Cliveden
Neoclassical pile-with-a-past
Bucolic Berkshire riverbank
Ever since John Profumo first laid eyes on Christine Keeler as she basked in Cliveden’s pool, it’s been clear that this Berkshire boutique hotel was destined to be a Mr & Mrs Smith retreat of choice. As well as being a celebrated haunt for politicos and literati, this majestic neoclassical manor, with its air of not-so-faded grandeur, has had decadence, scandal and intrigue bound up in its walls since the day it was built – to house the Duke of Buckingham’s mistress, no less.
Facilities
Rooms
47 rooms, including 15 spacious suites. There’s also Spring Cottage, a freestanding summerhouse by the Thames that sleeps up to six.
Checkout
11am. Later check-out is possible, subject to availability. Earliest check-in, 3pm.
More Details
Breakfast is not usually included in room rates. An £18 National Trust donation a person (£6 per child) must be paid at check-out. For non-guests a donation of £10 at lunch or £2 at dinner is charged.
Also
Take a pleasure trip by river – Cliveden has a flotilla of boats. Cliveden has its own three-bedroom riverside guesthouse, Spring Cottage, where you can request a butler to see to your whims for an extra charge. This holiday house also has history: Profumo and friends frolicked here in the run-up to the huge political scandal in the Sixties.
Fitness Center
Free Internet Access
Laundry
Pet Friendly
Pool
On-Site Restaurant
Room Service
Spa
At the Hotel
Pavilion spa, state-of-the-art Technogym gym, indoor and outdoor tennis courts, squash courts, boathouse with two boats, helipad, library, DVD/CD selection. In-room amenities: TV, DVD/CD player, roll-top baths, under-floor heating.
Our Favourite Rooms
Each one of Cliveden’s rooms – named after the illustrious personalities who have been part of the manor’s checkered history – has something uniquely appealing about it. But if forced to pick favourites, the Henry James suite, with its 10-mile view of rolling countryside from its marble bath tub, the Sutherland room with its palette of soft pastels and its astonishingly ornate chimneypiece, and the Chinese room, which is light, airy and impeccably styled in light golds, are all pretty special. Ask for a suite in the main house, overlooking the gardens, rather than rooms on the ground floor, which are located by the car park.
Poolside
The Pavilion Spa boasts a heated indoor pool surrounded by loungers. The walled garden – the amorous arbour that kick-started the Profumo affair – is home to the heated outdoor pool, where waiters serve drinks and snacks to reclining guests.
Spa
Set in the rose- and lavender-filled gardens, the large, luxurious spa has both a heated indoor and an outdoor pool, a sauna, an aromatherapy steam room, an indoor Jacuzzi, outdoor hot tubs, seven treatment rooms all with water mattresses, and a manicure, pedicure and hair dressing studio. Take your pick of OSKIA's nutritional facials and beauty guru, Sarah Chapman's 'Skinesis' facial treatments; or try one of the hotel's own unique body therapies, which use Cliveden's own brand of body products to relax and rejuvenate. All therapies begin with a foot-bathing ritual while your therapist works out your particular needs. There's also a spa restaurant, should you get peckish between pampering sessions.
Packing Tips
Brush up on your Great Brit literature and bring something by George Bernard Shaw, Rudyard Kipling or Joyce Grenfell: they all spent time at Cliveden. On a more prosaic note, bring tipping change in case your car is given a clean.
Children
Some rooms sleep up to two kids; under-twos stay for free and three to 16 year-olds for £75 a night, plus breakfast. Babysitting is £8 an hour (£10 an hour after midnight), with a booking fee of £30 plus VAT. There's a kids' menu in the restaurant too.
Gallery
Food & Drink
Top Table
Grab a table beside the Cliveden Dining Room’s French windows, for the stunning views of the parterre.
Dress Code
A dapper ensemble for Mr Smith; something suitably decadent for his mistress. Leave your jeans at home.
Hotel Restaurant
The chandeliered, portrait-lined Cliveden Dining Room serves up a seasonally changing menu of elevated local fare. Mains include dishes such as wild roe deer with salt-baked beetroot, acorn squash gnocchi and Cornish turbot with artichokes; there’s also an evening tasting menu for those with decision fatigue. And for dessert? Decadent Maracaibo chocolate parfaits and velvety cheesecakes, of course. A less-formal gastropub-style menu is overseen by the head chef in The Astor Grill – a more casual yet cosmopolitan eatery (formerly Lord Astor's stable block). Dishes such as grilled sea bream with haricot beans and the cheese-topped Astor Burger with Monterey Jack, house relish and spiced slaw hail from both sides of the Atlantic, much like the aristocratic family.
Hotel Bar
Guests may sup signature Cliveden champagne cocktails and marvel at the majestic staircase, imposing fireplace and delightfully vintage furnishings of the sparkling Grand Hall.
Last Orders
Both restaurants take last orders at 9.30pm, but there is some flexibility for hotel guests. Drinks and snacks are available 24 hours a day.
Room Service
Full meals are available from 10am to 10pm and a snack menu can be served in-rooms throughout the night.
Planes
Land at London Heathrow and you'll be a 20-minute drive from Cliveden House. Gatwick's a little further (it should take 50 minutes).
Trains
The nearest station is Burnham, around four miles away. Trains from London Paddington take 30 minutes.
Automobiles
To get to the hotel on wheels, you’ll need to leave the M40 at Junction 2 and the M4 at Junction 7. From central London, the drive should take 40 minutes. From Maidenhead, take the A4 towards Slough.
Worth Getting Out of Bed For
There are plenty of leisurely pursuits onsite: a soothing spin through the spa, a spot of tennis or squash, boats to borrow for a row along picturesque Cliveden Reach. The secluded pool (where the Profumo affair played out) is ideal for lazy summer afternoons and the magnificent grounds go on and on. Or curl up in one of the library’s squashy sofas – perhaps with something leather-bound by Rudyard Kipling or Henry James, who were both close with former owner Viscount Waldorf Astor.
If all this opulence is making you feel profligate, drive north to hunt designer labels (for less) at famed shopping centre Bicester Village. Or have a nose around Windsor Castle (a 20-minute drive south) – one of the Queen’s grander gaffs – place your bets at the Royal Windsor Racecourse and tour Eton College to see where Britain’s leaders and aristocracy have been tutored for centuries. If visiting in June, pack a hat for the Royal Ascot races, and bring your finest blazer for the Henley Regatta in July. Sporting types can go a round on Lambourne Golf Club, pitch up at the Royal County of Berkshire Polo Club or take aim at the EJ Churchill clay-pigeon-shooting school. Windsor Great Park has wild deer, enchanting woodland trails and a 100ft totem pole. And, little ones (and big ones) will love Legoland® Windsor, where everything is indeed awesome.
Earn or Redeem Points with World of Hyatt
This Mr & Mrs Smith hotel participates in the World of Hyatt loyalty program. As a member, you can earn and redeem points and enjoy exclusive benefits for qualifying nights. .
