| the warm, individually decorated rooms have free wi-fi, flat-screen tvs, and tea and coffeemaking equipment. room service is available. the suites add separate living areas, while the lodge unit features regal decor and adds a kitchen, plus private parking and a private garden. 6 miles from orsett golf course and 2. there's a spa and a gym on-site, as well as a bright brasserie offering afternoon tea and garden seating, an elegant cafe with a casual menu, and 7 function rooms for up to 500 people. check-in time: 2:00 pmcheck-out time: 11:00 am. surrounded by 12 acres of landscaped gardens, this stately country lodging is 1. 8 miles from stanford-le-hope train station
Heathrow Airport 1 hr 13
Thames Estuary (1 hr 26)
1 of the country's largest, this landmark estuary features shipping routes & various lighthouses. Kelvedon Hatch Secret Nuclear Bunker (28 min)
Large underground bunker with self-guided tours, a Cold War history museum, canteen & ropes course. Red House (27 min)
National Trust-run house and gardens of the founder of the arts and crafts architectural movement. Tilbury Fort (12 min)
Riverside fort built to protect London, with bastions, moats and a magazine house, plus a gift shop. Barleylands Farm Park (15 min)
Family-friendly attraction featuring farm animals, craft workshops, rides, play areas & more. Dickens World (36 min)
State-of-the-art animatronics, a 4D cinema and Victorian recreations expand on the work of Dickens. The Historic Dockyard Chatham (35 min)
Historic Royal Navy warships and shipbuilding heritage in an 18th-century dockyard museum. Old MacDonald's Farm & Fun Park (21 min)
Small, homespun farm with the usual zoo suspects, plus alpacas, wallabies and owls, and kids' rides. Rochester Castle (34 min)
Landmark 11th century Norman castle with large keep giving views over the River Medway, plus tours. RSPB Rainham Marshes (16 min)
Bird-rich former marshland firing range with accessible boardwalks and a modern visitor centre. Diggerland Kent (31 min)
Playful amusement park featuring life-sized diggers, excavators & more for kids & adults to operate. Thorndon Country Park (17 min)
Trails through a landscape of ancient oak trees, marshes & meadows, with birdlife & grazing cattle. Shorne Woods Country Park (27 min)
Visitor centre, cafe and marked paths in 288 acres of woodlands, lakes, wetlands and meadows. Hadleigh Castle (26 min)
Ruined 1200s castle, refortified by Edward III in the Hundred Years War, affording marsh views. Rochester Cathedral (34 min)
Norman building with a Romanesque facade, a 14th-century library door and daily CofE services. | 
