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The Cornflower Suite Lucknam Park has only 42 rooms and suites, and they are all luxurious and uniquely designed; several even have romantic four-poster beds. Our rooms in the Cornflower Suite are some of the house’s grandest: a symphony of moss green and beige with scarlet accents. The entrance hall wallpaper is patterned in a blue floral motif with exotic birds perched on leafy vines. Sunlight streams through the windows in the spacious suite providing an airy ambiance. The views from these rooms are the best in the house because all of the rooms look out onto that endless allée of ancient trees that reminds you that you are in the one and only Cotswalds. One corner of the bedroom was anchored by a sumptuous, rose-colored chaise longue, the other by a large comfy reading chair. Details matter and Lucknam’s designers don’t disappoint. The pale emerald draperies have exquisite crystal fringe and the tiebacks have tassels with crystal balls. The doorstop was a stone carving of a sleeping collie. Our enchanting sitting room had an antique desk by the window with a white orchid carefully placed on it, and a sofa with extra plump pillows where we plopped and watched the news on TV. The suite’s white marble and mahogany bathroom is massive, with both a walk-in glass shower and an Old World freestanding tub. lucknampark.co.uk
A Michelin Star We went to the library before dinner, where we had a choice of seven different Champagne cocktails before decamping into the drawing room for hors d’oeuvres. These fancy cocktails included The Green Sparkle with midori melon and
manzana verde, and my favorite, The Ocean, a mix of liqueur de la passion, mandarin, orange, and passion fruit. Yum! The Park restaurant here, under the creative baton of the chef Hywel Jones, has earned its well-deserved Michelin star. The room is beautifully appointed, punctuated with dreamy landscape paintings and rococo mirrors. The tables are covered with impeccable white linens and set with fine crystal, silver, and china festooned with colorful butterflies. For dinner, The Park offers two tasting menus, and one is a surprise vegetarian. There are also à la carte options. We were due to experience the chef ’s table on the next night, so we opted for the main menu. We started with duck foie gras two ways: with pickled plum and honey and with chamomile jelly. We followed with tender entrées of venison and Andrew Morgan’s Brecon lamb, accompanied by smoked onion risotto, cured ham, and cep mushrooms. The meal’s pièce de résistance was a vanilla soufflé. When the captain fractured the top of this confection to spoon in a superb mango sauce, the wafting fragrance was heaven-sent. A perfect end to an impeccable meal. This room is also used in the mornings and a more hearty English breakfast you won’t find anywhere in the U.K. The muffins are marvelous, especially when you slather on the Wiltshire honey that comes in a glass jar straight from a local farm. The soft-boiled eggs come with blue stamps on them saying “Clarence Court,” their hatchery.