Port Lympne Hotel

Choose a stay at the Port Lympne Hotel in the Kent countryside and you’ll be joining the ranks of some illustrious folk. Winston Churchill, T.E Lawrence and Charlie Chaplin have all been former guests of this Grade II-listed mansion, and it retains much of the glamour and extravagance of the early 20th century. But the company you’ll keep here is slightly different now. Since 1976 Port Lympne has been a wild animal reserve. Nowadays your neighbours will be upwards of 800 animals, including – yes! – lions and tigers and bears!

By staying here you’re contributing to their upkeep in a place which aims to ensure the survival of endangered species and, where possible, return them to the wild. A stay at the hotel includes entry to the reserve (both during usual opening times and after hours), a safari tour and your own golf buggy to get around in. You’re welcome to visit the sister wild animal park, Howletts, too. In fact, even just one-night here is not really a hotel stay at all but a weekend’s worth of experiences you simply can’t get anywhere else.

Set high on a hillside with views across Romney Marsh and the Kent coast, the hotel is one of no less than 14 accommodation options at Port Lympne, although its elegant guest rooms, just 8 of them in total, are the most grown-up and luxurious. Hotel guests need only pop downstairs to the cosy bar for a drink, and it’s just a few steps outside, past the fountain, to the excellent Garden Room Restaurant. There’s a more casual pizza place and a family-friendly grill too – though for either of those, you’ll probably want to jump in your golf buggy, leaving time to stop and look at the animals as you pass.

When the time comes to head to bed, you’ll be well set up for a good night’s sleep. The solid walls and heavy doors of the hotel mean the roars of lions and whoops of monkeys are kept out as you drift off in a comfortable bed that’s made up with quality linen. There are tea- and coffee-making facilities in every room, Nespresso machines in the suites, Smart TVs and WiFi, but it's the antique furniture, artwork on the walls and what’s beyond the window that makes this such a unique experience. Just like being on safari – but in Kent!

Port Lympne's other accommodation options include the luxury Lion and Tiger Lodges with windows on to the big cat enclosures, the eight-person safari tents of Bear Lodge,  self catering in the reserve’s canopy-level Treehouses, ground level cabins at Forest Hideaway and more basic camping cabins with shared facilities.