Afternoon teas don’t come more elegant than those at this impressive 17^th century country pile, where you can scoff your scones and quaff your cup of tea overlooking croquet lawns and perfect parkland.

Warner Hotels’ Thoresby Hall is the centrepiece of the historic Thoresby Park estate and it’s getting more gorgeous by the day as a refurbishment of the 213 bedrooms is underway (rainforest showers, 50inch TVs and backlit mirrors anyone?). But it’s not just luxe overnighters and evening entertainment that’s on offer here – Thoresby Hall is a brilliant day out destination if you live within shooting distance of the country estate.

Tour the gardens, soak up the splendour of the wider estate, enjoy a lazy lunch or book an afternoon tea with the girls. Time it right and you can combine it with one of the many weekend events happening on the wider estate.

Staying over? Leave the kids at home and escape (it’s strictly over 18s here). Sherwood Forest, Lincoln and Nottingham are all within easy reach, but if staying put and relaxing is more your thing then there’s plenty going on. You’re spoilt for choice with two restaurants and plenty of lounges and bars dotted around. There’s the Market Kitchen in the Sherwood Restaurant where the focus is local and seasonal produce, or Brasserie 32 championing British heritage recipes and traditional ingredients from the 1900s, but artfully reimagined. There’s also The Blue Room, where afternoon tea is served, or head to The Great Hall for a pre-dinner gin.

In the evening it really comes to life with film screenings, after dinner performances and shows from bands, singers and comics in the Late Lounge. During the day there’s the beautiful spa, with indoor trees, a glazed roof, 16metre pool, sauna, steam room, lounge beds and treatment rooms plus plenty to do, with rifles, archery and axe throwing.