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What could be more romantic than staying in a historic castle hotel? What a shame so many are let down by their bland bedrooms and tired bathrooms. But here are five castle hotel rooms that won’t disappoint.
Wimbledon is less than a month away – time for we fair-weather players to dig out our racquets and hit the courts. But we won’t be heading for the park: here’s where we’ll be brushing up our backhand this summer.
Luton Hoo, Bedfordshire
This Robert Adam mansion house hotel set in Capability Brown landscaped parklands has two all weather courts. But we prefer its restored Victorian grass court (above), with its little revolving pavilion.
A couple of a certain age strides into The Lord Crewe Arms. ‘My wife and I have been driving past this hotel for 30 years. We thought it was about time we stopped and had a look round,’ says the man, taking in the honeyed flagstone floors, the fresh flowers, and the log fire crackling in the grate. He settles into a nearby sofa, while his wife does a recce. When she returns she is smiling broadly. The Lord Crewe Arms has that effect.
Much as I love the Chelsea Flower Show, it’s not a great place to ‘simply be’ – as anyone who has ever spent half an hour queuing for a jug of Pimm’s knows. So instead of joining the crowds in SW3 this year, I went to Aberdeenshire and had this glorious glen garden all to myself.
You might not think it if you live in or near a city, but the UK has some of the least light-polluted skies in Europe, with the very darkest areas officially designated Dark Sky Parks and Dark Sky Reserves. Park or Reserve, they’re all fantastic for stargazing, or what the marketing folk call ‘astrotourism’. Combine them with a great hotel, and you’ve got a recipe for a stellar weekend.
The whole of Brecon Beacons National Park (above) was designated a Dark Sky Reserve in 2012 and on a clear night you can see all the major constellations, the Milky way, bright nebulas and – if you’re lucky – shooting stars.
The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall will visit the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland next week. As yet, there are no details of where they will be staying, but the following four hotels and one luxury train would certainly be fit for a future king and his wife – not, of course, that Charles and Camilla will be short of invitations.
Ashford Castle, County Mayo
This magnificent 13th-century castle on the banks of Lough Corrib has been a hotel since the early 1900s.
Give me a nice warm hotel over a Mongolian yurt any day. But I have to admit that ‘glamping’ offers something a hotel can’t: the luxury of getting close to nature, with nothing to interrupt the peace and quiet but the pop of a champagne cork and the crackle of a wood burner. Here are five yurt camps on our current lust list, all available for exclusive use.
Trossachs Yurts, Stirling
The term ‘glamping’ was made for this three-yurt camp just outside the National Park near Stirling.
It’s a safe bet that as the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge settle into their new home on the Sandringham Estate they will have plenty of help caring for baby Charlotte and her two-year-old brother, George. Not many parents are quite so fortunate – but that’s what child-friendly hotels are for. Here are five that will treat you and your young ones like royalty, even if great-granny isn’t the Queen.
One Aldwych, London
London might not sound ideal for newborns or their older siblings, but easy access from just about everywhere makes it a stress-free destination for a short break. We’re particularly impressed by One Aldwych, just off The Strand, which has six family-friendly, inter-connecting rooms (above) that can be furnished with extra beds, cots and bed rails.
When I was nine I thought Ernst, Fritz, Jack and Franz – aka the Swiss Family Robinson – were the luckiest children on earth. They got to sleep in a tree house. Now a growing number of hotels are offering the chance to do the same thing. But forget splinters and wobbly rope ladders – 21st-century tree houses have comfortable beds, hot tubs and room service. Here are five of the best.
Living-room, Powys
Reaching this cluster of secluded tree houses in the Welsh Mountains involves a short hike through the woods, followed by a 30ft climb, via a spiral staircase, into the trees.
I admit my head was turned for a while by Poldark’s Cornwall, but my true love will always be Gabriel Oak’s Dorset, and I can’t wait for the new screen version of Thomas Hardy’s Far from the Madding Crowd to open tomorrow. If the film inspires you to get to know Hardy country better, here’s where to start.
Dorset County Museum
Dorset County Museum in Dorchester has one of the world’s largest collections of Thomas Hardy memorabilia, with more than 7,000 items and a reconstruction of the author’s study.
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