Who wouldn't want to spend a few nights in a castle? When I heard that Bovey Castle, a posh new resort in Devon, England, opened last spring, I felt the urge to head across the pond to spend a long weekend doing little more than sipping tea by the fire, taking long rambles along the moors and generally pretending that I am the lady of the manor. The owner of the property, situated within 60,000-acre Dartmoor National Park near the village of Moretonhampstead, is British entrepreneur and developer Peter De Savary, known for creating ultra-luxurious hideaways around the world.
If Bovey were anything like his former castle hotel, Skibo, in the Scottish highlands (where Madonna had her fairy-tale wedding), my stay would be an indulgent experience. Indeed, when I arrived at the enormous iron gates and spotted the Rolls-Royce in the circular driveway and no less than five staff members to welcome me, my suspicions were confirmed.
The gray stone Jacobean mansion (built for a viscount in 1907) and its expansive grounds have been completely renovated by De Savary, who has pumped millions into returning the estate and its Edwardian-style gardens to their former splendor. One of the most elegant public spaces is the antiques-filled Cathedral Room, which boasts a vaulted oak ceiling and a 30-foot high stone fireplace. For me, it was the ideal perch in which to curl up and read my book or simply doze by the crackling fire. And each afternoon, a proper English tea is served. Pastry chef Christine Windows makes the scones, clotted cream and other calorie-laden goodies from scratch. And in case you are wondering, yes, there is a fitness center.
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