U.K. - 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.

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Rachael March 11, 2019

The Slaughters: Two Beautiful Cotswolds Villages

Every now and again, I like to spontaneously book a luxury weekend away somewhere and am always on the look out for a deal to give me an excuse to do so. For us, this generally entails a beautiful countryside location in a luxury boutique hotel. Our current favourite place to escape for a weekend is the Cotswolds. Full of quaint, quintessentially British villages, fantastic scenery and some truly superb country hotels, the Cotswolds is perfect for a weekend size break.

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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!

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Rachael February 18, 2019

Best Things to Do in Broadway in The Cotswolds

I had lots of plans to do lots of things in Broadway; I have a tendency sometimes to over plan as I don’t want to miss anything, however Broadway stepped in and made me spend more time chilling and relaxing than I had allocated in the official itinerary, as a lot of things are closed off season. I still think I picked the right time to go though for my preference, there were no crowds and the town looked beautifully sparkly all lit up with winter fairy lights. Everything I have listed below is either in Broadway itself or within a 3 mile radius (including the bars and restaurants).

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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.

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