Review: The Newt
The Newt Review - in a sentence:
Exceptional, ulta luxurious design hotel with an outstanding array of on-site amenities, surrounded by glorious Somerset countryside.
Design: 5/5
One half of the duo behind The Newt is Karen Roos, former Editor in Chief of Elle Deco South Africa, so the property was always in expert hands when it comes to the interiors.
Schemes have that uniquely Babylonstoren-esque feel - playful use of colour and tactile furnishings are expertly injected into spare, pared-back, whitewashed rooms.
I must admit, it’s not immediately an aesthetic that is “me” in terms of what I normally gravitate to, but it’s gorgeous in the flesh. The highlight is the Insta-famous, pistachio-hued drawing room, for sure.
Moving onto bedrooms… Now, if you’re anything like me, you look at The Newt’s website and find all the options really bloody confusing. Let me break it down for you. There are essentially three groupings to choose from:
Rooms in the Hadspen House - this is the ‘main house’, basically, and so you’ll be closest to the hub of the hotel. The drawing room and a couple of the other common areas and bar are housed downstairs. Bedroom design aesthetic: Georgian with a twist.
Rooms in the Stable Yard - adjacent to Hadspen House, sandwiched between it and the spa & gym, so still has a pretty great location. Bedroom design aesthetic: clue is in the name - these rooms have a distinctly equine and rustic feel!
Rooms in the Farmyard - the Farmyard is a separate site, accessed by buggies from the Hadspen House / Stable Yard. While you lose a touch of convenience, in terms of proximity to the spa and the main house, you gain your own amenities: The Farmyard has a restaurant, pool, and is the location of the Garner Bar. (Guests staying in the rest of the hotel will still pop down here, to enjoy the complimentary booze and tuck into some of the design books and puzzles on offer!) Bedroom design aesthetic: clean, minimal Scandi vibes.
Trust me, it all makes sense when you see the hotel in person. And although it’s initially a bit confusing to get your head around, I actually really appreciate the array of accommodation on offer - there’s something for everyone’s desired design aesthetic and preferences.
I chose to stay in the Farmyard because I was booking the “Easy Does It” rate (an offer where you pay a set rate for your room plus dinner & other extras, meaning dinner & the extras essentially come for free) and so I wanted to get the best bang for my buck by booking the, erm, most expensive room I could… I was also intrigued by the Farmyard’s more pared-back aesthetic, which is more my aesthetic.
Once I’d settled on the Farmyard, I then booked a “Farmyard Room” category and honestly, it was a stab in the dark. I was told there’s no such thing as a bad room at The Newt so I just bit the bullet. Happily, I honestly couldn’t fault my allocated room at all. We were in “Howard’s End” specifically - not really a room but actually a huge, multi-floor space, essentially filling what was once a small cottage!
The bathroom occupies the ground floor, with a ludicrously capacious (… ikyk!) tub centre stage and flanked by twin sinks to its front and twin rainforest showers to the rear. Underfloor heating was the very welcome, toasty, cherry on the cake.
Upstairs was our mezzanine bedroom, complete with a plush four poster, sleek log burner and an extensive selection of complimentary goodies (biscuits, crackers, fruit, chocolates - even some gin!). There are also the most surprising and thoughtful extra in-room amenities, like a cashmere hot water bottle, and a mini library (books complete with jackets and faux The Newt library cards, and everything!)
Food & drink: 4/5
Gastronomy is a huge part of the experience at The Newt and there are several dining options. I didn’t get to try all of them in 24 hours, but the ones I did were fantastic across the board.
The Botanical Rooms - the main restaurant, and where breakfast is served (expect a refined continental spread - heaps of freshly baked goods, seasonal fruits, home made yoghurts - followed by a luxurious a la carte hot course).
The Farmyard Kitchen - a converted barn, this is a grand yet relaxed space, where lots of the cooking is on an open fire and the menu features innovative sharing plates. We had an excellent dinner here, including some ‘firsts’ for me - such as calves heart!
The Garden Cafe - located into the hotel’s grounds, and essentially a suspended glass box, conferring stunning views of the world-class gardens. This is the one site we didn’t manage to eat at, and I’ll definitely rectify that next time, as it apparently serves delicious veg-driven fare.
There are also more relaxed eateries dotted throughout, such as the deli in the Farm Shop and the bar in the Hadspen House.
Let’s not forget the complimentary cream tea - served in the Drawing Room for guests, daily!
Honourable mention goes to the Garner Bar, which also offers complimentary sweet treats at tea time as well as complimentary beverages (I’m talking whole drawers full of wine, beer, cyder and cocktail making accoutrement.)
Location: 4/5
The Newt is located just outside of Bruton, Somerset’s darling, making it super easy to access the Newt by train (it’s about 90 mins to Bruton from London Paddington, and you’ll need a short taxi to the hotel). If you can tear yourself away from the hotel, Bruton has plenty to offer - check out my round-up of what to do in Bruton, here.
To-do: 6/5!
The Newt is truly unmatched among other UK hotels, for me, when it comes to the number of amenities on site. Like most things about The Newt: seeing is believing - just through looking at the website and the map, its truly impossible to get a handle of the sheer size of this operation - to call it a ‘hotel’ does it an injustice, to be honest.
Between the scale of the estate (800 acres), several beautiful gardens (occupying 30 acres), a deer park, numerous eateries, the ski-lodge style Garner Bar in the Farmyard, easily one of the best spas in the UK, a farm shop, cyder press and even several museums/exhibitions: suffice it to say, there is enough to occupy you for days.
To be honest I found it all a bit overwhelming, as I get massive FOMO and we were only staying overnight, so barely scratched the surface! It’s true what everyone says: you need to stay here for at least 2 nights to even begin to experience the place properly (best start saving now…)
My best advice is to do a LOT of research before your stay - hopefully this blog helps! - and to prioritise the parts that you think will be most ‘you’. (And maybe accept that you’ll probably - definitely - be needing a return visit).
If I can recommend one thing, it’s to give yourself plenty of time at the spa, because it’s one of my fave I’ve ever visited plus one of the biggest - you can definitely while away a few hours here.
Reasons to book
Unbelievable array of activities and on-site amenities, representing good value for money (in the context…)
One of the most special spas I’ve been to
A great base for exploring nearby Bruton
Any negatives?
Some small service hiccups - like a bumpy check-in experience, and a bit of a wait between courses at dinner
There’s no getting around it - The Newt is an eye wateringly expensive experience!
The final word
Since its 2019 opening The Newt has rapidly established itself as the preeminent luxury hotel in the UK. Did it live up to the hype? For me, yes. Despite a few minor service hiccups, I do think that it represents a totally unique experience and - relatively - great value for money. Heckfield Place will always have my number 1 spot, but this is a very close second. Worth saving up for!