Next time you’re in London for business, why not consider extending your trip and heading for some rest and relaxation in the country? Business Traveller selects some of the best hotels in easy distance.

One of the best things about doing business in London, yet one of the least considered, is that the countryside is on its doorstep. Within an hour of the city you can find yourself in unspoilt surroundings that will make you feel as far from the madding crowd as you can get.

The counties surrounding London are home to an array of country house hotels ideal for the traveller who wants a rejuvenating weekend break after a hard few days’ business in the capital, and perhaps wants their partner or family to join them.

Here, the Business Traveller team recommends six hotels, one from each of the counties bordering the capital. When selecting properties we had strict criteria: each had to be no more than an hour’s train journey from a central London station, and easily reachable from one of its airports; it had to be four-star or above, with good spa facilities and an indoor swimming pool; and it needed to have business facilities for those who couldn’t quite leave their work behind.

When making your choice, think about what exactly you want from your break. The hotels we’ve chosen are very different – some grand, some more low-key – but they all offer their own unique way of helping guests to unwind. Click here for full reviews.

Hertfordshire

Marriott Hanbury Manor Hotel and Country Club

Hanbury Manor is a sprawling red-brick mansion built in the late 19th century in Jacobean style and set in 200 acres of countryside. Opened as a five-star hotel in 1990, with two new wings in the style of the original building, the property has an illustrious history – it was once a convent school and the estate itself was first mentioned in the Domesday book.

The hotel is in Ware, about 40km north of London, 26km from Stansted airport and 77km from Heathrow. Ware train station, 5km away, is 40 minutes from Liverpool Street station. While it is situated off a busy road, any traffic is forgotten as soon as you turn into the estate and make your way up the long, winding driveway – it really does feel like you are in the middle of nowhere.

The hotel has an 18-hole championship golf course that has played host to the European PGA English Open, two driving ranges and beautifully maintained grounds – look out for the not-so “secret garden”, popular for marriage proposals. Its extensive health-club facilities include a Romanesque 18-metre pool, spa bath, sauna, steam rooms, treatment rooms, a hair salon, a tanning room, manicure stations, a gym, weights room and two aerobics studios, where classes such as yoga and Pilates are held each day. There are also tennis courts, a basketball court, a snooker room, a croquet lawn, badminton nets, a jogging trail and mountain bikes for hire.

The 161 spacious rooms and suites are decorated in traditional style, boast views of either the golf course or gardens, have very comfortable beds and feature good amenities such as a well-stocked minibar and plush robes – although as is common with a property of this nature, there is no air conditioning. All rooms have wifi access, priced at £15 for 24 hours. TVs are old-style but flatscreens are being rolled out in the next few months.

Eating options include Zodiac, an elegant fine-dining restaurant with wonderful food and service, and Oak Hall, an inviting room with a huge fireplace, where afternoon tea is served (take a peek at the piano that plays itself on the mezzanine above – a favourite with young guests). The all-day restaurant, Oakes Grill, has a relaxed atmosphere and great views of the golf course.

  • Marriott Hanbury Manor Hotel and Country Club, Ware; tel +44 (0)1920 487 722; marriott.co.uk
  • Internet rates for a Saturday-night stay in May start from £115 for a King room. Dining packages are also available.

For a full review, click here.

Essex

Greenwoods Hotel Spa and Retreat

Greenwoods’ original 17th-century Grade II listed manor house used to be a mission but has since been renovated and an extension added to it in 2004. At the front of the property is a pond with a fountain and a crunchy gravel drive, while at the back is a terrace with tables, chairs and sun loungers, a sunken garden and neat lawns that stretch into fields beyond.

The hotel is in the peaceful village of Stock, a ten-minute drive from Billericay station, which is 40 minutes from Liverpool Street. Stock is 64km from central London and 60km from Stansted airport. The sound of the dawn chorus and the crowing of a cockerel from a nearby farm in the morning definitely make you aware of being in the country, and the views from the back are beautiful.

The four-star hotel aims to create an old-fashioned, homely feel, with rich furnishings, heavy tasselled curtains and dark wood fittings. The 39 rooms are decorated in ornate, Regency-period style and have small flatscreen TVs, armchairs and tea and coffee-making facilities. While there is no minibar in any of the bedrooms, there is a room service menu. The six Premier rooms in the old wing also come with spa baths and antique double beds, and internet access through the television is available in all the rooms for £4.95 per connection.

Light meals are served in a wood-panelled lounge illuminated by light streaming through original windows, while the Rosewood restaurant, decorated lavishly with stuccoed ceilings and gilt-framed mirrors, serves international cuisine and daily specials.

The spa has ten treatment rooms, a solarium, a relaxation room, manicure and pedicure stations, a steam room and sauna, a monsoon shower and a 20-metre indoor pool. There is also a gym, while Crondon Park golf club is nearby.

  • Greenwoods Hotel Spa and Retreat, Stock Road, Stock; tel +44 (0)1277 829 990; greenwoodshotel.com
  • Internet rates for a Saturday-night stay in May start from £213 per room and include dinner and breakfast. Check the website for more offers and packages.

For a full review, click here.

Kent

Brandshatch Place Hotel and Spa

Brandshatch Place is a red-brick Georgian mansion built in 1806 in 12 and a half acres of grounds, as a country home for the Duke of Norfolk. It first became a hotel in 1977. It’s located just off the A20 in the village of Fawkham and is 32km from London City airport and 48km from Gatwick. Trains leave from London Blackfriars and London Victoria to Longfield, 3km from the hotel, and take about 50 minutes.

If you are escaping London’s busy roads then it’s best to go straight inside when you arrive, as the first thing you will hear are the Formula One cars tearing around Brands Hatch race circuit, a kilometre away. It’s an exciting sound, but if you don’t like it, don’t worry – the track is only open during the day. The hotel is an ideal retreat housing an excellent Espa spa and leisure centre with squash courts, a swimming pool, steam room, sauna and whirlpool. There’s also a tennis court outside.

The hotel certainly has a “home away from home” feel, with touches including a line of wellington boots for guests to borrow and a bowl of apples in the reception hall. There’s a small bar and a drawing room with comfy leather chairs. The Dining Room restaurant serves modern British cuisine and has a lively atmosphere and superb food. It is advisable to book in advance as it gets very busy.

The 38 bedrooms have traditional décor and are all slightly different sizes. Amenities that come as standard include free broadband internet access, a safe, an iron and ironing board, a trouser press, free mineral water, tea and coffee-making facilities, a hair dryer and thick bathrobes. Rooms also feature large flatscreen televisions, and you can borrow DVDs from reception.

  • Brandshatch Place Hotel and Spa, Brands Hatch Road, Fawkham; tel +44 (0)845 072 7395; handpickedhotels.co.uk
  • Internet rates for a Saturday-night stay in May start from £135 for a Classic room. A three-course à la carte meal is available for a £30 supplement. Check the website for packages and deals.

For a full review, click here.

Surrey

Pennyhill Park Hotel and The Spa

Pennyhill Park, a member of the Exclusive Hotels group, is a mixture of old and new, with the original building dating back to the 1850s, and a new-build extension adding rooms and spa facilities. There are 123 acres of grounds, including a nine-hole golf course and a rugby pitch – a favourite with the England team.

The hotel is in Bagshot, about 53km from London and 30km from Heathrow. Nearby Sunningdale station has direct services into London Waterloo.

Each of the 123 rooms are individually designed, and layouts and dimensions vary considerably. The décor is traditional, and rooms feature flatscreen TVs, DVD players (guests can choose from a free DVD library), free wired and wifi internet access, and tea and coffee-making facilities. I was staying on the top floor of the original building, in a room that had great views, a four-poster bed and a huge bathroom with a roll-top bathtub.

The hotel’s fine-dining restaurant, the Latymer, opened just over a year ago, and recently received its first Michelin star. Other choices include the Brasserie, where a breakfast buffet is served, Henri Giraud’s Chef’s Table in the main kitchen, and the Ascot bar.

Pennyhill has 23 meeting rooms, all with natural daylight and wifi access, and several have garden terraces. If you want some fresh air, there is a nine-hole golf course, a lake for fishing, floodlit tennis courts, archery, croquet lawns, jogging trails and a shooting lodge.

Inside the hotel are 21 therapy rooms, a 280 sqm fitness centre, an exercise studio, a sauna, laconium (dry heat but cooler than a sauna), thermal bath, ice cave, steam room, heated stone loungers, and eight pools.

  • Pennyhill Park Hotel and The Spa, London Road, Bagshot; tel +44 (0)1276 471 774; exclusivehotels.co.uk
  • Internet rates for a Saturday-night stay in May start from £295 for a Guest room. See online for offers.

For a full review, click here.

Berkshire

Donnington Valley Hotel and Spa

A modern, low-rise, red-brick hotel built in 1991, the four-star Donnington Valley is on a quiet road overlooking fields at the front and a golf course at the back. A new wing was added two years ago, bringing the number of bedrooms to 111. The décor throughout is fresh and contemporary, while the reception area and bar retain a more traditional feel, with dark wood, comfy armchairs and dusty stag heads.

The hotel is eight minutes’ drive from Newbury station, which is connected by frequent trains to London Paddington station, a 50-minute journey. Newbury is 96km from central London, off the M4, and 85km from Heathrow airport.

Bedrooms are decorated in pale shades with splashes of colour in the soft furnishings. Amenities include wifi internet access (£8 for one hour/£15 for 24 hours), a safe, a fridge with free milk and mineral water, air conditioning, tea and coffee-making facilities, a flatscreen TV and a trouser press.

Executive rooms also have a DVD player (there is a free DVD library in reception), free web access, a robe and slippers, an iron and ironing board, and a separate bath and walk-in shower (these are combined in Classic rooms). Most of the rooms at the back have views of the 18-hole golf course.

The stylish Winepress restaurant serves a mixture of modern and traditional international dishes using fresh, locally sourced produce. It also has an excellent wine list with more than 30 vintages by the glass. Bar Mezz serves light meals and snacks throughout the day.

Leisure facilities include an 18-metre swimming pool, a sauna, steam room and spa bath, an aroma room, a monsoon shower, seven treatment rooms, and a gym fitted with high-tech equipment. Guests can also arrange to go fishing or shooting and picnic hampers can be provided for days out.

  • Internet rates for a Saturday-night stay start from £119 for a Classic room. Check the website for offers.

For a full review, click here.

Buckinghamshire

Stoke Park

A palatial Palladian mansion designed in 1790 by James Wyatt, architect to King George III, Stoke Park has a recorded history of more than 900 years and has been a sporting club for over a century. It is set in 350 acres of parkland and the Pavilion wing was added in 2002, with 28 luxury rooms unveiled last year. If Stoke Park looks familiar, it’s because movies ranging from Bridget Jones’s Diary to Layer Cake have been filmed here.

The hotel is located 11km from London Heathrow and 35 minutes from central London by car. Trains run frequently from London Paddington train station to Slough, taking as little as 15 minutes.

Bedrooms range from traditional in the old mansion to modern in the new Pavilion (one room has a giant print of Marilyn Monroe, while another has framed racing photos). There are giant flatscreen TVs, iPod docking stations, bathrooms with heated floors, and wifi access (£15 for 24 hours). Many rooms in the mansion also have balconies, roll-top baths, open fires and views of the gardens.

There are two fine-dining restaurants – the Dining Room, which has an all-day menu offering afternoon tea and contemporary British cuisine in the evening, and the grand Orangery, a relaxed venue with views across to the Norman church of Stoke Poges. There is also San Marco, for healthy snacks.

Pride of place among the superb leisure facilities must go to the 27-hole, century-old championship golf course – it was here that James Bond defeated Goldfinger on the 18th green in the 1964 movie starring Sean Connery. There is also a ten-bay driving range and an 18-hole putting course, as well as a health and beauty spa with 11 treatment rooms, a large swimming pool, 13 tennis courts, and a gym and fitness studio.

  • Internet rates for a Saturday-night stay start from £230 for an Executive room. Check the website for packages including “Golfer’s Haven” and the “Bridget Jones Mini Break”.

For a full review, click here.