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Highlights

Cliveden's private riverside cottage
Historic three-bedroom house and gardens
Set on the Thames, in National Trust grounds
Personal butler, hotel-style room service
A walk from the spa and indoor and outdoor pools

Smith tip

Don’t be deceived by the tranquility of this patch of pastoral bliss. This riverbank retreat was a rendezvous for fun and frolics that inspired a violent political storm in the early Sixties. Now-notorious showgirl Christine Keeler was staying right here at Spring Cottage with Stephen Ward when she met John Profumo at a house party at Lord Astor’s mansion. So you can’t stay here without being au fait with what this union led to – make sure you've either watched or packed the film Scandal.

More photos

Spring Cottage

Berkshire, United Kingdom

Style
Cliveden’s aristocratic summerhouse
Setting
Grassy banks of the Thames River

Cliveden’s riverside guesthouse is hidden away on the leafy banks of the stately home’s magnificent National Trust-owned grounds. Homely yet grand, it’s not your regular 19th-century three-bedroom guesthouse – this five-star hotel’s holiday house has its own butler. If that isn’t thrill enough, how’s about the revelation that this holiday home was where Profumo and friends frolicked in the run-up to the huge political scandal in the Sixties? As for its name, Cliveden’s sister cottage takes its moniker from the spring that emanates from the nearby cliffs.

Need to know

Rates
From £1,200–£1,730 a night plus VAT.
Sleeps
Six. The cottage has two double rooms and a children’s bedroom, which sleeps two.
Ideal for
Special family occasions (mum and dad, granny and grandpa and two juniors), discreet escapes for visiting dignitaries.
Minimum hire
Three nights at weekends, four nights during the week.
Booking process
All prices shown are total prices for the ‘hideaway’ package, which includes breakfast and excludes VAT. Smith deposit taken when you book. A deposit of £300 is required at booking and is non-refundable. Full payment is required 14 days prior to arrival. If the reservation is made a fortnight prior full payment is required.
Property style
Originally built as a secluded summerhouse by the Countess of Orkney in 1813, in the 1870s the Duchess of Sutherland had this mock-Tudor guest cottage extended.
Grounds
As well as being set amid Cliveden’s spectacular 376 acres of National Trust gardens and parklands, the cottage has its own private leafy garden and swathe of grassy river banks. Nestled in the woods on the very edge of the tranquil Thames, stray out
Also
The cottage is non-smoking throughout, but there is plenty of outdoor space; pets are allowed.

In the know

Eating and drinking
As you have room service from the main Cliveden hotel and your own personal butler, first-class dining is but a bell-ring away. There is also a well-stocked fridge with olives and cold cuts and champers galore. A personal chef can also be available for lunch and dinner.
Housekeeping
There’s a daily room spruce with a turn-down maid service in the evening should you want it.
Entertainment
A digital television is featured in the sitting room, and a CD and iPod player in the dining room. You might find the old-fashioned bulging bookshelves and games cupboards provide a more fitting way to spend your time here.
Provided
All the amenities you might expect from a five-star hotel are at hand – Penhaligan toiletries, slippers and toweling robes.
Packing tips
Your swimwear (unless you’re Christine Keeler) so that you can make the most of the indoor and outdoor pools at the Pavilion spa. A copy of the film Scandal on DVD – see our Smith tip. A few airs and graces – where better to live out a few delusions

For a detailed description of all the rooms and grounds, click here

Also worth knowing

Children
The third bedroom is best suited to one or two children and there is a stash of board games. This property is right on the river so it's not ideal if you have intrepid toddlers, better suited probably to eight-year-olds and up. More…

Weddings
This property is suitable for weddings. More…

Smith card offer

Smithcard

Afternoon tea at the cottage, for up to six people, on a day of your choice during your stay

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).

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Spring Cottage

Cliveden
Taplow
Berkshire
SL6 0JF

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