Best Castle & Manor House Hotels near London

Most Famous Guests: Meghan Markle, Mahatma Gandhi, John Profumo, Christine Keeler. Meghan Markle left Cliveden House, near Windsor, on the morning of Saturday 19th May, for her wedding to Prince Harry having spend her last night as a single woman there (previous divorce aside!). We can’t be sure how much time she spent considering her accommodation options in the area but whichever way the highly glamorous Cliveden House was an excellent choice. From April to October on Thursdays and Sundays the doors of, at least part of, the magnificent property, are open to the admiring gaze of the public while all year round its beautifully manicured grounds are on display until evening. It’s a National Trust property, and one which attracts visitors from all around England and indeed the world but, unlike most other National Trust properties, Cliveden House is of course also a top of the range, 5 star luxury castle hotel, conveniently near London. The hotel possesses the sort of dubious glamour that is irresistible to many visitors, for you cannot mention Clivedon House without making reference to one of the most famous ever scandals in British Political history, the so called Profumo affair of the 1960s, an affair which READ MORE

Most Famous Former Guests: Prince Imperial Napoléon, Lilly Langtry, Christopher Lee. Perhaps Windsor’s most famous hotel, the luxury Oakley Court is a fabulous Neo-Gothic castle hotel on the banks of the River Thames. It has a quite palpable, brooding Gothic atmosphere, something that lead to it being the set of many movies and TV series; The Rocky Horror Picture Show, various Hammer House of Horrors films and The Hound of the Baskervilles to name but a few. The setting by the Thames, in lovely Windsor, near London, can not be beaten and it has 33 acres of landscaped gardens and woodland to explore, as well as a nine hole golf course, tennis courts, fitness centre, indoor swimming pool, sauna and steam rooms, and a very fine restaurant. ACCOMMODATION: They have a choice of rooms graded, and priced, as standard, luxury or executive, and a number of larger suites with separate seating areas. They are all spacious and beautifully appointed with most of them being in the relatively modern annex adjacent to the castle. If you want something more traditional then go for the Mansion House Rooms; these are in the original castle building and are more old fashioned in style. READ MORE