The Vineyard

The Vineyard

Book now and you are really booking February 2027, because The Vineyard, in the Berkshire countryside near Newbury, is mid-transformation and closed while it rebuilds itself from the ground up. What reopens is a hotel built around food and wine rather than treatments and towels: a signature gastronomic restaurant helmed by Executive Head Chef Tom Scade alongside a contemporary brasserie, both backed by one of England's most celebrated wine collections, plus a new wine shop for sommelier-led tastings and a chocolate kitchen for masterclasses most hotels would not bother with. That is the one thing setting it apart from the country-house-spa crowd: the cellar and the kitchen come first, the spa second. Literally so, since the spa itself, along with its indoor pool, sauna, steam room and outdoor garden with cold plunge and hot tub, does not arrive until chapter two, later in 2027. The refurbished bedrooms and suites, an events programme, and a garden and terrace setting come with chapter one in February. Wheelchair access, EV charging and an ECOsmart sustainability award round out the practical side. This suits people planning a stay well ahead, who want long lunches and a wine list worth reading rather than a menu of massages, and couples marking an occasion around a table rather than on a treatment bed. It does not suit anyone wanting a spa weekend this year, or a last-minute booking. There is something almost bracing about a hotel this confident closing its doors entirely to rebuild around what it does best, then asking guests to wait for it. The Vineyard, near Newbury, is rebuilding itself around food and wine rather than spa treatments, reopening February 2027 with a gastronomic restaurant, brasserie, wine shop and chocolate kitchen. The spa follows later that year, so this suits planners more than spontaneous bookers.