Just a stone’s throw from Chatsworth House, your own slice of stately lifestyle awaits at the newly renovated Cavendish Hotel.

I had never heard sparkling water described as ‘water with music’ before, but Stuart Bond, sommelier at The Cavendish Hotel, has a whimsical sense of humour. I giggled and confirmed I would indeed like some water with music before asking him to choose what wine to drink with my rich, braised beef. He returned with a bold yet quaffable Peruvian Intipalka Tannat. This was the first of many moments during the weekend when I felt truly looked after.

The Cavendish is on the renowned Chatsworth Estate, but most of the staff, Stuart included, have down-to-earth Derbyshire roots, and they exude friendly northern hospitality. London-based interior designer Nicola Harding has had a lot to do with the hotel’s recent multimillionpound renovation. Her knack for unearthing a hotel’s story and bringing it up to date with contemporary, functional design is unrivalled, and with some input from the Countess of Burlington herself, she’s achieved a thoughtful fusion between Chatsworth’s rich aristocratic history and Derbyshire’s humble industrial heritage, with the incorporation of family artefacts and handcrafted local upholstery amidst the classic furnishings.

Upstairs, my room lay behind a green felt door (another nod to Chatsworth’s history – the servants knew which rooms they could and couldn’t enter by the colour of the felt). The muted copper accents and ditsy country wallpaper pattern were charming yet not overstated; the main attraction was the window, a spyhole to the rolling hills outside.

As we were on the hotel’s luxury ‘Prestige Escape’ we got exclusive access to many Chatsworth treats, such as entry to the family library and fizz in the Belvedere Tower, where we could admire Capability Brown’s fine horticultural work. Lunch was on the grounds at The Stables, where an earthy broad bean and pea soup warmed me from the inside out on a crisp, cold day. Afterwards, head gardener Mick showed us where our lunch had come from in the kitchen gardens behind the restaurant.

Reconvening with the group for dinner, we tucked into the hotel’s ‘10-mile menu’ – a five-course affair showcasing the best local produce, sampling many of the estate’s home brews, including beer, gin and a new dessert wine. All washed down with some more of that ‘water with music’, of course.