From picture postcard cosy cottages from which to host the ultimate family get-together to country house hotels who are ready to host you and yours this Yuletide, check in to a calm and stress-free festive season away from home
A country house party at Chewton Glen, New Forest
Enjoy tidings of comfort, food and joy with your nearest and dearest this Christmas and join the house party at Hampshire’s iconic Chewton Glen hotel. Feel any tensions melt away as you arrive to a glass of Champagne and mince pies accompanied by festive carols before indulging in a five-course Christmas Eve dinner with entertainment. After checking to see if Father Christmas has been, enjoy a leisurely breakfast and join in with the family Festive Trail to work up an appetite for your four-course Christmas lunch. The stunning grounds provide the perfect backdrop to walk off that extra roast potato before tea and cake is served followed by an evening buffet (if you still have room). Boxing Day sees a Champagne brunch on offer before a five-course dinner, live entertainment and dancing follows into the evening. Breakfast can be enjoyed the following day, and the award-winning spa is open to all those who wish to while away a few hours before heading home. From £5,580 per room. chewtonglen.com
Best local café for a post-Christmas coffee: All of that enjoying yourself may have you dreading the drive home but a stop in at Mettricks in Lyndhurst on your way out of the Forest will provide you with the perfect pick-me-up. Their own-brand Ascapart Coffee is roasted in their Portswood coffee house and will be sure to put a spring in your step. mettricks.com
A magical escape in the New Forest
Reminiscent of the cottage in the festive film, The Holiday, Chamberlains is a quaint and cosy home overlooking the picturesque Waters Green in the popular New Forest village of Brockenhurst. Comfortably sleeping six people across three bedrooms, the cottage is packed with period features including exposed beams, a beautiful red brick inglenook fireplace to hang your stockings and a wood-burning stove to huddle around on cold winter nights. A conservatory and separate dining room provide plenty of space for mealtimes and family board games. Wake to see the famous free-roaming ponies and donkeys nibbling on the grass outside your window before wrapping up to head out for a brisk hike in the frosty woods. Christmas week at Chamberlains Cottage costs £2,189. newforestcottages.co.uk
Best local pub for Christmas lunch: Stroll up the lane to The Balmer Lawn Lodge, where you can dine on three courses and a glass of fizz for £110 per person (£75 per child 12yrs and under and under-fives dine free!) on Christmas Day. balmerlawnhotel.com
A cosy Christmas for two on the North Wessex Downs
Aside from Valentine’s Day, Christmas is arguably the most romantic time of year (indeed Hallmark dedicates a whole TV channel to Christmas romcoms) and Cedar Tree Shepherd’s Hut provides the perfect setting for a cosy winter escape for two. Perched in the grounds of Peak House Farm – a working dairy farm and one of the top producers of raw milk in Hampshire – this delightful hut looks out onto the North Wessex Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Spend Christmas snuggled up together, soaking up the misty morning views, or head out hand-in-hand for walks in the countryside. Just two miles away is the pretty town of Whitchurch, famous for its silk mill, while Laverstoke Mill, formerly a paper mill and now home to the Bombay Sapphire Gin Distillery, is only a further three miles away. From £55 per person per night. ruralretreats.co.uk/england/hampshire-holiday-cottages/cedar-tree
Best local pub for Christmas lunch: Situated in a beautiful medieval building next to St Alkmund's Church in the heart of Whitchurch, The Black Bear serves hearty local food and drink, including wines that they have blended and beer they have brewed themselves. blackbearwhitchurch.co.uk
A family get together by the river
Another New Forest gem, The Brick House provides plenty of space for larger gatherings so you can celebrate Christmas with extended family and friends.
Sleeping a total of 12 people in the main house and a separate annexe, it holds a fabulous location nestled within the national park on the very edge of the privately owned Beaulieu River. While the property might be large, inside, this former brick house is full of the quirks and cosy character of a historical countryside escape, with plenty of places to snuggle up on cold winter nights. The dining area has a wood burner, while there’s a separate snug and TV room so no arguments about whether you watch the King’s Speech or Alternative Christmas Message. Should the weather be dry, there’s a trampoline in the garden so the kids can let off steam and, if you’re brave enough, you can join the locals on a Boxing Day wild swim by plunging in the river from the nearby pontoon. Weekly rates start from £2,819, oliverstravels.com
Best local pub for Christmas lunch: Stroll just 20-minutes’ walk along the river to Beaulieu village and you’ll find Monty’s pub, where a three-course Christmas lunch and glass of fizz costs £105 per person (£50 for children). montaguarmshotel.co.uk/dining/montys-inn
Step back in time for Christmas at Tylney Hall
At the end of the sweeping driveway, you'll be greeted by a magnificent and historic Grade II mansion, adorned with Christmas trees and twinkling lights poised to host a three-day indulgent Christmas house party which promises sumptuous fayre, customary decorations and warm hospitality. Kick things off with a stroll around the stunning grounds, which once provided the backdrop for a feast to entertain Elizabeth I, before enjoying a sweet and savoury platter by the fire in the afternoon on Christmas Eve, before heading back down for canapés and cocktails in the Italian lounge accompanied by carols from a local choir. A relaxed dinner in the Oak Room will follow, with the opportunity to watch Midnight Mass with mulled wine and mince pies in the Mattingly Suite. Father Christmas will make an appearance Christmas Day morning and there will be carols and mulled wine to accompany a light lunch and The King’s Speech before the evening celebrations begin with Champagne and a three-course traditional Christmas dinner. Check in to the health club on Boxing Day and treat yourself to a pamper before enjoying lunch, bucks fizz and board games with the family ahead of a wonderful Black Tie five-course tasting menu. From £1,296 per person for three nights. Child rates at up to 50% off adult rate. tylneyhall.co.uk
Best local café for a post-Christmas coffee: If you’re in need of some caffeine to get you back on the road after Tylney’s wonderful hospitality, then the team at Cuppies ‘n’ Cream in nearby Hartley Wintney will have you well on the way, their cakes and bakes are delicious too, if you have any space left. cuppiesncream.co.uk
A party pad by the sea
Whether it’s having enough space to get the entire family together or a Christmas spent reuniting with old friends, Pier House in Southsea has plenty of entertaining space plus king-size double bedrooms all with en suite facilities. There’s no doubt you’ll make plenty of use of the games room, which has a pool table and uber-cool juke box, while fun movie nights can be had in the cinema room. Should you still have some last-minute shopping to do or want to take advantage of the post-Christmas sales, then Gunwharf Quays, which boasts a variety of designer stores at outlet prices is less than a 10-minute car journey from the house, as well as the Spinnaker Tower, from which you can get spectacular views of the Christmas lights. And, with the beach less than five minutes’ walk, there’s nothing better than a winter walk by the sea to blow away the cobwebs after some inevitable over-indulging. From £7,955 for Christmas week. oliverstravels.com
Best local pub for Christmas lunch: Just a stone’s throw away from Pier House, Southsea’s Brewhouse and Kitchen offers a three course Christmas Day menu with petit fours and coffee for £70 per adult with half portions for kids under 12 priced at £32.50. brewhouseandkitchen.com
Living it up in luxury at Lainston House
Fancy a Christmas away from home without the need to lift a finger? At Lainston House, a traditional 17th century country house estate on the outskirts of Winchester, you’ll feel like you’ve been transported to a magical bygone era. Christmas in this heritage-bricked house begins with roasted chestnuts and mulled wine on arrival, followed by champagne and a captivating Christmas Eve performance from the Lainston House Choir in The Dawley Barn and a four-course feast in the dining room. Transport will be laid on to attend midnight mass at Winchester Cathedral or Sparsholt Church, should you wish. The celebrations continue with a Christmas morning Bucks Fizz breakfast, traditional four-course lunch and then buffet dinner on the big day. Country pursuits in the 63 acres of grounds and a spectacular five-course gala dinner rounds off the festivities on Boxing Day. The three-night package (24/25/26 December) is priced from £3,085, based on two people sharing a cosy room. exclusive.co.uk/lainston-house/
Best local pub for a Boxing Day pint: A stay at Lainston House over Christmas means you’re pretty much covered in terms of culinary delights but if you do want to head out for a Boxing Day stroll and fancy stopping off for a pint then The Plough Inn at Sparshalt is a hidden gem. the.littlepubgroup.co.uk/the-plough-inn
