Mr & Mrs Smith

As befits a dwelling that is over 500 years old, Fawsley Hall hotel is a mix of architectural styles, with Tudor, Georgian and Victorian aspects all present and correct. This should, by rights, look like a design nightmare but all the work has been sensitively done and this Northamptonshire boutique hotel looks comfortable in its skin, guarding, no doubt, dramatic tales from its varied history.

NEED TO KNOW

• Rooms 58.
• Rates Double rooms from GBP 82, excluding tax at 20 per cent..
• More details Rates include full English breakfast and access to the spa.
• Facilities Spa with solarium and steam room, gym, tennis court, jogging trail, DVD/CD library, free WiFi throughout. In-room amenities: enormous beds, antique furnishings, minibar, Frette linen. Five rooms have DVD players.
• Poolside As well as the spa's indoor pool, there's an outdoor hydro pool overlooking the landscaped gardens.
• Check-out 11am. Extension to midday is possible, subject to availability. Extension until 5pm (again subject to availability) costs £99–£212 depending on the room. Earliest check-in, 3pm.
• Children It’s a grown-up kind of place, but there are games and jigsaws to keep younger ones amused. More...
• Hotel closed The restaurant, Equilibrium, closes from 20 December 2011, reopening 3 January 2012.
• Also No smoking indoors. Well-behaved dogs are allowed in the hotel (but not the restaurant), as long as they are not left alone in rooms.