Cliveden, west of London on the border between Buckinghamshire and Berkshire, may look every inch the English stately home, but a chapter of its history is distinctly American. That chapter was written by the Astors, who purchased Cliveden in 1893 and maintained it as an epicenter of high society for the next half-century.

The estate was gifted to the National Trust in 1942. The 376 acres of woodland, formal gardens and paths along the River Thames are open to the public year-round, but the house itself has been a private hotel since the 1980s, enabling guests to experience — if only for the duration of their stay — a lifestyle akin to Downton Abbey.

© Cliveden House

Me and my wife had that privilege. We drove past the public entrance to the electric gate reserved for hotel guests. We’re buzzed through and, at slow speed, crunch along the long, straight driveway to the imposing house. Many of the world’s most influential people have made this journey, arriving at the same colonnaded portico. Not many have pulled up in a little red Peugeot.

From the portico we entered the Great Hall, with its dark wood walls and ceiling, and ornate stone fireplace. To the left of the fireplace hangs a famous portrait of Nancy Astor, painted by fellow American expatriate John Singer Sergant. Reception is a discrete desk, where we are swiftly processed before being escorted up the grand wooden staircase to the first floor.

© Cliveden House

The main house has 47 rooms and suites, with an additional three-bedroom cottage in the grounds beside the river. A card bearing our names has been installed on the door of the Lady Astor Suite, an expansive corner room boasting its own terrace. The room is bigger than our house in Derbyshire; the terrace is bigger than our garden. From the windows we gazed the length of a lawn fringed by topiary. Below the drop-off at the far end are glimmers of the River Thames. Cliveden’s name is a reference to the riverside clifftop on which it sits; hence the official pronunciation, “Clifden.”

Our suite is reputed to be the one in which Meghan Markle stayed on the night before her wedding to Prince Harry in 2018, adding another page to the house’s uniquely Anglo-American history. Despite the size and classically ornate décor, we find it remarkably comfortable. All it lacks is a minibar, but no matter. At the end of the first-floor hallway there is what looks like a bookcase. At the swipe of our keycard, the bookcase swings open and we enter the Butler’s Pantry, amply stocked with complimentary drinks and snacks … not that we need them.

© Cliveden House

At 6 p.m., we headed down to the bar for pre-dinner drinks. Unlike Downton Abbey, formal dress is not required. Most guests opt for smart casual. The drinks menu is extensive, though to be true to the ambience we ignore the pages of whiskies, gins, liqueurs and wines, and opt for cocktails connected to the Astors’ great Manhattan legacy, the Waldorf Astoria.

My wife chose an Astor (gin, rum, lemon, orange), while I went for an Astoria (vermouth, gin, orange bitters). Dinner is in Cliveden Dining Room, formerly the Astors’ drawing room. My wife ordered butternut agnolotti (pasta), and I had an exquisite crab salad. For mains, my wife had a melt-in-the-mouth beef filet and I chose whole duck. Our desserts involved Baileys and coffee, and blackberry confit. It was a wonderful dining experience.

© Cliveden House

One of the ironies of a sumptuous bedroom is, if it does its job, you’ll be unconscious for most of your time in it. My dreams that night carried me, for some reason, to the Kalahari Desert. On waking, it took a few confused seconds to remember where I am; reality sometimes exceeds your dreams.

We roused ourselves for an early morning walk through the deserted grounds and down to the Thames. We ascended 172 steps from the riverside back to the house, where we enjoyed a well-earned full English breakfast.

© Cliveden House

We transferred to the spa for the rest of the morning, and braved the cold autumn air for a dip in the heated outdoor swimming pool, made infamous for its role in a political scandal in 1961. It was here defense minister John Profumo met showgirl Christine Keeler, also seeing a Soviet spy. The story inspired the 1989 movie Scandal. Fresh from the pool, we rested in the warmth of the spa and chatted with two fellow guests about to catch their flight home to Cincinnati. Not for the first time in Cliveden’s history, the walls echo with two accents: English and American.

Cliveden House

Taplow, Maidenhead

SL6 0JF, United Kingdom

tel 44 1628 668561