Pretty much the most talked-about country hotel opening in recent memory, The Newt in Somerset has become a kind of shorthand for modern English countryside luxury. What was once a 17th-century Georgian pile is now a 1000-acre wonderland of orchards, lakes, cyder mills, buffalo herds, and, a dragon’s grotto. In other words, it’s not just a hotel. It’s an ecosystem.
Founded by South African tech billionaire Koos Bekker and his wife Karen Roos, The Newt feels like the sibling of their iconic Cape Town property, Babylonstoren, only with Somerset mist, heritage cider orchards, and Burberry buggies in place of Cape flora.
A minimum two-night stay barely scratches the surface. But here’s our play-by-play:
Check-In: 10/10
We arrived early, half-expecting to be told to kill time in the lounge. Instead, the staff whisked away our documents and had the rooms prepared while we ate lunch. Smooth, warm, and completely unfussy. The kind of hospitality that feels invisible, but sets the tone. Very Aman in spirit.
Rooms: 10/10
The property sprawls across multiple outbuildings, from the original limestone manor to the Farmyard stables. We stayed in The Groom’s Loft, tucked into one of the stables, where British charm reigns: a four-poster bed, rustic beams, and countryside hush. The welcome bottle of sparkling cyder was more than just a gesture. It felt like the hotel saying, “You’re part of the orchard now.”
Dining: 10/10
Food is where The Newt really flexes. Breakfast is both buffet and à la carte (so you can do your green juice and your full English). Lunch and dinner play out across different settings on the estate. At the Botanical Room, plates lean seasonal and elegant, with the wild bass being a standout. The Farmyard Kitchen takes a more relaxed approach: no menu, no decisions, just whatever the chef is moved to make that day. It’s liberating in the way only true countryside hospitality can be; a little trust fall into flavour. Across the property there are delis, cyder tastings, and tucked-away dining spots, each designed to feel like you’ve stumbled on something secret.
Experiences
Where The Newt truly separates itself from other country hotels is in how much there is to do, and how natural it all feels. Afternoons can be spent playing croquet on the lawn, wandering the game room filled with board games and foosball, or pouring yourself a gin and tonic from the self-serve bar that stays open as long as guests want it to. Pools are scattered across the grounds, so you never feel crowded, and the spa offers treatments that are polished without being performative. More grounding than glossy.
For children (or the child in you), there’s an apple orchard with 250 varieties, a dragon’s grotto to discover, and a four-seasons garden that feels like stepping through a storybook. Everywhere you wander, there are details to catch: Burberry-branded buggies zipping across the grounds, heritage design woven into every corner, and the quiet presence of buffalo grazing in the distance.
Checkout: 10/10
Most hotels see checkout as the end. Not here. Even after we vacated our rooms, we were invited to spend the rest of the day wandering the grounds, swimming, and sipping cyder. It’s generosity over formality. The Newt’s quiet flex.
Takeaway
The Newt in Somerset is more than a hotel. It’s a countryside playground, an orchard-fueled fantasy, a place where history and imagination sit side by side. If Babylonstoren was the blueprint, The Newt feels like its English fairy-tale twin, complete with misty gardens, dragon caves, and cyder in hand.
Two nights? Not enough. Three feels indulgent. A week feels like the only way to do it justice.
The Groom’s Loft | Doubles from £625 (approx). Book here
All images: @currentmoodmag.travel @currentmoodmag.prive