Billesley Manor Hotel & Spa

About Billesley Manor Hotel & Spa

Billesley Manor sits in eleven acres of parkland at Billesley, between Stratford-upon-Avon and Alcester and about five miles from the town centre. The core of the building is a sixteenth-century stone manor house, Grade II listed, with a topiary garden that has been clipped into shape for generations and a small church in the grounds. The house claims a Shakespeare connection of its own, and whether or not the story stands up, it sets the tone for a hotel that leans into its history.

The hotel now trades as part of Marriott's Tribute Portfolio, and a substantial refurbishment has brought the bedrooms up to a contemporary standard without stripping out the panelling and stone fireplaces in the older parts. Rooms divide between characterful ones in the manor itself, several with four-posters and beams, and larger, more uniform rooms in the garden wings, which tend to suit families. Dining is at the Stuart Restaurant, with a bar and lounge for lighter meals, afternoon tea and a well-attended Sunday lunch.

The spa and health club are the main draw for weekend guests: an indoor pool, sauna, gym, treatment rooms and yoga classes, with spa days sold separately to non-residents. Outside there is croquet, tennis and enough lawn for a proper walk before breakfast. Parking is free and plentiful, which matters given that a car is effectively required here. Stratford is ten to fifteen minutes away by road, and Alcester, Henley-in-Arden and the northern Cotswolds are all comfortably reachable.