Archive For The “UK” Category
History and amenity. There can surely be no finer pleasure than finding a hotel which ticks off everything on one’s ‘stay’ wish list. The Relais Henley will likely do just that. It did for us. This sumptuous historic hotel, formerly The Red Lion, offers an authentic marriage of original charm and contemporary comfort and technology….
Coppa Club Food, Comfy Rooms. Haslemere is a quintessential picturesque market town close to the Surrey borders with Hampshire and Sussex. The Georgian Townhouse is a beautiful historic building in the high street, and it welcomes guests with rooms in which to nestle, and tempting dishes and cocktails. The location is perfect for a short…
Lunch at Last! For the first time, fine dining Twr y Felin art hotel in St Davids, Pembrokeshire is open for lunch seven days a week. Hotel guests and visitors alike can now enjoy a selection of Head Chef, Sammy Owen’s AA three rosette cuisine at lunchtime as well as in the evening. The dishes…
Spain in the Heart of Cardiff. 20 years ago, brothers and sister Tom Morgan, Owen Morgan and Natalie Isaac opened their first Spanish tapas restaurant, Bar 44, in their hometown of Cowbridge in the Vale of Glamorgan in Wales. Since then, they have opened another three sites, two in Wales and one just across the…
Great Britain and Ireland is the leading independent guide to hotels in Great Britain, Ireland, Continental Europe and the Caribbean. The Guide was first published in 1978. It has been published each October since then. It is written for the reader seeking impartial advice on finding a good place to stay. Hotels cannot buy their…
Dear tourist, please take a step away from London on your next vacation. Eton awaits and it’s a gem of a destination. Don’t worry about where to stay. I have a suggestion which will delight with its charm and comfort. You will likely not want to leave, so do your sight-seeing first. Well, why would…
Lancrigg is perhaps one of the most charming hotels in the Lake District …and even beyond. It has the exterior of a rather good country home. Its pale yellow walls blend perfectly with the surrounding countryside. The stone barn behind is so picturesque that it could almost have been put there just to thrill Instagram…
The Brown Horse Inn, located in the heart of the Lake District, is an 1850s former coaching inn that offers its guests a comfy and modern take on a Cumbrian break. This would be a lovely hub from which to explore this region of natural beauty and charm. Incorporating all of the best aspects of…
The Plough Inn is a little stunner. It offers beautiful rooms for the few who are lucky enough to stay, and a traditional bar and restaurant for resident guests and locals. The concept is smart casual and the food is polished. My perfect combination. One sits amid a riot of mismatched tables and chairs. The…
This is a jewel of a hotel, and there can surely be no better time to visit Holdsworth House Hotel than during those weeks just before Christmas. The building lends itself to traditional decorations and colour, giving a nod to gentler times, warmth and conviviality. Truthfully, Holdsworth House Hotel is a marvel at any time…
Oh, deep joy! A hotel that thinks it’s a home. A house with guest rooms. A place to snuggle by the fire. A spot where kids are welcome. It’s called Lancrigg. This charming hotel is a delightful mix of contemporary art, comfy sofas and friendly conviviality. Wendy and her husband have only been the managers…
The Beech Hill Hotel is located on the eastern bank of Windermere. Its stunning views over the lake change with the seasons. Autumn is a quieter time and perfect for enjoying the rust and golden hues of the mellowing foliage and heather. This hotel can trace its history back to the 1900s. One can still…
The Plough in the hamlet of Lupton was built around 1760 but the welcome to this historic pub is contemporary and artful. There is a horse outside, but this is a rather ghostly plough-horse in metal, giving a nod to its rural location and its stylish interior. The pub has recently undergone extensive renovations to…
The Beaverbrook Estate seems a quintessentially English retreat with a country house hotel, and that would obviously have a quintessentially English dining room and menu. Well, no: although the dining room looks rather English with a hint of cherry blossom, the food on offer at The Dining Room is authentically Japanese. Head Chef Taiji Maruyama…
The Beaverbrook Estate is a one-stop resort for almost everything, and those everythings will be to a very high standard. The House, the more formal hotel, is large and from the outside looks rather imposing, but is in truth stylish and accessible. There is a smaller building on the estate and that’s the Garden House…
This was my first visit to Woodbridge in Suffolk. It’s an English county on the right-hand edge of the map of England and comprises the bottom half of that roundy bit that sticks out into the North Sea. The coastline is a draw, but there are so many reasons to visit this beautiful county, as…
Lavenham is the kind of village that even we who live in Britain don’t expect to find anymore. It’s a chocolate-box beautiful spot – it’s an historic drama-set-worthy location and it’s hard to imagine how it has remained in such original condition. This is the real thing! This is the genuine article. This is almost-lost…
I am well-travelled but I still believe that there are few places better than Britain on balmy summer days, and particularly when one is fanned by soft sea breezes. Aldeburgh is an historic town and tourist destination for visitors who appreciate its expansive Blue Flag shingle beach. Aldeburgh is a traditional coastal town in Suffolk….
The Swan is a striking hotel in an equally striking location. Lavenham is a town the likes of which is often thought extinct. It’s the stuff of historic dramas, with unspoilt houses and shops; a slice of Harry Potter was filmed here. It surrounds the visitor with quaint buildings and photo opportunities by the shed-load….
I have written a book about Indian restaurants but they were all in London. I review Indian restaurants almost every month but I have never reviewed one outside the UK hub of Indian food – our capital city. But here I was in a traditional English seaside town and a long way from home, and…