What happens when a bucolic 500-acre countryside estate with Georgian manor house is reinvented by the Four Seasons as a haven for families? Many good things, including families having access to indoor and outdoor pools, a spa, a complimentary kids club, an indoor kids waterpark, pony stables, a high-wire adventure course, and a generous kids (and babies) eat free program. Despite the ample enticements here for families, the hotel was not without its downsides. Namely, the guest experience was fairly chaotic, the dining so-so, and the hotel’s kid-focus seemed to take precedence over wowing adults and kids alike.

Overview

At-a-Glance

• Date of stay: March 2023

• Length of stay: 3 nights / 4 days

• Trip type: Family trip combined with London

• Property type: Historic countryside estate turned ultimate kids playground

• Tailor-made for: Families with young children who enjoy fresh air and farm vibes

Highlights

• Sprawling estate with lots for families to do outdoors as well as indoors (stroller-friendly property)

• Sharkie’s Reef indoor waterpark for kids

• Kids For All Seasons Kids Club (age 4+) — great facility and staff

• Stables with lots of ponies, including bios on each one

• Spacious executive suite with separate bedroom and living area with sofa

• Unexpected new dining concepts with excellent service — Sante for sushi dinner and The Library for cocktails

• Kids Eat Free program (under 5) and baby menu (free)

• Historic sites and markers throughout the estate

Good to Know

• Guests are mostly families with young children, so there is a high level of noise and chaos in restaurants and common areas

• Many staff we encountered seemed frazzled and worn down, despite trying their best to deliver a Four Seasons-calibre service experience

• There is one elevator area for the whole manor, so expect long waits if you need to use the lift

• No residences or cottages on the estate — all accommodations are in the manor house

—

Location & Setting

💛💛💛💛💛

Approximately 35 minutes from London Heathrow Airport (LHR) and 1 hour from central London, the Four Seasons Hotel Hampshire is close enough to the airport and capital to be convenient while feeling far removed from the hustle and bustle of the city.

—

Property & Grounds

💛💛💛💛+

Sitting on 500 acres of rolling English countryside, Four Seasons Hotel Hampshire is a historic, restored Georgian manor house comprising 133 luxury hotel rooms, including 22 suites. While the manor house was originally built in the 18th century, the estate itself dates back to the 11th century, and there are historic sites and markers throughout the estate. The most recent property renovation was completed during the COVID shutdown. In addition to its rooms, the property also has a spa, indoor and outdoor pool, fitness center, indoor children’s waterpark, supervised Kids For All Seasons (K4AS) kids club, stables, multiple dining concepts, and a plethora of outdoor activities. The main downsides we observed at this property were the lack of accommodations outside the manor house (little privacy / quiet) and the property catering almost too much to families (restaurants and common areas felt chaotic; seemingly more focus on wowing kids than grown-ups). There is also only one elevator area servicing the entire manor house, which led to very long waits with big crowds at times.

—

Room

💛💛💛💛+

We originally booked a Garden Deluxe Room but were offered a steeply discounted upgrade to an Executive Suite on arrival, which we accepted and were very glad we did. The suite was located on the 2nd floor (though the room numbers somewhat confusingly correspond to the wing, not the floor) with views of the interior garden. Spacious and updated, the room consisted of:

• A small entryway, large living room with dining area for 2, sofa bed, bar area, and mini-fridge

• A separate, large bedroom with King bed, sitting area and closet

• Ultra-thin flat-screen TVs in the living room and bedroom

• Through the bedroom, a large bathroom with shower, tub, and separate W/C with bidet

The only real downside of this suite was the lack of a second bathroom / having to access the bathroom through the bedroom. We declined the offer of a discounted upgrade to a Park Suite on arrival, which had a second bathroom, but was roughly double the cost of the Executive Suite.

We booked through Lartisien so daily breakfasts for 2 were included, along with a $100 property credit, early check-in, late check-out, and upgrade to a higher room category, if available (we were offered the discounted suite upgrade as an alternative since no upgraded rooms were available).

—

Service

💛💛💛+

Service here had its highs and lows, and felt somewhat inconsistent relative to the service experience we have had at most other Four Seasons properties. We felt very well looked after by Lucas in Sante, Surinder at The Library / Wild Carrot Bar, and Bish at the bell stand. We stayed over UK Mother’s Day, and had a surprise delivery of macarons from the hotel, which was a lovely touch.

However, the overall service experience felt chaotic from arrival, and it was evident throughout our stay that many of the staff were beleaguered. Also, it’s nit-picky, but having the front desk agent on arrival call a supervisor to tell them they were going to “take a guest for an upsell” felt a little impersonal / sell-you-a-timeshare tacky.

—

Dining

💛💛💛

Dining options here consist of:

• The main restaurant, Wild Carrot, and The Bar at Wild Carrot

• A spa cafe (with new sushi dinner option), Cafe Sante

• Afternoon tea lounge, The Drawing Room

• Craft cocktail bar, The Library

• and In-Room Dining

Dining here gets a bad rap, but we experienced the dining program as solidly-executed overall. The main drawbacks we observed were with the menu design in the main restaurant and bar, which was all over the map, and missed opportunities to build out some of the newer, more intriguing dining concepts: Cafe Sante (sushi dinner concept) and The Library (craft cocktail bar). Compared with some of the other luxury English countryside estates that have Michelin starred dining programs, this is a weaker aspect of the property.

—

Family Services & Amenities

💛💛💛💛💛

When it comes to family services and amenities, this property knocks it out of the park. In the room, there are kids welcome milk and cookies, toiletries, bathrobes, slippers, step stools, and drying racks. Restaurants offer children’s menus (kids under 5 eat free) and baby menus (free), as well as high chairs, booster seats, and coloring activities. The Kids for All Seasons supervised kids club is complimentary for kids age 4+, as is the indoor kids waterpark, Sharkie’s Reef. Babysitting is available for a fee.

—

Activities

💛💛💛💛💛

This estate offers a plethora of activities to suit all interests, especially when it comes to the outdoors. There are miles of walking and jogging paths, horse stables and equestrian experiences (including pony meet and greets), tennis, bird watching, canal boating, high wire adventure course, archery, clay shooting, and more. A full list of experiences available at the property can be found on the hotel’s website.

The hotel also has a partnership with a local car hire agency that will drop off / pick up rental cars at the hotel for guests who wish to explore more of the countryside. We booked a 1-day car rental during our stay for a day-trip to Ascot and the whole process went smoothly.

—

Wellness

💛💛💛💛+

The estate felt very wellness-oriented and had a great spa, fitness center, and indoor and outdoor pools. Cafe Sante offered healthy spa menu options, and the entire country estate concept encourages activity and outdoor pursuits. The only downside to the Wellness experience was the aforementioned chaotic atmosphere of Wild Carrot and most common areas throughout the manor.

—

Wow Factor

💛💛💛+

This is a really tough one. The estate itself is beautiful, and all that is on offer is truly remarkable, putting the hotel on par with some top-notch Four Seasons resort properties for families we have stayed at like Orlando and Maui. However, the inconsistent guest experience (too much focus on wowing kids, not enough focus on wowing adults), chaotic atmosphere in the manor house (and lack of alternative accommodation options away from the manor house), and underwhelming / underdeveloped dining program made key aspects of the stay experience feel more “ho-hum” than “wow.”

—

Value

💛💛💛💛💛

Not only was the USD exceedingly strong relative to the GBP when we stayed here, but this property is an exceptional value even in local currency compared to many other luxury hotels with similar amenities (e.g., complimentary kids club, kids eat free, pools / waterparks). Families of 4 can stay in an entry-level room here for less than 500 GBP / night (all-in pricing) during shoulder season (including weekends) with the hotel’s Third Night Free offer, which is practically unheard of at many other Four Seasons destination properties. There is also no resort fee here, which saves families hundreds of dollars relative to staying at a resort property.

—

Overall

💛💛💛💛

Overall, our family had a pleasant experience here and we are glad we stayed. We felt the pros here outweighed the cons. The estate is lovely with lots of fun diversions, and we thoroughly enjoyed the conversations we had with team members during our stay. That said, this hotel seems best suited to families with children age 5 and under. As a point of comparison, Coworth Park (which we stayed at a few years prior, and visited for lunch and property tour while staying at Hampshire) had a calmer vibe and stronger dining program while still catering well to both kids and adults.

Will we be rushing back? No.

Was it a worthwhile stay? Absolutely.

Rating Legend*

💛💛💛💛💛 Exceptional

💛💛💛💛 Notable

💛💛💛 Standard

💛💛 Substandard

💛 Unsatisfactory

*All ratings are relative to similar-class properties