Bruton, United Kingdom
The Newt in Somerset
Sprawling estate playground
Sprawling estate playground
Electric buggies weave through working apple orchards, woodland trails, and ancient deer parkland across this sprawling Somerset country estate.
“Myriad influences inform the ‘Regency meets Empire’ interior design, including British, French, Dutch, Italian and South African nods.”
What it’s good at
Exceptional
Tailored country itineraries, guided garden tours, and larders stocked with house-baked treats.
Exceptional
An eight-hundred-acre estate with an interactive Roman villa, treetop walkway, and cyder press.
Remarkable
Restored cow barns housing a glass-fronted gym, indoor-outdoor pool, and salt chamber.
What they say
Three Michelin Keys
Michelin
UK Readers' Choice Awards – The best hotels in the rest of the UK
Condé Nast Traveler
2025
Also in The 50 Discovery and Wallpaper*.
its 40 rooms are divided between the original limestone house and the Farmyard outbuildings; highlights include a spa with an indoor-outdoor pool
Tucked away
A place apart: the property is the destination.
The surrounding Somerset countryside places you minutes from the independent galleries of Bruton and the historic market streets of Castle Cary.
The rooms
Georgian sash windows and freestanding tubs anchor Hadspen House, while converted farmyard outbuildings offer wood-burning stoves and private steam pods.
The pool
Bring a swimsuit.
The heated pool sits in a restored stone barn, connecting through automated glass sashes directly to the gardens.
The spa
Treatment suites join a traditional Turkish hammam under blue mosaic vaults, a garden-view sauna, and a halotherapy chamber.
Restaurant
The Botanical Rooms
Estate vegetables and charcoal-grilled meats take center stage beneath a glass conservatory roof and historic oak paneling.
So much more than a country house hotel, The Newt incorporates enough activities to keep guests amused for days: glorious gardens worth visiting in their own right...
At the table
The Farmyard kitchen serves wood-fired estate dishes, and botanical cocktails pour beside the fire in the teal bar.
How it began
Named after great crested newts discovered during renovation, the seventeenth-century estate evolved from a historic family seat into a working farm.
“The Newt comprises hundreds of acres of rural Somerset land but houses just 43 rooms, split across the original Grade-II listed house and the renovated farmyard buildings.”
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Our shorthand
How we rate hotels.
The medals
Gold
Extremely rare. Sets the global standard.
Silver
Brilliant execution. And we’re picky.
Bronze
They did this well. You’ll notice.
Listed
A defining trait. Makes the hotel what it is.
The eight vibes
Design
Built around a vision. Even the door handles have a designer.
Luxe
Cared for at every turn. The bath is drawn before you ask.
Local
It could only be here. You wake up knowing where you are.
Social
Where the city goes out. The bar is full and the night is young.
Heritage
A building with a story. Once a palace, a monastery, a station.
Wellness
You leave feeling new. Rest, sweat, soak and sleep like a stone.
Classic
The city grew up with it. Same rituals, same regulars, same bar.
Resort
A world of its own. Something to do from breakfast to nightcap.
The scene
Lively
Where things happen: restaurants, shops, people.
Central
Well-located: walkable to some things, a short ride to more.
Quiet
Away from the crowds. Getting around takes intention.
Secluded
A place apart: the property is the destination.