RUTLAND HALL HOTEL & SPA: A BEAUTIFUL HIDDEN GEM

Last Updated on 17th May 2023 by Bejal

Nestled above the shores of Rutland Water, in England’s smallest county, sits the beautiful countryside retreat of Rutland Hall Hotel & Spa.

Rutland Hall Hotel & Spa is a unique resort-style hotel, comprising of contemporary suites, apartments and lodges allowing guests to chose their style of stay. This country retreat boasts a fully equipped leisure club with pool, a Spa as well as a fusion-style dining experience open to non-residents. At Rutland Hall Hotel & Spa, guests are assured to feel relaxed and rested amidst  65 acres of carefully landscaped grounds with picture-perfect panoramic views over Rutland water.

Full Disclose: Our one night stay at Rutland Hall Hotel & Spa was complimentary together with a dining experience at Blossoms Restaurant. All opinions & views are our own and together with the photography remain a copyright of Be-lavie. Refer to our Disclosure Policy for details.

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Rutland Hall Hotel & Spa: History & Introduction

As you enter the hedge-lined driveway of Rutland Hall Hotel & Spa, to the right you’ll catch a glimpse of the glistening Rutland Water, whilst right in front of you stands the magnificent Rutland Hall. Originally built in 1890, for the 6th Earl Fitzwilliam as a hunting lodge. The Main Hall was a place for the Earl to host aristocracy such as Edward, the late Duke of Windsor and Mrs Simpson; and in fact the main building now houses the Windsor Suite as an ode to the Duke of Windsor’s visit.

The history and heritage of Rutland Hall has always been kept alive, even through the years when the site saw construction and expansion into the present hotel and spa.

Since May 2020, the Patel family purchased the former Barnsdale hall Hotel with a view to make this a premier destination resort style hotel with accessibility to all. With it’s location on Rutland Water, the hotel as well as the branding were changed to reflect the surroundings in May 2021. A major refurbishment went ahead soon after, with the hotel opening to guests in April 2022.

Upon entering the grand reception entrance with its dark wood panelling and fire place, you’re greeted by friendly and welcoming front of house staff who take care of the speedy check-in process and any other details you may want information on during your visit. 

You’ll see the Hindu sacred symbol of Aum or Om sign above the door to the lounge, a mark the new owners have placed in the house, which is said to have a symbolic calming effect.

The Rooms at Rutland Hall Hotel & Spa

There’s a fantastic selection of accommodation at Rutland Hall Hotel & Spa. Opt for one of the luxury rooms within the 19th century Rutland Hall, which are full of style and historic character or chose accommodation a short walk away from the main hall, where you can select categories of rooms from cosy standard doubles or upgrade to superior doubles, which come with balconies with views across Rutland water. 

The Windsor Suite

If you’re planning an intimate soiree for family and friends, scope out the Windsor Suite, which boasts to be the hotels most luxurious suite reflecting the halls period past, two double bedrooms, a fully equipped kitchen, a further double bedroom with en suite, family bathroom as well as welcoming hallway, dining room and lounge. There’s even a hot tub outside looking out to Rutland water should you wish to relax outdoors.

The Lodges & Apartments

The timber framed lodges are dotted around the parklands that make up the resort and offer a more flexible style of living over two floors with two, three and four bedrooms, a dedicated living space, kitchen, outdoor spaces. Great for family living as well as pooches.

Lake View Superior Double Room 

Located in the Uppingham portion of the hotel, overlooking Rutland water and the main Hall sits the superior double room, 431. Superior double rooms are located in the main hall as well as the separate accommodation blocks namely, the  Uppingham and Oakham Hotels.

The Decor 

The superior double is a spacious room and being newly refurbished in line with the other accommodation, is styled in hues of teal, white, paler blues and occasional mauve feature in the art works. Teal velvet touch throw cushions and bed runners add a spot of colour to the crisp white bed linen neatly covering the generous double bed.

The dark grey panelled wall adds a touch of Hawksmoor and with gold accents in the form of light fittings and fixtures as well as two glass bowl style pendulum lights, which reside either side of teh bed.

Additionally there are two teal velvet arm chairs and a three seater comfy sofa for lounging. Behind the bed is a concealed desk and everything you may need for a small make-shift office should you feel the need. 

The Bathroom

Immaculate white suites stocked well with fluffy white towels vanity kits as well as luxury botanical apothecary toiletries by Naturals Remedies. Small details like ant-slip bath maps have been tastefully provided too. The teal and grey decors continues into the bathroom which has plenty of light with the illuminated mirror.

Room Amenities

The purpose made coffee tray is fully stocked with tea, coffee, cookies as well as hot chocolate, milk and coffee pods. 

The rooms are equipped with a yoga mat, ironing board and iron, white fluffy robes as well as a safe, TV, telephone and flat screen TV. There are some cool touches like the single touch activated desk lights, heaters that are concealed as the beautiful wall artwork and the bathroom mirror which illuminates upon touch along with an anti-steam touch control too.

The Balcony

The lake view balconies are pretty spacious and have two chairs plus a small table which is perfect for a morning or afternoon coffee whilst you see the mist rise above Rutland Water.

Dining At Rutland Hall Hotel & Spa: Blossoms Restaurant 

Blossoms Restaurant opened in February 2022, serving all day, international and fusion cuisine with a wonderful option of menus including; a lounge and terrace menu, think wood-fired pizza, a children’s menu catering for the all-important palettes of our little people; afternoon tea for a constitutional mid-afternoon treat; Table d’hote menu (fixed price); dinner menu with an extensive range of starter, mains and dessert options; a Sunday lunch menu with all the trimmings; Blossoms Bar & Restaurant drinks menu as well as a dedicated cocktail menu. 

Decorated in the hotels signature teal and turquoise tones, gold accent lighting and dark woods, Blossoms encompasses defined areas, high top tables and stools for drinks, low tables and seats for afternoon tea or snacks and also spacious booths for romantic and intimate dining, also perfect for small family groups. The open-kitchen adds a nice touch of theatre as you see momentary peeks of the chefs preparing your food.

The culinary team at Blossoms is lead by head chef, Sumit Chakrabarty, whose experience covers working in Michelin Star restaurants. Sumit is classically trained in French-style cuisine and this can be seen through much of the plating of the dishes. Sumit’s reflection of refined International cuisine is an advantage for Rutland Hall Hotel and the team’s vision for Blossoms is to become a unique dining destination, not just for hotel guests.

Dietary requirements are taken seriously at Blossoms and are accommodated by letting the waiting staff or can be mentioned at the time of reservation. There is also a great selection for vegetarians and vegans too.

A Taste of the Dinner Menu at Rutland Hall Hotel & Spa

Drinks

We started our dinner with cocktails, one was a seasonal Halloween special to mark the upcoming celebrations and the other was the Signature Lake Blossom, an inspired combination of Rutland Migration Gin, raspberry syrup, lemon juice and egg white garnished with fresh raspberries, which were a completely refreshing start to the evening.

With our dinner we asked our waiter for a full bodied, oaky red wine by the glass and we accepted the suggestion of the Argentinian Malbec, which did not disappoint.

It’s worth noting that the waiting staff are particularly attentive and well versed in the food and drink and always on hand to offer recommendations and suggestions.

To Start

The wild mushroom arancini was cooked beautifully, crispy on the outside and soft at the centre. It came accompanied with a dressing of marinated heritage tomato, basil pesto, toasted pine nuts and a salty parmesan crisp.

The grilled mackerel fillet was just the right portion accompanied by brioche toast, a potato salad, grain mustard, wasabi mayo for a kick and sour cream to complement the latter.

The Mains

The Jackfruit Tikka Masala with flavoursome onion basmati rice, parsnip crisp and tender stem broccoli was fragrant yet spicy (spice can be adjusted to suit) and filling. The jackfruit was cooked to perfection and just melted in the mouth, with the onion rice marrying well with the curry.

The eight hour slow cooked Grasmere pork belly with rosemary haricot bean cassoulet, wild mushroom, burnt apple puree and wilted greens came highly recommended. The meat was tender, flavoursome and each of the accompaniments went well with the meat.

Sweets

The Sicilian lemon parfait was presented as a deconstructed lemon meringue pie containing Sicilian meringue, lemon curd and a sugar puff. The tartness of the lemon is perfect with the slight sweetness from the sugar and meringue. A light dessert to end a fantastic meal.

Hearty pudding lovers will enjoy the classic sticky toffee pudding with toffee sauce and vanilla ice-cream. A nice autumn-winter seasonal sweet to end.

Each course was presented well and the portion sizes are just perfect, with desserts being appropriately sized and perfect for a multi-course dining experience.

A Taste of Breakfast at Rutland Hall Hotel & Spa

Breakfast is predominantly a buffet style affair with hot drinks orders taken as you’re seated. The selection is big with granola pots, juices, cereals, cold meats and cheese as well as cooked breakfast items comprising elements of a Full English. The pancakes are fluffy and come with syrup and there is a variety of bread for toasting. 

The chefs are happy to whip up eggs your way if you don’t fancy what’s on offer and the buffet is replaced by made to order food when there are not many guests and things are a little quieter.

Guest Activities at Rutland Hall Hotel & Spa

There is plenty to do for guests in and around the hotel, The leisure club has a gym, a 22 metre pool, workout classes, which ideally should be booked directly before your stay.

Stay active with tennis, crazy golf, a bowl green and pitch & putt right on site and with direct walking access to Rutland Water that allow you to take advantage of the picturesque walks, cycling or even running along the shores and public paths.

If relaxation and pampering is more your type of stay, head to the spa and select from a menu of treatments which require booking in advance. The spa is partnered to use luxurious ESPA products for a natural wellbeing approach to skincare and beauty. 

Oh and there is also an onsite hairdressing salon should you need a cut or blow dry during your stay at Rutland Hall Hotel & Spa,

In line with the refreshments of the room and Blossoms restaurant, Rutland Hall Hotel has grand plans for the Spa and Leisure club in due course.

Events, Weddings & Corporate

Being centrally located, the hotel has some great facilities and rooms for corporate events such as conferences, team meetings and team building days. 

Rutland Hall Hotel & Spa is the perfect romantic spot for a wedding with the Lakeview Suite being well equipped to accommodate quite large weddings indoors and outdoors where guests can enjoy wonderful views out across Rutland water. 

Sustainability at Rutland Hall Hotel & Spa

The team at Rutland Hall Hotel & Spa are working to ensure that sustainability is an important part of the day to day running. They are hoping to work towards a defined sustainability policy in due course, but here are some of the hotels ongoing eco-friendly efforts

• The site has 65 acres of green space with established trees and hedgerows. This is available to guests to enjoy at any time. 
• Bird nesting boxes have been placed around the hotel site and often attracts birds such as Robins and Blue Tits.
• There are containers growing herbs which are then used in the kitchen for food prepared at Blossoms Restaurant. 
• The Hotel are planning to have an established kitchen garden where herbs, fruit and veg can be grown to be used in the menus at Blossoms Restaurant.
• Recycling bins have been placed in Guest room as well as around the hotel site 
• Corridor lights illuminate on a sensor basis and turn off automatically when there is no detection of movement.
• Blossoms Restaurants endeavour to serve hot breakfast items cooked to order when there are not many guests present.
• Guests can opt out of daily maid service as well as changing their room towels and linens to help reserve water.

Things to do Independently Around Rutland Hall  Hotel & Spa

There is so much to do in the county of Rutland and surroundings from visiting the Rutland County Museum in Oakham and meandering the streets and independent shops and cafes. Head to the home of the Duke & Duchess of Rutland at Belvoir Castle and shop at the Engine Yard or even head to Stamford and spend a few hours discovering what the market town has to offer. Uppingham is also a great town to walk through and discover the famous Uppingham School.

There are also a few beautiful surrounding village you can walk to such as Rutland’s chocolate box house village, Exton and even drive to scope out other pretty villages such as Bisbrooke, Hambleton, Normanton, Whitwell or Langham to mention a few.

Estimated Distances to Towns & Villages of Interest

• Oakham Centre – 3.5 miles    
• Uppingham – 8.7 miles
• Belvoir Castle & Engine Yard – 22 miles
• Stamford – 8.4 miles
• Exton – 2 miles
• Bisbrooke – 9 miles
• Hambleton – 5 miles
• Normantin – 5.3 miles
• Whitwell – 1.3 miles
• Langham – 5 miles

Rutland Hall Hotel & Spa Round-Up

This newly refurbished hotel makes for a perfect relaxing country escape with as much or as little as you wish to do. A vast selection of comfortable, luxurious accommodation to choose from, a number of menus to suit all tastes and ages plus a leisure club to spend them enjoying the onsite activities. 

A fantastic location for business meetings as well as excellent wedding and events facilities Rutland Hall Hotel & Spa is a complete package delivering on excellent service, friendly, helpful and knowledgable staff as well as 24 hour assistance to their guests.

With plans for a kitchen garden as well as expansion to a new Leisure club and spa, the hotel is in for some exciting times ahead.

 Why not make this magical location in the heart of England with the most glorious views of Rutland Water the base for your next UK getaway.

Booking Information & Location Details

• Location: Rutland Hall Hotel & Spa. Near Oakham. Rutland. LE15 8AB
• Tel: 01572 757901
• Website & Booking: Rutland Hall Hotel & Spa

Related Reading

• Exton: The Most Beautiful Chocolate Box Village in Rutland
• Bisbrooke: A Pretty Village in Rutland

À bientôt

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