Latimer
De Vere Latimer Estate
Travelzoo Staff
Why We Love It
- The hotel has undergone a £7 million refurbishment
- During World War II, the house was an important intelligence headquarters
- This Victorian countryside mansion is in 30 acres of grounds in the Chiltern Hills Area of Outstanding National Beauty
- Facilities at the hotel include a gym, an indoor swimming pool and a sauna
Map & Directions
Rooms & Rates
Overview
De Vere Latimer Estate is a Victorian manor with 30 acres of grounds overlooking the River Chess and the Chess Valley in the Chiltern Hills Area of Outstanding National Beauty.
The hotel is a great base for walkers -- the Chess Valley Walk, a 10-mile marked route along the River Chess, passes by the hotel. The river is rich in flora and fauna; keep an eye out for orchids, kingfishers, water voles, brown trout and dragonflies. This route runs through the village of Sarratt Bottom and the town of Rickmansworth. Near Sarratt, you'll pass the 15th-century, Grade I-listed Chenies Manor, which was visited by Elizabeth I and is rumoured to have a secret tunnel linked to the hotel.
Warner Bros. Studio Tour London - The Making of Harry Potter and The Snow Centre, an indoor skiing and snowboarding centre in Hemel Hempstead, are both less than 20 minutes' drive from the hotel.
The Roald Dahl Museum is also 20 minutes' drive away and The Chiltern Brewery, the oldest independent brewery in the Chilterns, is a 25-minute journey by car.
The original mansion house has undergone a complete transformation, including a new 1838 Restaurant & Bar with a theatre-style kitchen and outdoor dining courtyard, and the new Huntley Bar. There is also an artisan coffee shop called Burr & Co.
Facilities at the hotel include a gym, an indoor swimming pool and a sauna. Wi-Fi is free.
Amenities
Policies
Have a Question? Contact Travelzoo.
- 1-877-966-0000 U.S. and Canada (toll-free)
- +44 (0) 20 3564 9000 UK & Europe
- +61 (0) 2 8098 9198 Australia
- Email Us
Customer Service available Mon-Sun, 8am-6pm AET
Rates may vary by date, are subject to availability and are not guaranteed until your purchase is complete.
The room rates listed are for double occupancy per room unless otherwise stated and exclude tax recovery charges and service fees.
It is the responsibility of the hotel chain and/or the individual property to ensure the accuracy of the photos displayed. Travelzoo is not responsible for any inaccuracies in the photos.
*Unless otherwise stated, Travelzoo-exclusive extras are valid once per stay (based on two adults sharing). Value is an estimate based on double occupancy. Extras are only included with Member Rates and may not be available on all dates. Extras are non-transferable and have no cash value. Total value may vary depending on time of booking and availability. When included, breakfast may be limited to 2 guests per stay subject to hotel’s discretion. Other restrictions may apply; see our T&Cs for details.
Enjoyed This
(16 Member Ratings)
(16 Member Ratings)
Enjoyed Most
All of it
Other Comments
Thanks for the glasses of champagne and strawberries dipped in chocolate compliments for my husbands 60 th Birthday.
Alyson
06. May 2018
Abergavenny, United Kingdom
Enjoyed Most
Loved the Juliette balcony to the bedroom and the views were amazing. Lovely room and bathroom, we went for a walk round the grounds and enjoyed a swim before a few drinks in the bar. Then had a delicious meal in the restaurant and a yummy breakfast next morning.
Other Comments
We were disappointed that the jacuzzi was out of action, the restaurant was quite cold. I saw three couples asking to be moved and as I was wearing a sleeveless too felt the cold which took the edge off a lovely meal in a really nice restaurant. Food and wine were delicious though. At breakfast I never managed to get the waitresses attention to ask for a pot of tea as she was very busy and people kept flagging her down and beating me to it. Would be good if there was a system for offering hot drinks when people arrive at the table. Breakfast was lovely and lots of juice on offer but really fancied a cuppa
JUSTIN
06. Nov 2017
London, United Kingdom
Enjoyed Most
We stay in the main house and the room was very good
The dinner was excellent both with food and staff
Other Comments
Breakfast was cold and food had been sitting there for a long time
When we checked out the bill was completely wrong and it took 30min to sort out
Most of the staff did not no what to do they all needed training
The bar staff had no idea and could not give change Also you couldn't charge to your room
Richard
30. Sep 2017
Maidenhead, United Kingdom
Enjoyed Most
The bars in the main house and the restaurant, plus the outside, including the neighbouring village and the countriside.
Other Comments
nice leisure centre, great decor, very clean
Yvonna
06. Nov 2017
Twickenham, United Kingdom
Enjoyed Most
The drive to the estate was beautiful. Plenty of parking. Food did taste nice once it eventually arrived.
Other Comments
Appalling service! Staff on the bar hanging about and not serving. Library and bar were filthy. Nobody collecting glasses. We left empty glasses and a bottle of prosecco on the table at 7pm. Still there at 11.30pm with flies around glasses. Dirty tables. Slow service in restaurant. Breakfast was worse...had to ask four different staff for coffee. This took 15 mins to arrive! Plates were dirty and everything running out. (Not cooked breakfast).
The view I paid for was a huge tree so we could see nothing. The room, although clean, was tiny. This was supposed to be 'a superior double' We feel completely mis-soled by the advert on travel zoo and shall have second thoughts about ever using it again. This was a break we'd been so looking forward to and we have been left feeling like we were mis-sold and taken advantage of. The cherry on the cake was being charged initially £50 for two g&ts!!
Richard
09. Oct 2017
Wimborne, United Kingdom
Enjoyed Most
Room was lovely thouhh cold and no hot water, location was brilliant. Burger was nice in the restaurant. Staff were friendly but unskilled.
Other Comments
No hot water in room on day 1, they didn't clean our bedroom on day 2, Sunday breakfast was a shambles. The burr cafe is a joke and shouldn't be marketed as a coffee shop; it's just a coffee machine.
Jon
08. Oct 2017
London, United Kingdom
Enjoyed Most
Countryside
Other Comments
They are not dog friendly despite them listed as such. We had £52 credit towards the restaurant, but couldn't eat from the restaurant menu because they wouldn't allow us to sit in the restaurant or eat in the bar using the restaurant menu. In the end we ate out. The breakfast was the same. When we ordered room service for the breakfast it was cold, didn't take our instruction the night before, we had to remind them at 08:00am that we requested breakfast in our room. Wedding party were also occupying the hotel which made it appear like a Butlins holiday camp. Natalie the manager did give us a refund of £60 that compensated for the breakfast and the remainder of our credit. She was very understanding. We also had tried to order desert at the bar after we had returned from our evening meal, only to be told that there is no service after 10pm! The experience was farcical.
Aban
11. Sep 2017
Beaconsfield, United Kingdom
Enjoyed Most
Beautiful grounds and location in the Chess Valley, good food and service at the restaurant, reasonable size pool with sauna and steam room and the renovation has done justice to the impressive buildings and interesting history.
Other Comments
Comfortable library/bar but check the price list as some wine is on the pricey side!
Richard
24. Oct 2017
Reading, United Kingdom
Enjoyed Most
Beautiful country side, grand hotel, swimming pool and lovely library/lounge area.
Sarah
16. Oct 2017
London, United Kingdom
Enjoyed Most
We had one of the refurbished Superior rooms. It was generous and well-equipped, in particular our bed which was huge and extremely comfortable.
Other Comments
Signage on site is poor; the grounds are huge and clearer directions to the car park and entrance are needed. Once we had found our way there, our welcome at Reception was efficient but could have been more friendly! We were using a Travelzoo voucher which included £26 pp towards dinner in the restaurant. The menu was OK but with a rather limited choice, indeed the grills were mostly various cuts of steak. There was duck but no chicken and only one fish dish on offer. The staff seemed a little overwhelmed although our server did the best she could. Apparently there were specials on offer but we were not told what they were. My OH chose the "soup of the day" which turned out to be Asian/Thai style chicken with noodles and an overdose of green chilli which he couldn't finish. We felt the main courses were expensive for what they were, which was only average, and at those prices I would have expected some bread to be included. I ordered a side of tenderstem broccoli with chilli, which was again far too hot and did not work with such a delicate vegetable. Our plates were not heated so our food cooled quickly, especially the broccoli which was cold before I could eat half of it. I mentioned this to a staff member who kindly returned with a very hot replacement. Breakfast the following morning was of a better standard although it again suffered from service issues, despite there being only a handful of guests, eg. cereal bowls not being replenished and staff, although helpful, not seeming to have specific roles or supervision. We were not offered toast so made our own, then saw other guests being served their toast. Again I raised this to one of the ladies on duty who said there was no restaurant manager at present. She alerted another more senior lady who came and discussed these issues with us at some length. From that conversation we understood that the hotel is in a transitional period having recently been taken over by the Principal group which is hoping to attract leisure business rather than commercial/business bookings. Despite that it is surprising that such a well-established hotel (no matter what type of business they serve) would not be better organised and able to provide a more personal service for their guests. We also heard that a restaurant manager would be in post in November which will hopefully improve the catering standards. The web site boasts of the attractive grounds and facilities appropriate to a 4/5* clientele, but currently these service issues definitely let down the standard of the hotel.
Eileen
28. Oct 2017
London, United Kingdom
