Today I want to bring you my Lime Wood hotel review. I’ve been to Lime Wood before, and I’m excited to be back in the New Forest to see what’s new and show you all the changes that have taken place since my last trip to Hampshire.

Autumn Leaves at Lime Wood Hotel

Lime Wood Hotel Reivew

I don’t normally stay in the same place twice. Not only does my travel schedule rarely bring me back, but I also love to explore new places so much that I tend to choose uncharted territory over familiar.

But sometimes a place leaves such a lasting impression on me that I make a special exception, and one particular place in the UK is a prime example: Lime Wood hotel in England’s New Forest.

I stayed at the hotel when it first opened, and I loved it so much that I vowed to go back the first chance I got.

That chance comes now when the hotel invites me for a second visit, and I find myself heading south to Hampshire for an overnight break from London.

Smoke House at Lime Wood Hotel

Lime Wood Hotel

Lime Wood hotel is right in the heart of the New Forest, a beautiful wooded area complete with wild ponies and mystical fog that makes it feel like I’m traveling into a fairy tale.

The hotel has changed a bit since my last visit, adding cottages, new spa products, and a different restaurant. I’m excited to see the changes, but I secretly hope it isn’t too different from the place I fell in love with.

Lime Wood Hotel in the New Forest

Lime Wood Hotel Main Building

I know it’s a good sign when I walk into the main building, a large manor house, and see that the series of small lounges and libraries is still as inviting as ever.

Overstuffed sofas and chairs, warm fireplaces, and tasteful colors and fabrics all make me want to sit down and never leave.

Lime Wood Hotel Lobby

The main bar and restaurant areas have also been redesigned to be even more attractive than before.

Leather seats and natural light give them an inviting ambiance all throughout the day, and with my appetite, I could stay and eat from morning till night.

Gate at Lime Wood Hotel

Lime Wood Hotel Restaurant

I settle in that evening to read by the fire in the cozy library, then make my way to dinner at the restaurant, Hartnett Holder & Co.

It’s a joint effort between London’s famous chef Angela Hartnett and Lime Wood’s Luke Holder. The atmosphere is warm and inviting, and the menu features Italian cuisine.

Hartnett Holder and Co Restaurant at Lime Wood Hotel

I start with the langoustines with leeks and dandelion, which offers a beautiful medley of flavors. The langoustines are plump and tender, and the bitter greens accent them well.

My main of duck with wild mushrooms is decadent and rich, and serves as the perfect contrast to my starter.

The sommelier’s recommendation of a glass of Ribera del Duero is spot on, and as I order the wine, I’m once again wowed by the depth of the list and rarity of many of its bottles.

Dessert is zabaglione with poached pears and amaretti, which is the only part of the meal that falls a bit flat.

The pears and amaretti swim in a sea of cream, and the dish lacks cohesion. Still, the other two are so amazing that I almost don’t notice.

Pergola at Lime Wood Hotel

Lime Wood Hotel Grounds

And speaking of amazing, out on the grounds, the autumn colors are so bright, bold, and beautiful that I can’t take my eyes off them.

Everywhere I look, the bright green lawns are dotted with red, yellow, and orange leaves, and a tall tree outside my room is awash with color. They show why the New Forest is one of the best places to travel in autumn.

Autumn Leaves at Lime Wood

Lime Wood Hotel Room

My Lime Wood hotel room itself takes up an entire small building, with a living room and bedroom on the ground floor and a giant master bedroom and bathroom upstairs.

The real treat is the claw-foot bathtub, which is surrounded by windows looking out into the woods. It is so stunning that I utter an audible “wow” as I walk into the room.

Bathtub at Lime Wood Hotel

Lime Wood Spa

Outside the room I have more to explore. I walk past ponds, under vine-covered arches, and around sculptures, eventually coming to the Herb House Spa.

The complex has everything from indoor and outdoor pools to saunas and steam rooms, and I indulge in all of them before getting a Bamford Body Signature Treatment.

It starts with a full body exfoliation with beautifully scented scrub, then moves onto a massage. It’s relaxing and then some.

Herb House Spa at Lime Wood

New Forest

But not everything I love about Lime Wood is actually in the hotel. Out the garden gate is the New Forest itself, and I happen to be back on a day as foggy as the one I experienced on my last trip.

Man Walking in the New Forest

Walking into the woods feels like entering an enchanted forest, not least when I round a bend in the tree-lined path and stumble upon a group of ponies that are as curious to see me as I am to see them.

Ponies in the New Forest

But as much as I love the New Forest and all of its creatures, I can’t stay forever. In the words of the beloved American poet Robert Frost, “The woods are lovely, dark and deep / But I have promises to keep / And miles to go before I sleep”.

Lime Wood Hotel Review: The Verdict

Back to London it is for me, and with a heavy heart. But now that I’ve been to Lime Wood hotel twice, I won’t mind going a third time. Or a fourth…or a fifth…

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16 Comments on Lady’s Lime Wood Hotel Review

  1. It looks so beautiful! our photographs never fail to make me lust after what you’re capturing. That bath looks divine!

    Katie <3

  2. What an ethereal area! That claw foot tub looks so relaxing. And the first and main course sound wonderful and unique!

  3. Popped by after tonight’s lbloggers chat and wanted to tell you immediately how amazing your photos are! Love your Newcastle post too – one of my fave cities and so close to my hometown.
    I’ll be sure to pop back to A Lady in London soon! X

  4. This is near my neck of the woods! I love your misty photograph of walking in the woods and the way you have captured the autumn colours. Thank you.

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