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The best hotels in the South Downs
![the barn at roundhurst, sussex, england](/https/www.telegraph.co.uk/content/dam/Travel/hotels/europe/united-kingdom/Hotels%20-%20England/sussex/the-barn-at-roundhurst-sussex-bedroom.jpg?imwidth=680)
An expert guide to the best hotels in the South Downs, including the best places to stay for stylish retreats, wholesome dining, historic character, modern spas, and access to the South Downs Way, in locations including Midhurst, Ditchling and Alfriston.
This cosy retreat, perched high in a South Downs vineyard teeming with wildlife, has an emphasis on communal lounging and eating. It’s a fine choice for walkers and gatherings of family and friends and is just outside the historic village of Alfriston. It’s a contemporary conversion of a heritage barn with plenty of reclaimed wood and a high-spec finish. Polished floorboards, exposed brickwork and liberal use of thick woollen throws create a cosy feel.
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From
£
130
per night
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A romantic retreat on the South Downs Way with a cosy, rustic, Provence-slanted decor in a soothing palette of whites, greys and pastel blues. The emphasis is on distressed furniture, antique oddities and lavender in enamel jugs. Vintage French music was playing at breakfast at a large farmhouse table in the owners’ characterful dining room where design books and quirky knick-knacks (and sometimes the resident spaniel) lie under a huge chandelier. A chauffeur-driven vintage Rover can be hired to visit the surrounding sights.
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From
£
110
per night
Tucked in a crease of the South Downs, the Arts and Crafts village of Ditchling is all the better for this glorious 16th-century pub. Dating back to 1560, The Bull is one of the oldest buildings in the village. Behind its trendy pistachio façade is an appealing country pub with centuries-old beams, skewed ceilings and wood smoke wisps from a brace of well-used fireplaces. Rooms upstairs have a plush, contemporary feel. A gathering place for walkers who, wooed by local ales and seasonal food, can stay over in one of four stylish rooms.
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From
£
129
per night
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Open the diminutive front door of The Church House and a surprise is in store: an interior with the proportions of a grand home. The style is elegant and sophisticated yet informal, with books to browse and a smart country kitchen where guests are welcome to help themselves. The hotel sits on pretty, tranquil Church Hill in the heart of Midhurst - well placed for exploring the scenic Downs countryside.
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From
£
140
per night
The Spread Eagle is among the oldest buildings in Sussex, dating back to 1430, and still has its original lattice windows and undulating floors that make you feel like you’re walking aboard a ship. Look out for framed artefacts found on-site and correspondence from people of note. Antiques add to the periodic feel but the historic side is neatly married with a light conservatory area, terrace and modern spa. Elizabeth I herself stayed in the Queen’s Suite and watched a performance in the square below from her window. Her en-suite wig closet remains, now with antique dressing table and handy plug point.
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From
£
290
per night
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This 500-year-old brick and flint inn has three main rooms, each with its own open fire, with dark walls decorated with old prints. There is a lovely and very popular walled garden for summer and the cricket field stretches out beyond. It sits in the quiet village of Firle, a short distance from Lewes - The main street peters out at the top of the village where the downs begin to rise more steeply and this, along with the lack of through traffic, street lights and road markings give the village a timeless quality.
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From
£
90
per night
Yards from the South Downs Way and the half-timbered, candlelit pubs of Alfriston, this swish 19th-century boutique hotel with a modern country restaurant draws city dwellers craving an easy country escape. Built in the 1860s in a classic Colonial style, Wingrove is a small country house with an elegant veranda which overlooks a neat lawned garden. Inside is decked out like a trendy hunting lodge, all battered oak floors and muted grey and soft green walls adorned with deer antlers and stuffed elk heads.
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From
£
215
per night
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This medieval smugglers' inn benefits from the Polizzi touch to be The Star in the ascendant of the Sussex hotel scene. Radiant, spring-like rooms, a Mediterranean courtyard and exemplary food sourced from nearby complement the ancient oak beams, shady history and crooked Tudor vibe to create a luxury country escape.
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From
£
190
per night