When news broke that the cocktail-mixing team at the Experimental Group were taking over a stately manor in the Cotswolds, the hotel world got excited. What would it mean for the state of this historical manor: Grade II listed, built in 1695 and once owned by English kings, then a refuge during WW2 and was most recently said to have been the inspiration behind Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland? Well, it’s a feat of interior design with serious hospitality to boot. Dorothée Meilichzon was brought in to bring her signature flair – bright patterns, wavy lave stone basins, and colours of all shades. It’s a destination to stay put, losing time in the gardens and spending all day in the spa, with delicious drinks to sip all night, too.