fine dining in a romantic setting, head to the hotel’s Brooke Restaurant. This grand and gregarious space is decked out with ice-bright chandeliers, an ornately carved fireplace, pale-olive sash curtains, crisp white tablecloths and a grandma-pleasing array of fine china. Though the setting has a stately formality, relaxed staff take the edge off with friendly and laid-back service and the award-winning food is sublime. Chef Darren Bale delights in seasonal ingredients, dotting his menu with creative takes on individual fruit and veg (current champions are asparagus and strawberries). For meals en famille, visit the Pear Terrace Brasserie at the spa and enjoy unfussy and wholesome sandwiches, salads, burgers and pasta, served all day.
- Dress code
- If you’re heading to Brooke, bring out that dress or shirt you’ve been hiding from baby. Understated glam will suit this relaxed yet regal space. Anything goes at the informal Pear Tree Brasserie.
- Top table
- Request a table by the bay windows to get the best lawn views at Brooke Restaurant. At the Pear Terrace Brasserie, sit out on the terrace on sunny days.
- Last orders
- Breakfast is served at Brooke 7.30am–10am, lunch is noon–2.30pm and dinner is plated up between 7pm–9.30pm. Pear Terrace Brasserie offers all-day dining 11am–9.30pm.
- Room service
- Room service is available at the same times as above, with a selection from Brooke Restaurant’s menu.
- Hotel bar
- All that time preening and pampering in the spa and helping your little ones paint, paddle and play-act in the crèche may make you forget you’re deep in the country. For a stylish reminder, head to the Library bar, a regal-rural drinking den. Pull up a worn leather armchair by the roaring fire and sip a whisky, cognac or daytime coffee with petits-fours, surrounded by treacle-dark wood and glittering bottles.
Also worth knowing
Smith Members offer
Half a bottle of champagne on arrival and, if you book dinner, bed and breakfast rates, you'll get a free upgrade to the seven-course tasting menu on your first night
If you're a member of Mr & Mrs Smith, you can get special privileges at every Smith hotel you book through us. Just show your Smith card at check-in to claim the offer featured on every hotel page (like the one above).
Click here to become a Mr & Mrs Smith member
Smith travel team
If you'd prefer to talk to someone, or don't want to book online, call our travel team on 1 866 610 3867. We guarantee you’ll get the best available rates, and we don’t charge a booking fee.
The Elms
Stockton Road
Abberley
WR6 6AT
