Hotel Felix - Cambridge - September 2010

We came to Cambridge for our 2 year anniversary, it's a city I've always wanted to visit as I'm interested in architecture. Our room was located in the modern extension which has a very corporate golf hotel feel to it, although the rooms were well furnished and comfortable. The bathroom had a separate bath and shower cubicle with a lovely rainfall shower head. Our only complaint was that we found our pillows far too thin and flimsy!

The staff were very helpful here and the Graffiti restaurant was actually superior to the ones we tried in town. Breakfast was very nice with the standard choice of a continental buffet or a cooked breakfast.

The Hotel Felix is located quite a way out of town, parking in the city centre is limited and so we chose to get the bus into town most days which was ok during the day, but not so much fun dressed up for dinner in the evenings! We enjoyed the Fitzwilliam museum which is a large art gallery with free entry. There are lots of photo opportunities around Cambridge with all the grand university buildings. Also worth a visit is the Harriet Kelsall jewellers and the Grafton shopping centre has many stores under one roof just a short walk out of town.

www.hotelfelix.co.uk

River Haven lodge - Stratford-upon-Avon - July 2010

We stayed in the beautiful River Haven lodge just outside of Stratford on avon in summer this year. This really is luxury first class accommodation. The lodge has two bedrooms and two bathrooms, one double room with lots of storage, and an ensuite with shower cubicle. The other room is a twin room and the main bathroom has a bath, both bathrooms have beautiful contemporary fittings. The lodge has everything one would need for a self-catering holiday including towels and sheets, but also all cooking utensils, fridge, oven, microwave and dishwasher.

The decking area has lovely modern patio furniture including a dinner table for 6 and a sofa seating area. There is a car parking space next to the lodge and the actual park is very quiet, mostly made up of permanent residents.

Irene the owner is very accommodating and keeps the place spotlessly clean. We had welcome cakes, wine and flowers, this was better than home!

Stratford itself is a little too far to walk, although there is a car park up the road allowing you to park halfway, and walk the rest along the canal which is a lovely walk. There is also a riverboat taxi that you can get from just across the river leaving the opposite caravan park. There is lots to see and do in Stratford, the restaurant we liked best and returned to more than once was The Vintner, which served delicious moderately priced meals. The other nearby attraction which we would recommend is Warwick Castle, we went on a rainy day and there was plenty to see and do, admission is pricey but well worth it.

We have already returned in March 2011!

www.luxurylifestylelodges.co.uk

Marlin Queen street apartments - London - May 2010

We stayed in the heart of the city for a friend's wedding. This was the nearest place to stay to the venue, and was also competitively priced. We've never stayed in an apartment before and we found having the kitchen and living areas a great asset, although it would be of more use to a family, or someone staying more than two nights to really benefit from self-catering. All the kitchen utensils you would need are supplied. The bedroom was extremely small, the bathroom was adequate with a shower over bath. You can hear the tube trains running underneath but they don't run through the night so it's not really a problem. The concierge was friendly, but you're pretty much left to your own devices here. The area is well lit and feels safe at night.

The city as always, is dead at the weekends, so there's not much open nearby, but the Sunday service in St Paul's is magical, definitely worth a special trip. I'd recommend walking across the river to the Southbank area for breakfast, there's an Eat right on the river.

www.marlinapartments.com

Seaspray hotel - Brighton - Mar 2010

We stayed in the Moroccan themed room in this B&B on a lovely sea front square in Brighton. The location is great, out of the way enough to be quiet at night, but easily walkable into town. Parking is on the street so it's down to luck how near you can get but the actual square it is on is much more expensive to park than the surrounding roads.

The moroccan room is on the loft level at the back of the property so there are no sea views. The decor looks much better in the pics than in real life, the soft furnishings are a bit tatty and cheap looking. The bed is very low and small and the worst thing was the heating. Perhaps because it's the loft room it got very hot, we had to use the supplied fan in the night to get some sleep - and this was in March! The ensuite also got very hot but is immaculately furnished with a modern shower and sink.

The owners and staff were lovely though, the heat was much better the second night. Breakfast was full english, or whatever hot items you choose to order. Kemps brasserie which was recommended to us a few roads away was exceptional, we went back twice!

www.seaspraybrighton.co.uk

Barnham Broom - Norwich - Jan 2010

Barnham Broom is a golf/spa hotel set in the countryside outside of Norwich. On first impressions it's a non-descript modern conference type hotel building. The things that really stood out to us though, were the superb Flints restaurant, and the spa. The golf course was the main reason most were there and the hotel is focussed towards this area, although it wasn't the weather for my fair-weather golfing partner!
Breakfast was great with a continental buffet and order your own cooked breakfast. The service was perfect. Dinner in the restaurant was first class, with an interesting and varied menu.

The spa was up to the high standards of many spa hotels with prices to match! Definitely need to book in advance here.

Our only gripe was the bed in our room which was very soft and lumpy and incredibly uncomfortable. We may have just been unlucky with the room we had, though we wished we had noticed this earlier in the day, rather than in the middle of the night, so we could have asked for another room. We only stayed one night here.

www.barnham-broom.co.uk

Smiths at Gretna Green - Scotland - Oct 2009

We stayed at Gretna for my Dad's wedding, which was all booked in secret from his fiance! There's a great video somewhere of my step-mum's face when she realised she was in Gretna and all her family were there to see her get married! We arrived late and were greeted by the very kindly night-porter who made checking in a smooth process. Smiths is directly opposite the Old Blacksmiths where the marriage took place.

The hotel itself looks like a conference centre from the outside, not very romantic, but it's furnished in a modern luxury way inside. Our room had a lovely modern ensuite with shower over bath and a heated towel rail. The bedroom had a very comfortable bed, and nice seating area and dressing table, with all the extras we needed like kettle, iron and hairdryer. The restaurant for the wedding meal was divine, beautiful food the quality of a michelin star restaurant. Breakfast was a hot and cold buffet which was fine with plenty there and very tasty.

www.smithsgretnagreen.com

Wyndham Grand Chelsea Harbour - London - Oct 2009

This is an all-suite hotel right on the harbour in Chelsea. We parked in the NCP around the corner which was very convenient.Our room was a harbour view room with beautiful views of the boats in the harbour and the Thames. The suite was very spacious with a bathroom to the right on entry, a large living/dining area with flat screen tv and balcony,  a large bedroom with flat screen tv and dressing area, and a large ensuite with bath and separate shower cubicle. It was very quiet and relaxing in the room, the large bed was very comfortable. The shower had a digital control to select the temperature and turn on, very fancy, the rain shower-head, although lovely, was too big for the space of the cubicle leaving no room to put your shampoo on! Breakfast was not included with our booking and the restaurant was closed due to refurbishment whilst there, so the only option was room-service which was ridiculously expensive so we went to a coffee shop for breakfast.

When it's completely refurbished this will be a very grand hotel, and way out of our budget, so it was good to experience, along with shopping on the King's Road!

www.wyndhamgrandlondon.co.uk

Bedford Lodge - Newmarket - Sept 2009

Bedford Lodge is a large country hotel in Newmarket. Lovely modern rooms with a large bed, Molten Brown toiletries in the modern ensuite with twin sinks and over-bath shower. The restaurant here is fabulous, breakfast is great but the dinner menu is superb. The hotel is situated on the outskirts of town, the area is lovely with horses everywhere!

www.bedfordlodgehotel.co.uk

Shorefield Country Park - New Forest - July 2009

We stayed in the Milford 2 berth lodge which was a log lodge with a veranda to the front. One bedroom with four-poster bed, bathroom with sauna, and an open plan kitchen-living area. The decor was a bit dated, but clean, we loved having a dishwasher. Could have done with some patio furniture although we didn't get great weather. The sauna didn't work, not that we wanted to use it, and the 'spa' was simply a whirlpool corner bath. The Reflections Day Spa on the site is sublime with lovely staff and great prices for their treatments.

The site is much like a large Haven site, with touring and static caravans, posh caravans, an area with these lodges, some really posh lodges, and some Butlins style chalets. If I went again, I'd stay in one of the posh lodges with and outdoor hot tub and bbq! There's not much choice of food on site but the large clubhouse has good value meals and entertainment. The indoor swimming pool is lovely and warm although gets busy.

It's a lovely short walk to the sea with great views of the Isle of Wight. The New Forest area itself has lots to offer, we enjoyed seeing the deer and ponies and also the villages of Lymington and Christchurch. The Gary Rhodes brasserie at the Kings Hotel was delicious, although I understand it's now closed, I'd love to try Gary Rhodes South, now in Christchurch instead.

www.shorefield.co.uk

Five Lakes Hotel - Maldon - May 2009

Stayed for a golf and spa break for a good package deal. The hotel has everything you need for a night or two's stay. It's quite large and impersonal but the spa and golf facilities more than make up for that. The room and ensuite with over-bath shower were clean and quite large with views over looking the golf course. The breakfast was a large buffet with everything you could want and the service was good. Dinner was also very good, with good service a wide choice and a relaxed atmosphere.

The spa is very modern and tranquil with a wide choice of treatments for the usual spa prices. The lunch and outside areas are very relaxing. The therapists were very professional and the service was first class. The pool area is nice although the changing rooms could do with updating.

www.fivelakes.co.uk

Chaffeymoor Grange - Dorset - April 2009

We stayed at Chaffeymoor for a family reunion as it was perfect to accommodate 15 adults and 2 children. This impressive manor house is situated in rural Bourton on a steep hill, with formal gardens to the front, and tennis courts and country walks to the rear. It has 10 double bedrooms, 9 with ensuites and you get the whole run of the place, including the kitchen and dining room which seats 22 for dinner. We stayed in the purple room to the front of the house, which had a beautiful ensute with a roll-top bath and a large shower cubicle. The bed was the most comfortable bed I've ever slept in, super-kingsize with soft high-thread-count linens. The owners are on site to help with anything you need, but mostly leave you to your own devices, you can order grocery deliveries, or pay extra for catering services.

All in all, it's a very large house to accommodate a large family, with plenty of space so that you won't get in each others hair, and lots to do both indoors and outdoors. It would be a perfect private wedding venue.

www.chaffeymoorgrange.com

Barclay Farmhouse - Biddenden - Feb 2009

We stayed in Barclay farmhouse B&B to enable us to eat at the nearby michelin starred restaurant, the West House. In the beautiful Kent countryside the house is situated in lovely well kept gardens, well secluded from the road. We stayed in a downstairs room which was well equipped with everything we needed and with a modern ensuite shower room. Lynn the owner was the perfect host, even organising a lift to the restaurant for us with some other guests. The breakfast was cooked to order and the breakfast room was very quaint and cosy. Lynn obviously enjoys what she does and the breakfast was delightful.

The West House was divine, we really enjoyed the taster starter that was sent out to us, and it was great value for money for such cuisine.

The only grumble was that staying in the downstairs room, and with wooden flooring, we could hear the upstairs guests moving around, which woke us earlier than we would have liked.

www.barclayfarmhouse.co.uk

Black Rock House - Hastings - Nov 2008

Stayed in the Garden room. Lovely small boutique B&B run by a really welcoming couple. Beautifully designed rooms downstairs and upstairs. Our garden room had a modern ensuite shower room, superb shower, fluffy towels, all details immaculately presented. Breakfast was scrumptious and cooked to order from local produce, plus a buffet of fruit and cereals.

Our only gripe was the local seagulls waking us at 6 each morning, not the owners fault, and might not be so bad in the other rooms/different times of year.

http://www.booking.com/hotel/gb/black-rock-house.en.html