New hotel opens in Herefordshire.
Brooks County House – a 22 bedroom Georgian manor hotel located between the pretty market town of Ross-on-Wye and the cathedral city of Hereford – opened its doors on 1st July, bringing with it a welcome lift to Herefordshire’s hospitality scene. With its own vineyard, outdoor swimming pool, bar, restaurant and substantial private grounds, double rooms are priced from £89 per night midweek and £100 at weekends, with an opening offer of £99 per double for dinner, bed and breakfast available throughout July and August.
It will be the first rural location for the established Brooks Hotels brand, a country cousin for the group’s existing town house city siblings in Bristol, Bath and Edinburgh. Owners Carla and Andrew Brooks bought the manor house last year and aim to bring their successful affordable luxury formula to the country house hotel scene.
The hotel is located at Pengethley Manor, which previously operated as a hotel before closing in March 2015.The building has undergone a major renovation and refurbishment project which has given the original grace and splendour of the original manor house some fun modern additions. The result is the atmosphere of an exclusve club – without the hefty annual membvership fees.
The owners have restored the original feel of the property using quintessentially English decor, with luxurious fittings combined with personal touches such as individually chosen antiques and landscape paintings from Andrew’s grandmother Mary Brooks, who was a contemporary of Henry Moore.
The property is set in thirteen acres of parkland and enjoys views towards the National Trust’s Pengethley Park. It is ideally located for hiking and biking trails as well and kayaking down the Wye, exploring Symonds Yat and the Forest of Dean or the book town of Hay on Wye further afield. Guests looking to simply relax on-site can head to the heated outdoor swimming pool or meander around the hotel’s own vineyard and spacious grounds.
An hour’s drive from Birmingham and within easy striking distance from the M4/M5/M50 for fast connections, as well as the mainline train station of Hereford just twenty minutes away, brooks is ideally loocated for a short break in glorious countryside.
The hotel will certainly provide a serious alternative to the already crowded Cotswolds weekend break scene, as Herefordshire’s profile continues to rise, especially within the areas of food, drink, arts and crafts.
“As soon as we first came to Pengethley we were blown away by the location. Not only is this a stunning setting for our first country house hotel, but there is so much right on your doorstep which feels relatively undiscovered, fresh and authentic,” commented Carla.
“We want to offer affordable accommodation with some surprising spoiling touches in a beautiful country house environment. You really can book in for a two-night weekend break for £200 which we hope is a refreshing price point,” she added.
For reservations visit www.brookscountryhouse.com or call 01989 730211.
