Are you Bond or Bridget? DUKES LONDON and Stoke Park Town & Country package - hotel review

There’s film history and glamour aplenty during a town and country break.

Getting ready for martinis at DUKES. Picture: Mark Weeks

It’s long been a goal of mine to have a high-end pied-à-terre in central London, in tandem with a tranquil countryside bolthole.

While this scenario is likely to remain limited to the overflowing “if only” section of my imagination, I do get to at least briefly live my dream courtesy of an incredible two-pronged “Town & Country” package.

The offering is a tie-up between “quintessentially British” hotels DUKES LONDON and Stoke Park in Buckinghamshire – looking to harness the growing appetite for staycations.

Stoke Parks spectacular grounds - which have featured as a backdrop for films such as Bridget Joness Diary. Picture: contributed.

Both properties are focused on pleasingly old school luxury and top notch service – but they also each have their own unique connection to James Bond, from dramatic countryside to dazzling cocktail shakers.

Our trip starts at Paddington station, where after a brief train journey, we make our way by road up the lengthy driveway of Stoke Park – Britain’s first country club.

The dome-topped, white-exteriored main building gradually comes into view, and it continues to impress once we cross the threshold.

This is also the first time I’ve stayed in a hotel room with its own functioning fireplace, while there are two comfy armchairs next to a table, and a huge bathroom with traditional fittings, complete with dressing table.

Relaxing

It comes across as the guest lodgings of the country pile of an aristocratic friend, rather than overly styled conventional hotel room – and it is therefore immediately relaxing.

The room also has its own balcony overlooking landscaped countryside – including a spectacular golf course.

To the left is the Pavilion, home to sport facilities including a gym, indoor tennis courts, pool and secluded outdoor Jacuzzi. But I’m more a fan of being pampered than of perspiring – and a Thalgo Skin Solution Facial brings welcome colour to my greying complexion.

We head back to get ready for dinner in the gold-ish surroundings of Humphry’s, a fine dining restaurant led by “the ginger chef” Chris Wheeler, whose talents I learn include amazing soufflés.

The next day we head out to explore Stoke Park’s 300-acres of parkland, lakes, gardens and monuments.

The grounds look almost too perfect to be real – like a backdrop on a film set – and it’s little surprise they have featured in Bridget Jones’s Diary and Bond films Goldfinger and Tomorrow Never Dies. The main building even has a Bond-themed gallery including signed photos and call sheets (6:30am pick-up for Pierce Brosnan!).

Our time in Stoke Park’s outdoor space also sees us try a spot of laser clay shooting. It’s tricky at first – the converted shotguns are surprisingly heavy – but while I evidently lack Bond’s marksman skills, it soon becomes addictive.

Country living in the city

We sample shots of a different kind after we head to DUKES LONDON, which is tucked away in the heart of St James. Billed as a “country house in the heart of London,” it’s home to the DUKES Bar, and where Bond author Ian Fleming enjoyed martinis.

We check in at the hotel’s traditional reception area, behind which sit rows of old school room keys. My tranquil accommodation is mainly white with yellow accents and the monochrome bathroom is stocked with Penhaligon’s toiletries.

The hotel’s features include a lovely space for afternoon tea – complete with alcove where Princess Diana apparently used to regularly pop in to read in peace. But our watches are striking cocktail o’clock – and we head to the bar where the martini trolley is brought over and becomes the backdrop for the drink’s almost theatrical preparation. The resulting libation is not for the faint-hearted – I’m more Bridget than Bond – but it’s an unmissable experience.

The hotel may also be mere minutes from some of London’s more garish, high-profile attractions, but it’s on the doorstep of hidden gems.

Ranking highly among these is tailor Benson & Clegg, which has made suits for the likes of King George VI and The Prince of Wales – as well as Hollywood royalty.

We head upstairs at its Piccadilly Arcade site to the tailoring lounge complete with racks of garments, and where head cutter Oliver Cross tells us about the business’ signature tailoring style, its 100-year-old shears – and unusual customer requests.

We also pay a visit to fellow Royal Warrant holder and perfume house Penhaligon’s – which dates back to 1870 – in Burlington Arcade. The highly knowledgeable and friendly Nicola talks us through how best to apply perfume, and lets us sample various scents to build up our own profile. We leave with our own bottle in what makes for a sweet-smelling end to the trip.

The four-night Town & Country package with DUKES LONDON and Stoke Park Country Club starts from £2,575 for two people, tel: [phone], www.dukeshotel.com.