2021-03-12 15:17
Guest post from author and journalist Rachel Bridge
It’s a been a truly horrible year for everyone but a few precious things have just about kept me on the right side of cheerfulness … Read More
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2021-03-07 10:17
Enjoying the perfect Sunday roast at your favourite pub must surely be one of the weekend pleasures most missed during lockdown. While I’m counting down the days until the pubs re-open… Read More
2021-02-22 12:49
By ALadyofLeisure.com guest writer, food and drink journalist Stuart Peskett
To say that the UK restaurant industry is in trouble is putting it mildly. Lockdowns due to the pandemic have see… Read More
2021-01-03 14:00
The stunning Indian Ocean island nation of Mauritius is definitely a place to put at the top of your wish list for when we can start exploring the world again. Thanks to its location, an ear… Read More
2020-12-22 16:54
A fortnight in Mauritius is probably what many of us are dreaming of right now – winter sun, sandy beaches, rum cocktails and luxury hotels being the perfect antidote to lockdowns, Bre… Read More
2020-12-22 16:54
A Mauritius holiday is probably what many of us are dreaming of right now – winter sun, sandy beaches, rum cocktails and luxury hotels being the perfect antidote to lockdowns, Brexit a… Read More
2020-11-25 06:18
Things were pretty quiet during my recent trip to the capital (for obvious reasons) but one place which was still lively was The Stafford hotel in central London.
Having stayed at a charming… Read More
2020-11-19 06:14
You never forget your first Pig, as the old saying doesn’t go, and with such fond memories of my stay at The Pig near Bath (check out my review ‘A heavenly, foodie, country retre… Read More
2020-11-17 10:39
There are some hotel rooms which you could happily live in and my bedroom at Lainston House hotel near Winchester was one of those.
Tucked up under the eaves of this excellent country house… Read More
2020-11-05 13:24
Travelling to the USA – how to apply for an ESTA
Planning on going on holiday to the USA soon? If your trip is for less than 90 days then instead of applying for a full US visa you can… Read More
2020-10-20 10:29
Luxury hotel Christmas packages are getting booked early this year and with good reason. With the coronavirus pandemic far from over, it is uncertain what kind of restrictions there will be… Read More
2020-09-18 11:17
After months of lockdown, exploring the Cotswolds near Stroud with a stay at the Bear of Rodborough hotel near Stroud, Gloucestershire was just the things to blow away the cobwebs. This 17th… Read More
2020-09-18 10:58
Hotels in the Cotswolds are always a pleasure to discover and having stayed in a few places owned by Cotswold Inns pubs and hotels before – the Bay Tree and Lamb in Burford, the Manor… Read More
2020-08-29 12:50
It is impossible to walk around the grounds at Middlethorpe Hall York and not take dozens of photos. While the front of the hotel is surprisingly close to the road, a quiet country lane just… Read More
2020-08-21 12:42
I had been told that the Sunday roast at Feversham Arms hotel and spa in Yorkshire was not to be missed and my informant had been bang on the money. It was pronounced: ‘A ten out of te… Read More
2020-08-11 12:55
After months of lockdown my first hotel was, reassuringly, at Hand Picked Hotel‘s flagship hotel Fawsley Hall hotel and spa in Northamptonshire near Daventry. This grand country house… Read More
2020-08-11 12:36
UK hotels after lockdown might look different to before the pandemic so what can you expect from your stay? After four months of lockdown, to say that I was excited about getting back to hot… Read More
2020-06-27 16:24
When I first arrived at Gravetye Manor, the Michelin-starred country house hotel with award-winning gardens, I soon decided that this was one of the best hotels in West Sussex and when I was… Read More
2020-06-19 12:24
When hotels are able to open after lockdown the Headland hotel in Cornwall might just be the place to blow away the hibernation cobwebs. Perched right at the end of the glorious Fistral Beac… Read More
2020-06-16 10:06
Some of us can’t wait to stay in a luxury hotel after lockdown, while others are more cautious – and like me, you’re probably a bit of both (check out my article on what to… Read More
2020-02-28 13:28
Staying at a luxury country house hotel when the weather is terrible might seem like a bit of a waste – you can forget cocktails on the terrace, long country walks, or stunning photos… Read More
2020-02-12 14:06
What is it like to stay at New Hall hotel and spa?
There are probably many historic hotels in Birmingham with a spa and swimming pool but I can’t imagine that many of them come with a… Read More
2020-02-09 14:25
While everyone’s idea of a romantic getaway weekend is different, I think it’s fair to assume there are some things which you have to expect: gorgeous bedrooms, a top resta… Read More
2020-01-21 10:25
There are many reasons to spend Christmas at a luxury country house hotel rather than at home, but you still want it to be special, personal and memorable. Thankfully for us (my mother and m… Read More
2019-11-21 09:29
If you’re looking for luxury hotels in the Cotswolds The Lygon Arms will be high on your wish-list, and in fact it was on mine for ages. This historic hotel has been a main fixture in… Read More
2019-11-19 10:48
Read on for my utterly epic round-up of 60 of the best British luxury hotels to stay in for New Year…
Knowing what to do for New Year’s Eve is always a tough decision. There&rsq&hell…Read More
2019-11-07 09:13
Exploring Herceg Novi and indeed moving to Montenegro for five weeks was done on a whim. I wanted to live somewhere in mainland Europe for November as a) I hadn’t got much planned eith… Read More
2019-11-03 14:11
It was only when I heard the receptionist answer the phone at Stapleford Park hotel in Leicestershire that I realised I’d been saying its name all wrong and it was actually pronounced… Read More
2019-10-31 13:18
Not having had the luxury of a clifftop spa hotel on the Lizard peninsula in Cornwall before, I didn’t have much to compare Mullion Cove hotel with, but judging on my first visit I thi… Read More
2019-10-15 08:26
Reaching Thurlestone hotel in south Devon is like going down Alice in Wonderland’s rabbit hole. You plunge off the main road along one of those high-hedged, single-track lanes which De… Read More
2019-09-26 14:52
My recent trip to Sherborne to review The Eastbury hotel was an unexpected delight. I had been looking forward to a stay at this luxury hotel as I’d heard great things about it but I k… Read More
2019-09-25 10:38
Exploring Le Mans in 24 hours: a whistlestop tour of the city
The historic city of Le Mans is famous for its Le Mans 24 race and so it seemed appropriate that I was also doing a 24 hour race… Read More
2019-09-18 11:03
In terms of location, The Nadler Covent Garden in London is hard to beat. A hotel right on The Strand and possibly the closest hotel to Covent Garden, you’ll find several hundred resta… Read More
2019-09-05 11:27
Luxury country house hotels are already being booked up for for Christmas 2019 (even though it’s only September!) and with good reason: luxury hotels could be made for Christmas… Read More
2019-08-13 11:23
Driving full-pelt towards a solid-looking wall is both terrifying and exhilarating but that’s exactly what you get from a day at the Mercedes driving experience at Brooklands in Surrey… Read More
2019-08-12 09:16
I’ve always wanted to stay in a chateau in France and to my good fortune I had the chance to while visiting Pays de la Loire this summer. Hotels in France are as varied as anywhere in… Read More
2019-08-08 15:40
There are some hotels with spas and there are some hotels which ARE spas. Ragdale Hall health spa in Leicestershire most definitely falls into the latter camp, making a spa break at Ragdale… Read More
2019-07-09 10:09
Fans of Germaine de Capuccini treatments in the UK will be delighted to hear that award-winning hotel Park House hotel and spa in West Sussex is the latest hotel to introduce the treatments… Read More
2019-06-29 09:59
Throughout my own stay at Cliveden House luxury hotel, there was one question which I found almost impossible to answer. Would Cliveden still be as fabulous if it wasn’t, well, Cl… Read More
2019-06-25 11:31
Arranging a hotel and parking at Gatwick airport – or indeed Heathrow, Luton or Stansted as well, I travel frequently from all of them – is always a major headache. This co… Read More
2019-06-21 12:32
It’s where James Bond beat Goldfinger in possibly the most famous golf match in cinema history, where Bridget Jones ditched singleton life for a weekend away with boss Daniel Cleaver a… Read More
2019-06-21 07:00
Guest post from the best-selling Good Hotel Guide – their top 10 beautiful hotels with pools for the summer Summer’s here and with any luck we’ve all got summer holidays bo… Read More
2019-06-19 12:43
You don’t often hear the cast of a West End musical warming up when going for a walk in the grounds of a country house, but that’s what you’re likely to get during a stay a… Read More
2019-06-04 09:15
The first thing that struck me about the five-star Corinthia Hotel in London when I stayed there was how utterly huge everything is. From the vast central lobby lounge with its soaring dome… Read More
2019-05-29 13:56
Returning to The Swan hotel at Lavenham in Suffolk several years after my original stay, I was relieved to find that it was just as lovely as I remembered it. This time it also had the added… Read More
2019-05-17 13:53
It might possibly be the first hotel room I’ve stayed in which had a ‘disco lighting’ option but it was typical of this Point A hotel, which was full of quirky, thoughtful… Read More
2019-05-01 14:49
The Suffolk village of Orford might be tiny but it packs in pretty much everything you’d expect from a classic English location. It’s got a medieval church – the massive 14… Read More
2019-04-17 11:32
It does great food and excellent cocktails, it’s got beautiful bedrooms, friendly staff and even has a brewery and distillery on site (it’s owned by 147-year-old Suffolk brewer A… Read More
2019-04-11 09:43
In just four hours I ate curry, fish and chips, stilton cheese, salt beef bagels, bread and butter pudding, salted caramel cheesecake and a bacon sandwich. With ketchup. Why? You might well… Read More
2019-03-13 17:40
It shares its name with a famous motor racing circuit but guests at the Brandshatch Place hotel and spa will enjoy a relaxing stay away from the fast lane.
As befits a hotel named after a… Read More
2019-03-13 13:14
There is something gloriously untamed about the British seaside on a blustery day and when I arrived at The Brudenell Hotel in Aldeburgh, Suffolk, the hotel building was receiving a severe b… Read More
2019-02-27 13:34
Brockencote Hall, set in several acres of lush green Worcestershire countryside, turned out to be an almost perfect stay, with the comforts and treats of a luxury country house hotel, from i… Read More
2019-02-27 13:09
It isn’t often I embrace a hotel gym so wholeheartedly but there was something about the brand spanking new spa Mallory Court luxury hotel Warwickshire which made it irresistible.
As w… Read More
2019-02-08 12:37
There was far more to Kesgrave Hall than I’d expected. Having just come from its sister hotel, Maison Talbooth, a luxurious, refined, relaxed country house with outdoor pool and 12 bea… Read More
2019-02-08 12:08
The key to a memorable hotel stay is a great welcome and such was my arrival at the excellent Maison Talbooth hotel on the Essex/Suffolk border was that within ten minutes I felt utterly at… Read More
2019-01-14 13:32
If it’s ghouls, ghosts and goblins you’re after, then you have to spend Halloween in Derry Northern Ireland and experience its epic Halloween festival for yourself. Derry was vot… Read More
2018-11-13 13:00
Luxury hotels could be made for Christmas. Think of the best luxury country house hotels for Christmas and instantly you can picture the festive scene: comfy sofas, roaring fires… Read More
2018-10-09 12:12
It had been a lifetime dream for me: to find out how to hike the Inca trail to Machu Picchu in Peru. Now, for the last four days, I had been hiking through stunning Peruvian mountains to rea… Read More
2018-08-20 12:59
Mark Warner’s hotel in Latikira, Kos, Greece
Take dozens of single people, put them in a Club Mark Warner holiday beach resort for a week, add sun and alcohol, and it’s simply a… Read More
2018-08-17 11:32
‘What did you do for your birthday?’ I was asked the other day.
‘Well,’ I said, trying to sound casual, ‘after a champagne breakfast in my luxury Caribbean cond… Read More
2018-08-07 08:03
The child in front of me hurled himself off the tree-top platform high off the forest floor and sped through the air. I couldn’t back out now. While zip-lining had long been on m… Read More
2018-07-02 14:55
The timing couldn’t have been better, at least not for the Hippodrome. The moment I walked past the gaming area in the central London casino, one of the slot machines paid out the enti… Read More
2018-06-22 07:37
It is rare that a holiday actually changes your life, but a week on Skyros, the original ‘alternative’ holiday destination, can do just that. From changing jobs or learning new s… Read More
2018-05-21 13:08
It goes without saying that anyone doing battle with the traffic on either the M25, A2 or A20 routes is probably in need of some serious relaxation, but they might be surprised to learn that… Read More
2018-04-10 14:54
If you were to try and describe a classically British pub, then you’d probably come up with something like The Bull Inn, Sonning, in Berkshire. It’s got roaring fi… Read More
2018-04-09 14:08
‘Clutter makes you reach for a biscuit,’ says Anna, as she looks around my bedroom. I can think of no better way to convince me to embrace the popular decluttering trend which ta… Read More
2018-03-24 12:01
‘We just fell in love with the Isle of Wight,’ said owner David Barrett as he showed me around Haven Hall, one of the newest B&Bs on the Isle of Wight. ‘It’s exac… Read More
2018-03-23 12:39
It’s the car marque of dreams (and Hollywood folklore): Aston Martin cars have been super-cool ever since James Bond fired up an Aston Martin DB5 in Goldfinger. While Britain’s t… Read More
2018-03-20 15:49
Halfway through our meal at The Vineyard hotel and spa, Newbury, I was beginning to wonder if I knew as much about wine as I thought I did. Not only could I not guess what grape va… Read More
2018-03-04 13:51
Lewtrenchard Manor is one of those classic country house hotels which actually feels like someone’s home (a rather impressive stately home, that’s true) rather than a hotel. Tuck… Read More
2018-02-17 18:31
While I’ve explored all over the New Forest for ALadyofLeisure.com, visiting hotels such as Chewton Glen, Lime Wood, Montagu Arms, Burley Manor and The Bell Inn, I had yet to make it a… Read More
2018-02-15 13:24
I’ll be honest and confess I wasn’t entirely sure about reviewing a B&B for ALadyofLeisure.com – not out of reasons of snobbery but because I usually write about hotels… Read More
2018-02-12 09:30
The first time I visited Burley Manor Hotel in the New Forest I had absolutely no expectations – not because I thought it was going to be terrible, but because it had never even c… Read More
2018-02-09 12:33
If you’re going to spend the night in a castle, then it’s appropriate to look the part, which is why it felt very fitting arriving at the luxury hotel Bovey Castle in the he… Read More
2018-02-06 12:14
I’ve been lucky to stay in some of the best hotel rooms in the country but for sheer romance it’s hard to beat a Beach Suite at the delightful Cary Arms and Spa on Babbacombe Bay… Read More
2018-01-29 14:25
It is always nice to be greeted on arriving at a hotel by someone saying enthusiastically: ‘You’re just in time for lunch!’ and even better when you are promptly whisked of… Read More
2018-01-19 15:48
‘Kanpai!’ The cry echoed around the hotel dining room. It was the fifth ‘Kanpai!’ of the evening in our trip to Japan and it wouldn’t be the last. At this rally… Read More
2018-01-18 09:50
The joy of reviewing hotels and restaurants is that with every new visit there is often something which will surprise, delight or even shock you. The Montcalm at the Brewery London… Read More
2018-01-16 11:51
It isn’t often you plan on spending the night at a rather grand country house hotel and find yourself sleeping in a treehouse on stilts in the middle of a forest. But the treehouses at… Read More
2018-01-15 12:13
Just one night at the Spread Eagle Hotel Midhurst felt like a really long stay – but in a good way. I arrived there on Sunday afternoon, and by the time I left 24 hours later I&rs&hell…Read More
2018-01-13 12:36
Walking into a really gorgeous hotel room can be such a bittersweet moment. There is the initial reaction of ‘Wow! This is really, really nice….!’ and delight that th… Read More
2018-01-12 12:35
If the holiday season left you feeling in serious need of a relaxing break with country walks, a first-class spa and restaurant and cosy rooms to hide away in, then Bailiffscourt hotel and s… Read More
2018-01-01 21:13
Skiing is one of the world’s most sociable sports – there’s the long lunches, the dancing-on-tables après-ski, the cosy chalet dinners and oh yes, the skiing itself… Read More
2017-12-15 13:14
To arrive at Langshott Manor hotel is to jump back in time. One moment you are in urban Surrey, passing through towns like Redhill and Horley and driving though a modern housing estate, and… Read More
2017-12-13 11:23
There’s a warm glow which comes when reading a newspaper article called ‘Cosiest pubs to stay in this winter’ and realising you are heading off to stay in one of thos… Read More
2017-11-28 17:14
Feeling my car’s clutch cable snap while driving to the airport was not the greatest of starts to our Cape Verde holiday, but after a several hours on the hard shoulder of the M1, a su… Read More
2017-11-28 13:25
With every cloud there comes a silver lining and the missing of our flight to Cape Verde meant an unexpected overnight stay in Bristol and my first experience of Hotel du Vin.
Hotel du Vin B… Read More
2017-10-17 15:45
It’s been receiving guests for more than 60 years but Park House hotel and spa is only now making the transition from well-kept local secret to firm fixture on the British country hous… Read More
2017-09-27 12:11
There is always a worry when it comes to revisiting a hotel which you totally adored on the first visit – what if it’s not going to be as good as you remembered it? I know people… Read More
2017-09-25 10:37
If you like visiting beautiful English stately homes but hate the queues, the drive, the parking and the general hassle which usually goes with such visits, then Bowood hotel, spa and golf i… Read More
2017-09-01 12:42
Some holidays are so jam-packed with things to do, places to visit and sights to tick off that you end up needing a holiday afterwards to recover. A island-hopping voyage around the Aegean w… Read More
2017-08-23 09:21
Being in the Land of the Midnight Sun can do strange things to you. A few days into my cruise along the Norwegian coast, I’d been chatting on deck after dinner with my fellow pass… Read More
2017-08-21 10:27
I hadn’t meant to embark on an impromptu Champagne cocktail-tasting session just after breakfast, but in keeping with the overall spirit of relaxation and pampering at The Greenway hot… Read More
2017-06-26 14:28
Exactly 600 years ago, the Bel and The Dragon coaching inn was built in the pretty Berkshire town of Cookham and six centuries later, I took a friend with me to stay at the pub and see… Read More
2017-05-27 12:23
If your idea of a perfect summer’s day is afternoon tea (or a gin and tonic) on a beautiful lawn in the sunshine, The Manor House luxury hotel in the pretty Cotswolds village of Castle… Read More
2017-04-04 12:15
If the England rugby team need somewhere to recharge their batteries after this year’s bruising contest in which they finished a lowly fifth, then they needn’t travel very far: t… Read More
2017-02-04 15:52
Back in January 2015 I wrote a blog post in defence of little yellow photobombing cars, as the car owned by Peter Maddox, 82-year old resident of Bibury village in the Cotswolds, had attract… Read More
2017-01-31 17:16
There is something rather special about a rooftop bar in London. The views might not be spectacular – we’re not taking Rio or Hong Kong harbour here – but to rise above the… Read More
2017-01-17 12:42
It’s been quite a year! It started with an amazing culinary tour of Japan – a week full of sushi, puffer fish and bullet trains – and ended with a trip to Antarctica… Read More
2017-01-03 17:24
A trip to the Cotswolds is always a treat and if you’re in need of some bracing countryside walks, a hearty pub meal and then a nightcap in front of a roaring fire, then The Old Swan a… Read More
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