London Hotels

• In the Surrey countryside, this hotel is 15 miles south of central London, and 20 miles from Gatwick International Airport.
  
  
• This historic former manor house has 204 guestrooms, all with leaded glass windows, rich fabrics, and TVs with video-game consoles.
  
  
• In addition to an 18-hole golf course and driving range, this hotel has a fitness center with pool, tennis courts, and a fine-dining restaurant.
  
  

GENERAL INFORMATION:
What to expect: With a 1,000-year old history, the grand house at Selsdon Park Hotel & Golf Club has been through many changes, including the addition of 21st-century recreation and business conveniences. But it still retains the feel of a large Elizabethan manor: ivy-clad with sturdy towers, tapestries, a suit of armor, and jousting sabers in the lobby. For golfers and history lovers, business travelers and vacationers, this is a quintessentially English country retreat.

Amenity highlights: Golfers enjoy superb views of the Surrey countryside while on the hotel's 18-hole championship golf course, and golfing gear is available for rental and for sale from the on-site shop. The 205 acres of grounds with vast lawns and shade-trees provide ample encouragement for lounging. Facilities also include tennis and squash courts, indoor and outdoor swimming pools, and fitness center offering a sauna, steam room, facials, massages, and other body treatments.

Insider tip: One half-mile east of the hotel, Selsdon Wood is an oasis of tranquility. The 200-acre conservation area has woodland, open meadows, ponds, and wildlife. Guests may find it by turning right at the end of the hotel's drive, and right again to the entrance on Old Farleigh Road.

PROPERTY AMENITIES:
With 205 acres of landscaped grounds, the Selsdon Park and Golf Club offers an 18-hole championship golf course, croquet lawn, jogging trail, two all-weather tennis courts, and two grass courts for summer use. A heated outdoor swimming pool is open from June to mid-September, and an indoor pool is open all year. A gym is adjacent to a poolside spa, sauna, steam room, and two squash courts. The indoor leisure complex also provides body and beauty treatments, as well as lockers and showers. Business guests can make use of the conference and banquet facilities, such as the Cedar Suite, which can hold up to 300 attendees.

ROOMS:
Selsdon Park Hotel & Golf Club, London, provides 200 rooms. The rooms feature traditional English decor, with richly-textured fabrics and leaded-glass windows opening onto views of the surrounding countryside. Bathrooms have blue-and-cream tiles, large mirrors, heated towel racks, and shower/tub combinations. Other amenities include video game consoles and dial-up Internet access.

DINING:
The Cedar Restaurant - Overlooking a cedar tree said to have been planted by Queen Elizabeth I, this award-winning restaurant has elaborate plasterwork, period furniture, and a stained-glass ceiling. Bristol-blue glasswear and a vase of floating flowers adorn every table, where breakfast, lunch, and dinner are served from an international menu. Open every day, with live music and dancing on Saturday evenings.

Phoenix Bar & Grill - In the more modern wing of the hotel, this intimate bar overlooks the indoor swimming pool, and features a menu of drinks and light international dishes. There are wooden bar stools, clusters of armchairs and tables, a large-screen TV for sports and news, and a photo gallery of sports heroes. Open from late morning to late evening.

The Lounge - A long, oak-paneled room embellished with coats of arms, a gold-and-burgundy ceiling, and solid oak and copper fireplace. Serves an afternoon menu of teas, coffees, light snacks, and sandwiches.

The Solarium - Adjoining the lobby, the Solarium is semi-formal venue for a light lunch or afternoon tea, with small tables set before traditional sofas and armchairs. Heavy tied-back curtains frame floor-to-ceiling views of the hotel's vast lawns and golf course, and French doors open to the terrace.

Tempus Bar - New venue, ideal for a pre-dinner drink.