Hotel review: Babington House
Last weekend, Oliver and I escaped to Babington House, a country house hotel by the Soho House group, located in the heart of the Somerset countryside. Only a twenty-five minute drive from Bath Spa station, the estate is peacefully quiet and feels removed from anywhere else. Inevitably, we found ourselves comparing the property to Soho Farmhouse, (currently the only other countryside escape by Soho House in the UK). In comparison, we found Babington to be much more peaceful, possibly due to its smaller size, and the fact that much of the estate is contained to one house.
The house has 33 bedrooms, each furnished with Soho House interiors that give a nod to the property’s Georgian heritage. The estate also features a Cowshed spa and pool, tennis courts, gym, and the Orangery, a light-filled restaurant with views over the rolling lawns, and the beating hub of the house. There are also various nooks and crannies to relax and while away the time, such as the Study and Library rooms.
Our bedroom was located in the Coach House, an outbuilding at the back of the house, and wouldn’t have looked amiss on the set of Marie Antoinette, with its pale pink and blue colour scheme. Featuring a huge double bed, luxe sofa area, and rolltop bathtub as well as all the usual Soho House luxuries (fluffy dressing gowns, a bar cart, homemade cookies, and huge widescreen TV), we quickly made ourselves at home.
We arrived late on Friday evening, and headed straight to dinner, where we shared a delicious rotisserie chicken with rosemary chips and greens. From the offset, the food at Babington was also a cut above the usual offering at any other Soho House property we’d ever visited. Breakfast the next morning was just as delicious: we went for avocado toast, eggs royale, and pancakes to share. Trust me when I say that these were no ordinary pancakes. These were dense, delicious hotcakes, drenched in sticky caramel, chopped pecans, and banana…absolute heaven.
Our day was spent exploring the estate, cosying up by the fire, and indulging: at 3pm every day, a complimentary tea is served in the Orangery, which we took full advantage of. Expect a generous array of homebaked cakes, desserts, scones, and cookies…the table was heaving with sweet treats, and the best thing was that there weren’t that many people scrambling to help themselves. Whilst the hotel had a lively and buzzing atmosphere throughout our stay, it didn’t feel overly packed or cramped at all.
Dinner that evening was also delicious. We both opted for grilled salmon with giant couscous and herby yoghurt, with fat chips and greens to share. By this point, I was suitably full, but couldn’t resist ordering the sticky toffee pudding with salted caramel ice cream for dessert….anyone else see ‘sticky toffee pudding’ on a menu and have trouble resisting?
We rolled back to our bedroom that evening feeling very satisfied, and spent the next few hours watching David Attenborough documentaries before collapsing in bed.
On our final morning, it was definitely difficult having to drag ourselves out of bed to check out! We finished our stay over brunch in the Orangery, before heading back to London. We absolutely loved our stay at Babington, and I cannot recommend it enough if you fancy an escape to country for some peace and quiet. Neither of us wanted to leave, and I have no doubt that we will be returning at the next available opportunity.
