Hotel review: Escape to The Grove

The Hertfordshire hotel has launched it’s summer series, encompassing open-air film screenings, private beach area, outdoor pool, and much more. We check in, to check out exactly what the luxury holiday spot has on offer

Words - Devinder Bains

If you’re desperate for a quick respite from a sweltering London, but don’t want to tussle with luggage limits and airport queues, The Grove in Chandler’s Cross near Watford, could be the joyous yet low-effort escape for you. Just a short journey from North London, the luxury hotel’s outdoor and indoor pools will envelope you in chilled comfort as you temporarily wave goodbye to that pesky, climate crisis heat.

Swimming aside, the five-star resort also ticks boxes for those who enjoy sophisticated spas, classic films, delicious food, vibrant gardens, outdoor activities and world-class sports. All with the added bonus of a charming, air-conditioned bedroom to rest your freshly relaxed mind and body.

The Grove offers wide-ranging entertainment and activities—much of it exceptional—but it can be tricky trying to fit everything in during your stay. Worry not, we headed to the Grade-II listed mansion and surrounding 300 acres to report back on the best ways to enjoy your stay…

Arriving just after midday, we had three hours ahead of check in, so we grabbed our swimmers and headed straight to the Walled Garden area of the resort—home to restaurants, tennis courts, a spa treatment space, and both indoor and outdoor pools. Our destination of choice was Ralph’s Beach, where a stunning outdoor pool is surrounded by loungers and parasols with a small bar and kitchen at one end, while luxe daybeds are set around the adjacent man-made beach and family games. The area is a sun trap, perfect for topping up the tan if that’s your thing or hiding under the shade of a brightly-striped parasol as you chat over cocktails—only the accents of the friendly staff reminding you that you’re just a few miles from the M25 motorway rather basking in the French Riviera. Of course, the pièce de résistance is the 25 metre-long pool, which is technically ‘heated’ but realistically, a gloriously refreshing temperature that provides instant reprieve from the heat.

Since our visit, the Walled Garden has also launched it’s Everyman in the Garden pop-up; a series of open-air film screenings running from the end of July until September—showcasing everything from The Devil Wears Prada 2 and Wuthering Heights to Dirty Dancing and Grease.

Back to our trip, at around 3.30pm, we checked into our deluxe room with garden view in the West Wing of the property. The interiors and furnishings are a pallet of soft, luxury greens perfectly complementing the verdant view from the balcony. Aside from the super-soft linens adorning the king-sized bed that comes as standard in all rooms, and the roll-top, free-standing bath, one of the highlights was actually the air conditioning. A simple offering maybe, but a complete treat after two weeks of stifling in a sun-drenched London home.

Next on the agenda was a late afternoon in the Sequoia Spa. Having been impressed by the outdoor pool, we were totally wowed by the contemporary, black mosaic tiled 22 metre-long indoor spa pool. A bubbling jacuzzi—the full width of the pool– sits at one end, and a steam room and rain showers beyond that. Guests can book into one of the 18 treatment rooms or relax on loungers in the outdoor terrace, which is also home to a wooden sauna and cold plunge baths. The spa terrace is a great alternative for those who want to lounge in the sun but without the buzz, business and young children that accompanies the outdoor pool. The spa as a whole was one of our favourite spaces at The Grove, and while it should be relaxing and rejuvenating, the sophistication of the design and friendliness of the staff adds a welcoming feel.

After freshening up back at the room, and a very reasonably priced mini-bar drink on the balcony, it was time for dinner. The Grove has a number of dining options; choose from gastro pub dishes at The Stables, Turkish flavours at Skewd, fresh sushi in The Lounges or Indian fine dining at Madhu’s. We were booked into viral sensation The Glasshouse, as featured on Grace Dent’s Netflix documentary Million Dollar Buffet. A show that featured the world’s most luxurious and expensive all-you-can-eat buffets. Despite having excitedly watched YouTube walk-through videos in anticipation, none of the wonder of seeing and experiencing this opulent gastronomic event in person was lost.

We worked our way around the sushi and ceviche station for some light and delicious starters. My first main course was a mix of succulent sea bass and salmon with a side of Mediterranean vegetables and salads from a never-ending row of bowls and platters, while my date headed to the Asian cooking station and picked up tender tandoori chicken and paneer, some juicy skewered lamb, and a creamy Korma spooned over naan and rice. Next, I decided to experience one of the live-cooking stations, opting for Italian. I helped myself to slices of pizza as a chef cooked me a prawn and vegetable tagliatelle in a fresh pomodoro sauce–herbs and spices were added as requested, producing a dish that was perfectly delicious and fitted all my dietary preferences. Meanwhile, my guest was treating the roast dinner station like a pick n mix set up; opting for moist carvings of lamb and beef alongside cauliflower cheese, veggies, roasties and a pillow-soft Yorkshire pudding that was gorgeously crispy around the edges.

Too full to sample the bread, cheese, deli meat, pie, and so many other savoury sections, we took a breather before dessert. But soon we had plates piled high with cookies, brownies, an array of sponge cakes of all flavours and toppings, mouses, fruit that we’d dipped into the milk chocolate fountain, and the most exquisite, mini New York cheesecake.

The Glasshouse is an incredible dining experience, I can see why it’s top content for influencers and a popular choice for those celebrating special occasions—it can be booked by non-hotel guests, too. What’s surprising is how high the standard of food is for a buffet-style set up. Live stations and a huge number of staff who are constantly refreshing dishes makes this possible. It’s a special culinary adventure that might be reserved for a rare treat, little did we know that we’d be back the next morning for the breakfast iteration. It was equally impressive, with highlights being the deliciously inventive salmon and cream cheese croissant and the indulgent French toast—add caramel, milk and white chocolate sauces for a sugar hit that’s worth every extra calorie.

The next morning, we checked out at 11am but still had access to all the facilities. After another swim and steam at the spa, we decided to try some of The Grove’s outdoor activities. The choice included; golf at one of the UK’s most prestigious courses, tennis, football, archery, axe throwing, air rifle shooting, woodland hawking, bike rides, and more. The large grounds also have numerous trail walks of differing lengths. We particularly enjoyed the woodland music trail, discovering huge yet hidden steel instruments on the ground while noisy Kite’s flew overhead. The grounds closer to the mansions offer family games including Connect 4, snooker and table tennis, and access to some beautiful gardens filled with clever art installations and colourful blooms including hydrangeas, daylilies, anemones, wild leek flowers and giant glandular globe-thistles.

With so much variety on offer, The Grove can entertain most tastes, but the highlight for us was that our stay really did feel like we were abroad—yet just 40 minutes later, we were pulling up at home. This makes the luxury hotel the easiest holiday we’ve ever travelled to—close enough to make a run for it when the next heatwave hits.

A one-night stay in a West Wing Classic Room starts from £485. Mansion rooms start from £655, with suites from £965. All rates are on a B&B basis. Book or find out more about The Grove.