country bolthole

Planning family weekend breaks can be daunting for families with young children. Parents have the task of finding a hotel that is both relaxing and ‘child friendly’, with enough facilities to keep themselves and the kids entertained, in a great location.

For the perfect short break, Luxury Family Hotels takes all of the stress out of finding the right place to stay with its well-edited selection of quality hotels across the UK.

Each hotel welcomes families with children and offers a superior level of service and great facilities for babies and pre-schoolers. In fact, it is a great time for families to travel, as Luxury Family Hotels offer great value rates in mid-week and term-time periods.

Head to the country for the weekend and stay at The Ickworth, set in 1800 acres of Suffolk parkland. This quintessentially English hotel is the perfect rural bolt hole where parents can enjoy a fabulous swimming pool, spa treatments using luxury products such as Comfort Zone and Mamma Mio, an indulgent dinner in adults-only restaurant Frederick’s and mapped walking routes around Ickworth Estate.

Children will delight in an outdoor adventure playground, cinema room and an exclusive children’s high tea. For a bit of ‘me time’, parents can be confident that kids are well taken care of with a dedicated crèche, baby listening and babysitting service.

For a short break on the South Cornwall coast, try Fowey Hall, located above the picturesque town of Fowey. This relaxing retreat is the place to unwind with a stunning swimming pool, hot tub and golden sand beaches right on the doorstep.

Guests can enjoy delicious seasonal dishes using local Cornish ingredients in the restaurant, whether it’s an early family supper or a romantic meal while making use of the hotel’s baby listening and baby sitting service. During the day, kids can have fun in their very own exclusive club – the Four Bears Den crèche.

Or to really capture their imagination, visit the spectacular Thornbury Castle, on the edge of the Cotswolds, Gloucestershire. Thornbury is the only Tudor castle open as a hotel and the opulent bedrooms are fit for young princes and princesses.

Children can run around to their heart’s content through 14 acres of gardens followed by a special early supper, ready for a bedtime story and good sleep after a fun-filled day. Meanwhile, Mum and Dad can try their hand at archery, a relaxing game of croquet and relax in the evening over a complimentary decanter of sherry.

Other excellent family-friendly UK hotels offered include Woolley Grange, Moonfleet Manor, The Elms, New Park Manor and Polurrian Bay.

For unforgettable UK weekend breaks for parents and young VIPs, try Luxury Family Hotels.

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The five star London Syon Park, a Waldorf Astoria hotel, is nestled among 200 acres of idyllic greenery in the Duke of Northumberland’s Syon House Estate, just a short distance from Richmond and Kew Gardens.

London Syon Park has dual appeal – a country bolthole for Londoners escaping the noise of the city and a more inspiring option to the ‘airport hotels’ for those passing through Heathrow.

Arrival

The exterior of the hotel may not be quite as grand as you might expect, but step inside and you’re immediately transported to a whimsical wonderland of oversized velvet arm armchairs, a cloud-like origami sculpture and a glass butterfly house filled with the world’s most exotic butterflies, in the middle of the lobby.

This is inspired by the butterfly house that was once at Syon Park and the butterfly motif runs throughout the hotel, so look out for clues! There is even an ice cream parlour, Brownies, to make the experience even more fantastical.

London Syon Park has 137 rooms on just two floors with some accessed through an enclosed outdoor walkway featuring twitterings of woodland animal and bird noises.

The Bedroom

The bedrooms can only be described as ‘gothic luxe’ – elegant, dramatic monochrome with sumptuous textures. The dark, mystical design of the bedrooms is a real contrast to the playful lightness of the hotel and its country surroundings.

Our Arboretum Room was spacious and featured a giant LCD HD TV, plenty wardrobe space, a work desk, seating area and glass bottles of complimentary mineral water.

The bed was exceptionally comfy and the sheet were silky-soft and light, so we had an excellent night’s sleep. Sometimes hotels can over-do it with the padding and pillows, leading to much over-heating and an interrupted sleep, but here they have it just right.

Considering that the hotel is so close to Heathrow, with planes flying over at regular intervals, we never heard any air-traffic noise – a testament to the sound-proofed windows.

Most of the bedrooms have balconies, all with different views, and ours had a view over the leafy grounds and the Syon Arboretum. It was delightful to sit and enjoy the sun and views for a while before exploring the rest of the hotel.

The Bathroom

The bathroom is petite but perfectly formed with a deep soak tub complete with TV, a powerful walk-in rain shower and the most plush bathroom products I’ve encountered at a hotel yet – Salvatore Ferragamo Tuscan Soul.

Kallima Spa

Kallima Spa, named after a rare butterfly, is the jewel of London Syon Park and it was hard for me to tear myself away. The pool is a tranquil paradise with irridescent mini mosaics, water overflow and the perfect temperature. We loved the jacuzzi and also tried out the ultra-hot Steam Room and Sauna, complete with TV!

It’s easy to spend a whole afternoon by the pool, sauntering from one well-being facility to the next and relaxing with a chilled glass of water on the pool loungers, before perhaps indulging in an Anne Sémonin spa treatment, which I did the next day.

If you’re a more outdoors type, you can take a long ramble through the acres of greenery that makes up Syon Park, take a bike ride along the Thames or investigate the ‘secret garden’, which can be unlocked with your room key. Or, if you can’t quite leave the city behind, shopping at Westfield is just a short bus or cab ride away.

Dinner at The Capability

In the evening, we dined London Syon Park’s restaurant, The Capability, headed up by executive chef Lee Streeton, formerly of HIX and Brown’s hotel. The Capability is named after Capability Brown, the prolific 18th century landscape architect, who designed the extensive grounds at Syon Park, and is affectionately known as ‘England’s greatest gardener’.

The evening finished with a decadent cocktail in a super-tall crystal glass at the stylish lounge-bar, Peacock Alley.

Breakfast

In the morning, we went down for breakfast at The Capability and ordered Eggs Benedict for the hot menu and had a few bits and pieces from the continental buffet. Our waiter proceeded to tell us the history of Eggs Benedict and its connection to the original Waldorf Astoria, then suggested we have the Eggs Royale instead! It was friendly, but a bit too much for the morning, especially before I’d had my morning coffee.

The Eggs Benedict was excellent and I loved the choice of muffins and pastries in either full or mini size from the continental buffet.

London Syon Park is the perfect place for a relaxing retreat, although surprisingly there are so many things to see and do that you’ll be spoilt for choice.

Kallima Spa is an absolutely heavenly experience and dinner at The Capability is a must for foodies who delight in seasonal dishes made with the freshest ingredients from the hotel’s allotments and herb gardens.

For more info and booking, visit: www.londonsyonpark.com

Chérie City was a guest of London Syon Park.

A Short UK Break With Luxury Family Hotels

London Syon Park Waldorf Astoria