Luxury Hotel Reviews - Champagne on Arrival

Rachael March 25, 2019

Luxury Hotel Review: Heckfield Place, Hampshire

It is a beautiful spring Sunday morning and I am in a luxury hotel in Hampshire trying to follow the fairly long winded instructions on the in-room iPad on how to make the perfect coffee. A battle is then ensuing as I try to work out if my water is boiling in the world’s quietest kettle (which is also fairly attractive to look at), before then pouring the water through ceramic drippers, soaking, stirring and heating the cup as I go; have they not heard of Nespresso?

The pouting is therefore in full swing as I settle down on the plush sofa with a blanket to read my magazine and listen to the birds, until I take a sip. It is better than Nespresso; it might actually the best coffee I’ve ever had. It’s supplied by a company called Allpress and a quick google to see how I haven’t heard of it and where I can get it from confirms what I already suspect; it’s not available anywhere in the UK except London (and this hotel it appears). Ah well, I settle back down, snuggle up and have another two cups.

View Post

Rachael March 4, 2019

Luxury Hotel Review: The Slaughters Manor House in the Cotswolds

I am hugely biased towards Slaughters Manor, a beautiful, luxury boutique hotel in the Cotswolds. It is the most perfect destination ever. My bias mostly comes from it being the location of my wedding last year and having pulled off what turned into a three day event without fault. This, alongside it being in the most idyllic Cotswolds location, means this is a fairly glowing review.

I have stayed there twice, once for the wedding and again a few months later on a gorgeously snowy weekend in early February. I have also visited for wedding meetings several times more, where I always made time for a lunch, afternoon tea or cocktail at the bar!

View Post

Rachael February 11, 2019

Luxury Hotel Review: The Lygon Arms, Broadway

On paper, The Lygon Arms has managed to combine the best elements of Danny’s and my winter dream locations; Danny’s being a cosy pub with rooms and a roaring fire, mine a boutique hotel with excellent food and wine accompanied by some beautiful scenery.

The Lygon Arms has quite a long history dating back to the 1300s and a rather glamorous clientele over the centuries; Oliver Cromwell, King Charles I, Prince Philip and Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor have all stayed here. Most recently, Iconic Hotels from Cliveden House and Chewton Glen fame, acquired what for all accounts and purposes, was a rather run down hotel in The Lygon Arms back in 2015. An extensive renovation was completed in August 2017, shortly after it became a Mr & Mrs Smith hotel and made it’s way onto my executive “Hotels I Need to Stay At” list.

View Post

Rachael February 7, 2019

Luxury Hotel Review: Shangri-La Al Husn in Muscat, Oman

For the final three nights of our Oman honeymoon, we returned to Muscat, but this time staying in a different hotel, the Shangri-La Al Husn, one of the top three hotels in Muscat along with The Chedi and Al Bustan Palace.

The former we had stayed in at the beginning of our holiday before we embarked on our Oman road trip and describing it as excellent is an understatement; the Shangri-La had a lot to live up to! Unlike the last few days, we had minimal activities planned other than lying down, eating and swimming!

View Post

Rachael January 31, 2019

Wahiba Sands Desert Nights Camp in Oman

Staying at a desert night camp in Oman was one of the things I was most looking forward to on our trip. Not so much the camping part, but more experiencing a traditional desert for the first time, particularly overnight (we’ve all seen the pictures of those beautiful star constellations). I can’t say I’m a camping kind of girl really though; I like the idea of it, but since I’ve grown up, the execution hasn’t exactly floated my boat.

Despite having been assured on multiple occasions that this was luxury desert camping, I still had visions of a hot tent, no running water and sand getting everywhere. I was therefore slightly reassured (despite our unorthodox method of arrival at our evening accommodation) when on our approach, I we saw that our tents appeared to have walls, this was my kind of camping!

View Post