Hotel of the Month

With a heritage dating back to the 14th Century, this former stately home makes for a decadent country retreat. Nestled in the heart of the Leicestershire countryside and set in 500 acres of woodland, parkland and gardens, Stapleford Park (pronounce the ‘a’ as in ‘apple’ rather than ‘staple’) enjoys the most picturesque of the local scenery.

And this local scenery comes right to the doorstep, with wildlife as much a part of the attraction here as the hotel itself. With a long time resident falconer, Pete Sibson, who has dedicated his life to caring for what are often quite contrary birds, you could find it as interesting to spend time outside in the grounds as relaxing indoors. And while birds of prey might not exactly be most people's first choice of company on a relaxing weekend break, Bernard the agrophobic barn owl (yes, agrophobic) is probably the least menacing of such birds you could possibly meet. Scared of his own shadow, he runs away from his prey and instead is much happier allowing you to hand feed him pieces of raw meat, before making a hasty retreat back to the security of his perch.

And as for the hotel itself? The handmade silk wallpapers that adorn most of the interior walls are extravagant, yet befitting of such a grand building, and this indulgent style carries through to the main suites of the hotel which are all uniquely designed in the style of number of leading labels. So while the Mulberry room has tweeds, checks and leather, the Crabtree and Evelyn suite has tapestries and floral touches, not to mention an abundance of their gorgeous products.

There are a number of super-relaxing drawing rooms, where tea can be taken during the day, and private dining rooms, also decked out with beautiful fabrics on the walls. With Melton Mowbray on the doorstep of Stapleford, you could be forgiven for thinking dinner menus would be centred on pork pies, but thankfully you’ll find no such thing at the Grinling Gibbons restaurant. Serving traditional English fare with a modern twist, the food is hearty, tasty and comes served with an exceptional range of fine wines.

And to top off your stay, enjoy a bit of pampering at the hotel's spa which is set in an outbuilding just a short walk from the main hotel, or with a round of golf on the hotel's 18 hole course. Or if you simply fancy using the sunny weather to sit in the gardens, why not compete in a game of giant chess on the lawns, while enjoying one of Stapleford's magnificent picnics.

Stapleford Park is currently running an exclusive offer for Coutts Woman readers. Click here for more information.