Stop 9 Horwood House

Stop 9, Horwood House

 

On arrival at Horwood House it’s hard not to feel like royalty as you travel down the ¼ of a mile tree lined driveway. The beautiful Elizabethan style house, built in 1911 for Frederick Arthur Denny (who had made his fortune in pork and bacon) stands at the end of the driveway and would be our home for the next two nights. The hotel, in Little Horwood, Buckinghamshire, is set in 38 acres of landscaped grounds and is easily accessible from the M1 and M40. 
 

The hotel houses 182 standard and executive rooms, and offers an impressive indoor swimming pool, spa, sauna and gym.

 

At reception we received a warm welcome from the staff and were allocated room number 202.


The hotel is quite large and although we had a bit of a walk to our room with our luggage, things were made easier by the use of ramps and lifts. The room was of the usual excellent Principal Hayley standard. Clean and fresh with modern facilities including a very large flat screen TV on the wall. We were very impressed with our welcome gift of wine and chocolate orange biscuits. Our favourite!

After a long day we decided to have dinner in Tempus. Some old favourites were on the menu and we enjoyed our beloved beetroot and feta salad and Chicken Kiev. We also tucked into our all time favourite Tempus dessert Chocolate Orange Torte!

 

Dinner took us to the hotel’s Tempus restaurant again on our second night but his time we were feeling a bit more adventurous and veered away from our familiar favourites on the menu. Hayley C opted for the sea bream and Hayley A for the beef, bacon and mushroom pie, both of which were delicious and very filling.  

The hotel was bustling with two weddings and a 40th birthday party. Everyone looked like they were having a great time and the staff were certainly looking after everyone. We left the parties behind and after a long day we were looking forward to a restful night sleep.

Out and about

The next morning, after filling up at the buffet breakfast we headed to nearby Milton Keynes to try out the Sno!zone. There are a variety of activities available here including, skiing, snowboarding and even an indoor sky dive centre. A hilarious half hour was spent riding doughnuts own the real snow slope.

Arguably the funniest photo I have ever seen - Hayley C

In need of warming up, we headed to the MK centre. If you like shopping this is definitely the place for you! With lots of shops and restaurants we were spoilt for choice on where to have lunch.

After a stop at Jamie’s Italian we went in search of the famous Milton Keynes concrete cows. The cows are an iconic work of sculpture, created in 1978 by Canadian-born artist, Liz Leyh and have been re-homed from a public park to the MK centre. We also managed to squeeze in a cheeky massage at the local Bannatyne gym, which was a relaxing end to the day.

Sunday dawned bright and we were looking forward to our trip to Waddesdon Manor an astonishing Renaissance-style château, designed by French architect Destailleur in 1874 for Baron Ferdinand de Rothschild. The château, about 25 mins drive from Horwood, has beautiful gardens and each room inside the house is filled with stunning pieces of art work.

        

They were also hosting a Mustang event on the day which gave us even more to see. The house is definitely worth a visit!

We thoroughly enjoyed our stay at Horwood house and were very impressed with the attentiveness of the staff and the care that they took to make sure guests were enjoying their stay.

Bye for now from the Hayleys!!

Birthday Roadtrip Part 2!

Stop 8 : Kenwood Hall, Sheffield

 

So the Hayley's left stop 7 happy, relaxed and ready for the next part of the roadtrip, onto Sheffield and Stop 8 - Kenwood Hall

 

This Principal Hayley hotel is located one mile from the city centre, in what feels like a quiet and upmarket residential district. The hotel itself has 12 acres of land around and the walk into the centre was easy and gave us the opportunity to see suburban Sheffield!

 



Kenwood Hall has free on-site parking and a well-equipped leisure club, including an indoor pool, sauna, steam room, spa bath and gym.

 

More Birthday Surprises........

On the drive up from Solihull, Hayley C was treated to her second birthday surprise.

The Owl House is a brand new Boutique Day Spa located in the idyllic grounds of Langley Priory. We felt so welcomed by the lovely staff, in particular, Lizzie who made sure we had everything we needed.

We started off our spa experience with a gorgeous picnic basket lunch, where Hayley A completed the cheesecake challenge and ate her entire lemon cheesecake with no problems! After lunch we sunk into the outdoor hot tub. It was great to be in the warmth of the tub, but hear the rain pattering on the canopy above.

Next we headed to be “Pigs In Mud”.  This is a fun, invigorating and detoxifying treatment that takes place in a Herbal Steam Chamber. The thought of covering ourselves with mud seemed a bit strange but we embraced it and sat back under the twinkling stars of the Rasul chamber to let the mud do its work. We were left with baby soft skin and are definitely mud converts!

After a relaxing massage, Hayley C rounded off the day with a Bare Minerals make up tutorial and Hayley A had a moisturising hair treatment

All in all, a fabulous place to go to be thoroughly pampered and looked after. We were definitely happy little owls when we left!

Rooms glorious rooms.....

We were lucky enough to be able to experience two different types of room during this stay!

The 1st night we spent in an executive suite complete with a four poster bed! The room was in the oldest part of the hotel which dates back to 1845. It felt like we were in a private west wing!  Hints of this era can be seen in the decor of the conference rooms and library in this wing of the hotel.

  

This room overlooked the hotel green, which was lovely. We took a walk  around the grounds and watched the ducks battle with the frozen sections of the pond!



The second night we moved into an executive twin room with a Juliette balcony which gave us a beautiful view over the lake. We had a double bed each and they were the comfiest beds EVER! It was a fight to get up in the morning!

The room was lovely and spacious and Hayley A particularly enjoyed the spinning chair......

 

Birthday dinner, Kenwood style...

 

The staff were really sweet and friendly - decorating our table for our evening meal in celebration of Hayley C's birthday. We felt very special to have a table cloth, runner, sprinkles and complimentary birthday Prosecco, a happy birthday indeed!



The restaurant was different to the other tempus we have been to, offering a completely alternative menu which made a great change to us Tempus regulars! The choice was smaller but didn’t detract from the quality. The birthday girl had a chicken casserole and rice followed by apple pie and ice cream. Hayley A had delicious pasta with mushroom sauce and field mushrooms. It was a lovely way to spend our first night at Kenwood.

Out and about in Sheffield....

There is plenty to do in Sheffield, whether you like to go shopping or visit a museum. We took the tram to Medowhall which has every shop you could possibly imagine and an excellent variety of eateries in the food court.

We visited Sheffield cathedral and stepped into the Winter Garden which is home to more than 2,000 plants from around the world. It was also lovely to take a walk along the canal and with a glimpse of the sun we even got a chance to sit outside and enjoy a bit of winter warmth.

The obligatory cake shot :)

Birthday treat number 3 was afternoon champagne tea where we met Hayley A's lovely friends Helen and Adrian and cutie Evan.  Opportunity to catch up with friends and indulge in amazing cakes – perfect afternoon!

Our last night was spent in local tapas bar Cubana. A vibrant atmosphere complimented by delicious food and cocktails. Whilst we ate we were treated to one of the weekly Kizomba dance classes, although we weren’t brave enough to join in!

TAPAS..yum!

             

Valentine’s day dawned and it was time for us to head home.

 

After a filling breakfast in the dining room, we packed our bags and waved goodbye to Kenwood.  

A fun filled birthday road trip in two great hotels. Now to decide where Principal Hayley will take us next......

Birthday Roadtrip Part 1

Stop 7 : ST JOHN'S, SOLIHULL

Let the birthday roadtrip commence!!!

Right in the centre of Solihull St John's provided a great two night stay, great location close to restaurants and the main city amenities and also to the wonderful Birmingham.


Modern, bright and welcoming the hotel was bustling with guests there for various conferences taking place, but service was still speedy and staff attentive and friendly. Lovely receptionist Laura-Jane greeted us and made us feel welcome.

Our room was an executive double so plenty of room for two people, as we had a king sized bed, and lounge area with chair and two seater sofa. The room was homely, and cosy especially with our complimentary robes and slippers. The complimentary bottles of water were also really handy and a nice touch

 

The bathroom was a treat, with bath and a separate shower and heated towel rail. Gotta love a hot towel!




  

The Tempus restaurant : buffet breakfast was great with a good selection of hot and cold items although we did find that on the second morning (after one of the conferences) the restaurant was a lot busier. However, food was continuously replenished and was always boiling hot.

The evening menu offered a varied choice to other Tempus' we have visited, and service and food both great. Notable was the offering of a great vegetarian option of thai butternut squash curry (not seen on any other menu). We both opted for the orange chocloate mousse for desert, which was divine. We would definitely recommend the restaurant to future guests.

     


Swimming pool, jacuzzi, sauna and steam rooms make up the health and fitness centre. Unfortunately the jacuzzi was out of action during our time but we made the most of the rest and had a good relax.

The hotel also offers a bar, conference rooms, garden space which looks great for warmer visits and parking is available.




Surprise no 1! Hayley A organised little treats for us, and stop 1 was a Fish pedicure at Junjou Spa in the famous Merry Hill Westfield , followed by a walk along the Dudley Canal and Marina area for lunch. Even more special (and cold!) as the canal had frozen over.

Viva Birmingham! We had a visit to the Genting Club Casino at Star City, the closest we could get to Vegas! And we had a good go at the roulette table. No big wins but plenty of fun!


Top Tip! The Castle in Dudley looked beautiful and handily located next to the zoo but be advised it closes at 3pm...as we found out at 3.30pm when we wondered why we couldn't get in!


A lovely relaxed stay at Solihull, great start to our roadtrip and brilliantly located for the first adventures....next stop Kenwood Hall, Sheffield!!
Blog to follow :)

Stop 7 & 8 - intro!

Hayley C

Hayley A

Stop 7 & 8:

The Birthday Roadtrip

With Hayley C hoping to forget the big 28 we loaded up the car and headed off on a road trip to Solihull and Sheffield. Each day bought Hayley C a birthday surprise from other Hayley and so began our adventures.

4 nights....2 hotels....2 Hayleys...and lots of food

Blogs to follow for:

• Stop 7 : St John's, Solihull

• Stop 8 : Kenwood Hall, Sheffield

Stop 6 : The George Edinburgh

We have a new love of our life and his name is George! 

Stop Six took us to Edinburgh and on arrival to George Street a row of flags outside the hotel waved us to our home for the weekend. The George.

We were booked into a deluxe twin room and were lucky to have a view across George Street to the Hard Rock Café and the stunning Dome restaurant still adorned with twinkly lights and Christmas decorations. 

The perfect view through the large picture windows, like excited children we squealed when we saw we had a double bed each and both couldn’t peel ourselves from the comfy beds each morning! 


The room easily houses these and two chairs, a small table and dressing table and still has acres of room. This is enhanced by amazing high ceilings. We did need to put the heating on when we arrived as the room felt chilly but soon was warm and cosy. 


The room package includes use of robes and slippers which we quickly utilised while chilling out with the TV. Films, TV channels and radio stations available.

 
The George is classy and impressive on first view but they back it up with quality of service. It’s quality recognised and proudly displayed are numerous awards won by the hotel. Including Best Hotel in Edinburgh at the Scottish Hotel Awards 2011. 


We stumbled upon a wedding fair whilst there and so took a look at the fabulous domed ‘Kings Room’ available for hire. On Saturday it played host to Katy and Peter’s wedding, and though we were disappointed to learn it was not the reuniting of Jordan and Peter Andre, the room was presented beautifully, worthy of any VIP wedding.

 

The George’s restaurant Tempus is well worthy of mention and lives up to the quality of the hotel itself. As part of our package we got dinner on the first night. 

This was the first Tempus restaurant and so maintains its originality by offering a much wider choice than other locations. We ordered a mini platter each made up of mini chicken satay mini burger mini fish and chips. 

Just heavenly, little bits of what you fancy does you really good! On the second night we had main meals,fillet steak and chicken ballotine so we saw just how versatile the restaurant is, catering for all. 

Breakfast is also served in the Tempus and offers a selection of cooked foods from a kitchen bar, cereals, fresh fruit, danishes and bread. The waiters can also take orders for other hot foods. 
Great start to any busy day. 


Mention must go to Jay our waiter on both nights who was a real star, helpful and friendly, he made us feel welcome right away. All the staff we met were fantastic and so friendly eager to help make our stay fantastic. The staff sparkle as much as the many chandeliers!

 

Location: 
The appeal of the George is furthered by it’s amazing city location. Edinburgh is simply stunning offering a whole range of things to do even on our second visit to the city. All main attractions are easily accessible.

We took the airlink bus from the airport. Only £6 return to Waverley Bridge it was less than a 10minute walk to the George from there. And we were handily one street away from all the shops of Princes Street…and one huge Primark!!!

Must sees? 
A visit to Edinburgh castle. Sightseeing bus tour gave us a great overview of the main attractions of Edinburgh, Edinburgh Dungeons fun for all the family.

 
Feeling brave? 

Mercat tours took us to the vaults under the south bridge late on Saturday night. Our tour guide Ella was captivating with her tales of the dark and ghostly happenings in Edinburgh. Offering a different look at the history of the city it is a brilliant way to spend a few hours, if you can handle it!

 

Something different? 

JoJo’s Bakery offered a cupcake decorating courses so we booked in for a 2 hour special. Handily located just off the Royal Mile, we headed along to learn from the wonderful JoJo how to create cute but scrummy cakes with icing, buttercream and handmade roses.

It was a perfect weekend, a mix of sightseeing, activities, city and green, new and old, with a great hotel to look forward to at the end of an energetic day. 

February brings us to stops at St Johns and Kenwood Hall. 

After The George captured our hearts they have a lot of impressing to do...