Great escapes: Check in, chill out, soak up the style

Babington House is London-in-the-country for chic weekenders, says Darius Sanai, and the other luxury hotels it has inspired are equally keen to impress you

To celebrate its fifth birthday, Babington House in Somerset, the country cousin of the London members' club Soho House, is getting a facelift costing close to a million pounds. Ilse Crawford, an interior designer and a former editor of Elle Decoration, is responsible for the new look of its 28 bedrooms. Colours are getting richer and more sensual, using deep reds and plums; blond wood, chrome and sexy Italian lighting have also been introduced, turning the rooms into "adult playgrounds". To complete the overhaul there'll be a newly built spa to replace the existing Cowshed (which will get a new lease of life as a "relaxation zone"), and a 1920s-style Martini bar is already up and running.

"Some people think that a 'chic' country house hotel is simply one that's full of modern furniture," says Nick Jones, the owner, but there is more to it than chucking out the chintz. "The most important ingredient is soul."

When he opened Babington House in 1997 Jones rewrote the rulebook and in so doing revolutionised the country house hotel scene. In his establishment relaxed chic is the key to a great weekend out of town: there is no stiff upholstery, no poker-faced, besuited staff and no formal dining room where guests feel compelled to whisper self-consciously over the coq au vin. Instead there's a large nursery, a City-style bar where young bartenders deftly mix the latest variant martinis, staff dressed in T-shirts and jeans, and a casual restaurant where you dress as you please and eat modern cuisine (think Iranian caviar with vodka and blinis) in a chilled-out atmosphere.

The current renovation is an indication of Babington's success, because competition from its rivals has reached a significant level. Certainly, we have never had so much choice when it comes to luxury breaks within the UK. A number of Babington imitators, inspired by Nick Jones's vision of a rural, chic London annexe, have entered the market and are doing very nicely, too.

Cowley Manor in Gloucestershire, which opened last year, is possibly the closest rival. It has an extensive and rather fabulous spa, called c.side, which Jones admits is "better than ours – at the moment". Owned by the Sainsbury grocery family, Cowley has a slicker feel than Babington, with sharper service, more conventional room layout and some special touches, such as two-person baths in the best suites.

And the other contenders? The epitome of seaside chic, Hotel Tresanton at St Mawes in Cornwall, is owned by Olga Polizzi. It is a beautifully designed and well run boutique hotel on a cliff, which opened in its present incarnation in 1999 and quickly became a favourite getaway of well-heeled weekenders. All its 26 rooms are individually furnished in elegant-but-casual fashion, and offer magnificent sea views.

Another newcomer to the scene, with an approach that is different again, is the Hotel du Vin group, growing increasingly popular for its fun factor and good value. Owned by Robin Hutson, a former general manager of Chewton Glen, the doyen of traditional country house hotels, Hotels du Vin are mostly based in attractive towns, not rural spots, but with such a clearly defined appeal that they have become destinations in themselves.

Hutson says that what people expect from an upmarket leisure break in Britain has changed dramatically over the past decade. "Our room philosophy is quite different to what it was even five years ago," he says. "People are more likely to notice depth and quality in all sorts of areas, from the softness of the pillow and duvet in the bedroom to the olive oil on the dining table."

Hutson's approach also addresses what is a subliminal concern for many people staying in the "new generation" hotels. Casual, chatty staff, informal dining and a lack of imposing management rules create an atmosphere that is far less formal than grand dames of the hotel world, such as Chewton Glen or Gidleigh Park in Devon. Which makes it more of a shock when you get the bill: funky they may be, but the likes of Cowley and Babington are every bit as expensive as their traditional equivalents – think £200 per night, just for the room.

Meanwhile, clever use of staff at the Hotels du Vin mean your bill for a weekend is around half the amount of the more upmarket establishments – though admittedly you have to do without comforting extras such as spas and 24-hour room service.

Then again, the tendency to separate country weekend hotels into "new-style" and "old-style" may be misguided. While hotels like Lucknam Park in Wiltshire continue to fly the flag for our notion of classic British weekending, there is an emerging generation that encompasses both ends of the market.

Stoke Park Club in Buckinghamshire is, at first glance, a typical old-style country house hotel, an imposing Palladian mansion (where Goldfinger was filmed) with an arboretum and 27 holes of golf attached. Room service comes with doilies and beds are covered in blankets, not duvets. Yet the hotel also houses Britain's most modern luxury hotel spa, with very 21st-century Elemis and Kanebo treatment courses, indoor and outdoor tennis courts and a health-food café. Eat dinner in the hotel and you will be seated on a squashy sofa in an informal (but pricey) cosmopolitan brasserie.

Similarly, Chewton Glen in Hampshire, to many the epitome of the luxury country house hotel, has recently expanded its dazzling spa, and its rooms have acquired state-of-the-art audio-visual systems, American power-showers and no chintz. And, perhaps more indicative than anything of times that are a-changin', the Michelin-starred restaurant no longer insists that male guests wear a tie.

Other luxury hotels which straddle both categories include The Vineyard at Stockcross in Berkshire with its California-style, Michelin-starred restaurant, Hambleton Hall in Rutland, and the newly refurbished Turnberry in Ayrshire, to name but three.

So, is it old, new or in-between that represents the greatest comfort for your money? Personally, I like the emerging generation that provide a bit of both worlds. I do find it refreshing to be in a chic environment like Babington or Cowley, with organic chocolate in the minibar, Sky Sports on TV, and a perfect Cosmopolitan available in the bar.

What I am not so enamoured with is the herd mentality: do you really want to drive three hours on a Friday night to socialize with your London neighbours? As an ignorant urbanite, I have little idea what the "real" country experience is, yet something tells me it has more to do with muddy boots, Barbour jackets worn over evening dress, and, yes, a little bit of chintz. Travel, after all, should be all about discovery and observation, and our traditional hotels offer an insight into a way of life that is fading by the year.

Prices per double room per night: Babington House (01373 812266; www.babingtonhouse.co.uk), room only from £190. Cowley Manor (01242 870900, www.cowleymanor.com), b&b from £205. Stoke Park Club (01753 717171; www.stokepark.com), room only from £270. Chewton Glen (01425 275341; www.chewtonglen.com), room only from £250. Lucknam Park (01225 742777; www.lucknampark.co.uk), room only from £295. Hotel du Vin Brighton (01273 718588; www.hotelduvin.com), room only from £115. The Vineyard at Stockcross (01635 528770, www.the-vineyard.co.uk), room only from £229. Hambleton Hall (01572 756991; www.hambletonhall.com), b&b from £205. Turnberry (01655 331000; www.turnberry.co.uk), b&b from £150.

'Will sir be dining on the sofa?'

In terms of size, setting and money, there's little difference between traditional and new-style country house hotels. It all depends on what you prefer to spend your cash on....

Old

TV lounge

Deluxe spa

Rolltop bath

Aubusson rug

Teddy bear

Wine tastings

Croquet lawn

Pianist in the lounge bar

Aberdeen Angus beef

Golf course

New

Private cinema

Beauty treatments in a yurt

Walk-in shower and hot-tub

Bare oak floor

Day nursery

Juice bar/cocktail mixologist

PlayStation

CD library in the bedroom

Wood-oven fired pizzas

Five-a-side football pitch