One night of fine food, spa luxury... and board games?

If you're looking for a fun break for yourself and a partner or yourself and one or two children, a games weekend at Bailiffscourt in Climping, West Sussex could be just the thing. I took my 14-year-old and it was the perfect 'mother-daughter' break.

Bailiffscourt is set on a stunning part of the West Sussex coast. Previously owned by the Guinness family, it's an incredible mansion house built in the 1930s in medieval style, and it is surrounded by a collection of buildings which the Guinness family took a fancy to and had transported to the site (and re-erected) from various parts of the world. It sounds odd but the result is an eclectic and luxurious landscape of beautiful and cosy accommodation that is really rather special.

We were staying in the thatched cottage just behind the main house (there's a fabulous 'Harry Potter'-style tunnel which joins the two buildings and which my daughter adored).

Our room was beautiful, with a dark-wood four-poster bed, latticed windows, gorgeous armchairs and a real fireplace full of kindling and newspaper. But we decided not to get too comfortable and instead headed out to play some board games in one of the many sitting rooms we'd spotted on our way through the hotel - the fires there were already lit and blazing.

The concierge at the hotel has had tuition from game specialists Jaques of London in how to play traditional board games and we wanted to nab him and try our hand at the games on offer. Some of the games are well-known  (backgammon, solitaire, chess etc) but we wanted to try the older, less well known ones like crokinole, bagatelle and shove halfpenny.

I wasn't sure how long the games would hold my attention for but we ended up playing all afternoon and it was fascinating. Our favourite new discovery was shut the box, which came in a lovely walnut box (all of the traditional games were made out of beautiful wood). Shut the box is a dice-throwing game in which you try to put down the doors on as many number combinations as possible. The winner is the person with as few numbers left with their doors open as possible. It's addictive!

Both my daughter and I became rather good at shuffleboard (a grand 4ft-board game which you flick counters along) and we were useless at home skittles (but had lots of fun playing it nonetheless). Bagatelle turns out to be a primitive pinball game without the flashing lights (also good fun).

Favourites of the day were shut the box, jenga (always brilliant) and solitaire (we got down to three marbles and decided this was the game to take with you if you were ever going to prison.)

Later that afternoon I lit a fire in our room and we sat on our four-poster bed watching a DVD of 'Confessions of a Shopaholic' (there's a great selection of free ones at reception). Then it was down to dinner - a sumptuous affair in the medieval-style dining room. My daughter discovered truffles in the risotto and fell in love with them. The chocolate pudding did not disappoint her either.

The next morning we checked out the spa - first stop was the outdoor pool, sitting between the coast and the mansion behind us. It's heated but was a bit bracing, which was why I spent no longer than - ooh - 60 seconds in it before getting into the adjacent wooden hot tub. Bliss! The indoor pool, sauna, steam room were all lovely too but we tore ourselves away eventually and went for a walk down to the seafront to take some sea air before heading back to smoggy London. Climping beach is a two-minute walk away - it is pebbly and breathtaking.

Back in our room, we found a luxury ludo set waiting for us to pack and take home, with a giant hand-made 23-inch mahogany board, and with original artwork first produced by Jaques of London in Victorian times. A wonderful memento of our night away.

And before we left we had time for just a few more games of shut the door by one of Bailiffscourt's many fireplaces.

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Prices start from £210 per night, based on two adults sharing a Standard room on a bed and breakfast basis. Reservations can be made through www.hshotels.co.uk or on 01903 723511.