Our Review Of Boys Hall: A Jacobean Manor And Hotel In The Garden Of England

The magnificent places to rest your head in this country are endless, but the hotels that capture my heart best are the ones with a story to tell. Boys Hall in Ashford dates back to 1616, but today it’s one of Kent’s most sought-after dine-and-stay destinations. It’s run by Kristie Lomas - the ex-founder of Keystone Crescent and Drink, Shop & Do (two words: toast castles - if you know, you know), alongside her husband Brad, East London Liquor Company's ex operations director. The pair undertook renovations in 2020 that painstakingly lasted three and a half years, and without spoiling the ending at the very beginning - the results are something to rave about. 

The exterior of Boys Hall looks like the opening scene from a fairytale. 

DesignMyNight Reviews Boys Hall Kent

Pulling into Boys Hall, you’d be lying through your teeth if you said you weren’t impressed. The Jacobean manor - that’s been standing for over 400 years - is nothing if not impressive. It’s surrounded by three acres of gorgeous gardens, and winding wisteria manages to cover the stone facade while avoiding the building’s original mullioned windows. 

Grabbing our key from reception, where a mammoth fireplace and cosy couches beckon weary feet (alongside a deliberately darkened and very comfortable-looking lounge), we climbed a rickety mahogany staircase to the second floor. De Bois - named after the building's original family, was our abode for the night. It came fitted with a king-sized bed, and the memo for designing this room was most certainly 'colour'. It had burnt orange lockers wrapped in soft velvet, pink tasselled lampshades, lime green walls and a patterned blue headboard that's made me rethink the power of such bedroom aesthetics. 

It’s surprisingly a stark contrast to other rooms like Sovereign, where gold coins were discovered beneath its floorboards (and today can be seen in the British Museum) and Bishop’s Quarter. Although most rooms at Boys Hall come with a rolltop bath, the gold one in this boudoir is particularly regal. The mantlepiece is also said to have been gifted by Charles I when he fled Oliver Cromwell in the English Civil War. Needless to say, a night here is kryptonite for history buffs.

The downstairs bar at Boys Hall is timeless with gold accents and the bedrooms offer a very comfortable night's sleep. 

Word of warning: it's not just about opulent overnight stays at Boys Hall. It proudly describes itself as a ‘restaurant with rooms’ where locals and tourists visiting the Garden of England drop in for everything from afternoon drinks to breakfast and dinner. The courtyard garden - which we could see from our room - is as quintessential as it gets, with flower beds flourishing cascades of purple flora. As we found out first-hand, it's a great spot for lounging in the sun.

Moving inside, you’ll find a charming private dining room, a pocket-sized pub that serves draught beer, light bites and homemade pies in the winter, alongside the atrium restaurant that opens into another alfresco space. Natural light barrels through large skylights and floor-to-ceiling windows, wooden beams hang overhead, and a grand fireplace and opulent bar sit on opposite ends like gorgeous, accidental bookends. 

The gold rolltop bath in Bishops Quarter is a regal masterpiece, and the downstairs lounge, well - the picture speaks for itself. 

Our dinner reservation at Boys Hall was for 7pm, and although the restaurant wasn’t full - it had a steady crowd that grew throughout the night. If you like wine, the owner Brad has built up an impressive collection over the years that’s stored in an underground cellar beside the building's disused tunnels.

Fellow wine connoisseurs are welcome to peruse and pick a bottle from their stores, but for our meal we opted for a bottle of Boys Hall's very own English sparkling that they’ve sourced from a local Kent vineyard. Seventeen Sovereigns Classic Cuvée (£51) was crisp and the army of light bubbles gave relief after another steamy day of 28° weather.

Starters arrived at our table swiftly - the team provided flawless service and were friendly throughout, which carried through to our delicious full English and duck hash the next morning at breakfast. A couple of bites in, my fiancé and I found ourselves passionately debating over whose order was better. After swapping plates, a tiebreaker was agreed. The heritage tomatoes with burrata, basil salsa verde, balsamic and roasted cherries (£14) presented itself as the perfect summer dish. The zing from the homemade salsa cut through the creaminess of the cheese. And if we weren’t so self-conscious we would have ordered the sea bass ceviche (with lime, coriander emulsion, grapefruit, and paprika crisps - £15) as a starter, main and possibly (definitely) dessert.

The sea bream was our server's top recommendation. 

Main courses were served on warm plates and thanks to a personal tip off from our server, we were tucking into the grilled sea bream with charred lime, butter and chive sauce (£36) and the roasted hake with royal caviar, grape, cauliflower, verjus and white wine sauce (£32). Despite the recommendation, we both had stars in our eyes from the hake. The white wine sauce was satiating and easily mopped up with the meatier flakes of white fish. Portion sizes are healthy, so you could get away with not having sides but I suggest you think otherwise. Hot honey glazed carrots came with chunks of feta cheese (£7) and the local crispy potatoes in garlic, rosemary and thyme (£6) were so thick, and crispy, each bite caused miniature cranium vibrations. 

To end our meal, we ordered the strawberry and elderflower pavlova (£13) and the espresso martini (£16) before tumbling up to bed at 10.30pm, for what was a restful night’s sleep.

Overall: Boys Hall 

After spending less than 24 hours at Boys Hall, I can honestly say we drove away awe-struck. Each nook and crannie was lovingly brought back to life, but with a quiet modern nod, ensuring comfort sat at the core. This independent ‘restaurant with rooms’ hasn't just impressed me. It's won several accolades already, including World’s Best Country House Retreat at last year’s National Geographic Traveller Hotel Awards alongside The Times top 100 boutique hotels.

With plans to extend focussing on outdoor cabins and a wild swimming lake in the not-too-distant-future, I have a feeling there are plenty more awards to come for the couple. The food and service was top class and the location is more than favourable if you’re escaping London or exploring Kent’s vineyards. I love a good story, and Boys Hall gives you the chance to not only revisit the past and its many fables, but it gives you the opportunity to make your own memories and inadvertently add to its history (even if that history resides to snoring loudly between its four walls). 

 Craving a snooze? Check out our guide to the best hotel breaks across the UK.