The Crown, Amersham

The Crown Inn at Amersham is located just 20 miles outside of London and is reachable by the Metro Line. This charming pub with rooms boasts a rustic, old-world ambience as well as the room from Four Weddings and a Funeral where Hugh Grant and Andie Macdowell famously got it on. Through reimagining the traditional English inn, designer Ilse Crawford (Soho House New York, Cecconi's) has succeeded in creating a fabulously sociable atmosphere in which the common spaces are the heartbeat of the hotel, not only the rooms. The Crown functions almost like a village in itself - the main building is for overnight guests and locals while the outbuildings host private functions and events. The rooms feature countryside creature comforts and there are five types of rooms ranging from spacious to bolthole.

The Crown's Chop House features a Josper oven (a charcoal barbecue which also acts as an oven) and a delicious array of locally sourced cuts of beef to be grilled on it. Favouring local provenance, head chef Chris Slaughter has taken pains to maintain a menu that remains staunchly connected to British farmers while executing dishes worthy of Michelin-starred kitchens. There are a variety of rooms with inglenook fires to accommodate gatherings, and for a country-style wedding The Crown holds ground with any establishment in England. If you're looking for something to do, search out spa treatments at The Crown's partner The Lemon Rooms or borrow a mountain bike and a picnic hamper and spend the day exploring the Chiltern Hills. For a lovely and enjoyable time outside of the Smoke that won't require an expedition to reach it, there is simply no place better than The Crown Inn.