Green & Pleasant

What better view can there be than over an idyllic garden in full bloom? Here are some of the most verdant places to stay this summer

- Sally Coffey

At last year’s RHS Chelsea Flower Show, one of the key themes was the impact gardens can have on your health and wellbeing. The verdict? Gardens are good for you.

Whether you partake in gardening yourself, or simply enjoy being amid lush greenery and vibrant floral displays, there is growing evidence that gardens make us feel better. With this in mind, we’ve found some of the best hotels with gardens, from grand estates to more intimate sanctuaries, to make your next stay a relaxing and uplifting affair.

Roman philosopher Cicero is once said to have remarked: “If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need”, so guests at Bowood Hotel, Spa & Golf Resort, Wiltshire, must feel very content indeed, as the elegant hotel has both.

Set within 100 acres of Lancelot‘Capability’ Brown parkland, where sweeping lawns lead down to a serpentine lake, it’s a stunning place to wander.

A pleasant amble from the hotel will bring you to Bowood House – still home to the Marquis and Marchioness, owners of the estate – which guests can look inside, though the real treasures are to be found outside, in the Italian terraced garden or the private walled garden. The latter is a secret enclosure, with entry restricted to monthly tours, but it’s worth the wait: tulips, roses, lavender, peonies, hydrangeas and honeysuckle all vie for your attention. There’s also a wonderful adventure playground for kids within Bowood’s grounds.

Bowood is well placed for visiting Avebury – a Neolithic stone circle that rivals Stonehenge – the city of Bath, or the chocolate-box village of Lacock.