Showing posts with label hotel. Show all posts
Showing posts with label hotel. Show all posts
I was recently contacted by the Owner of OX Pasture Hall Hotel, a luxury country hotel in Yorkshire, to enjoy a night in one of their Suites and have dinner in the Restaurant. As it was close to my boyfriends birthday I thought what better reason than to visit and celebrate the occasion in Scarborough. It has become a bit of a tradition to book a hotel for each of our birthdays and this invite came just at the right time.
From Nottingham to Scarborough it was a simple but long train journey via Leeds on the way there and Sheffield on the way back. *TIP* If you are planning on getting a train always check how much the tickets would be on each journey instead of a complete trip; by booking a train from Nottingham > Leeds > Scarborough and Scarborough > Sheffield > Nottingham we managed to save around £200!
From the train station to the hotel it was less than 10 minutes and we were greeted on arrival by a very warm and welcoming Restaurant Manager, Paul. I signed the registration form and off we went to Room 3. Being February in the Yorkshire Dales it wasn't the warmest of days and you could tell this from the bitter wind and frost over the beautiful grounds. With views for miles and the opportunity to watch an amazing sunset we were blown away by the serene ambience this hotel radiates. As mentioned, February isn't the warmest of months to go to the countryside and the corridor leading to the room definitely reminded us of this. As we entered the room we noticed the heating may not have been turned on prior to our arrival and immediately turned up the radiators. After taking a look around the room I began to question if this was the luxury suite as mentioned when booking the stay; as this was a complimentary visit for review purposes I didn't want to fuss too much and double checked with Paul as to whether the room type was correct and requested a heater. I was assured this was the luxury suite as booked and a portable heater was delivered promptly - at this point we all agreed the heating was not working which was clarified by the lack of hot water too. Paul being the friendly host sent us some coffees and warming brandy to help us get a little more comfortable.
As pleasant as the room was we became a bit too cold and decided to get changed and head to the bar which benefits from a beautiful log burning fire - heaven! The bar at OX Pasture Hall Hotel has a very cosy and country style atmosphere and we were even offered a table for dinner in front of the fire. Deciding to truly experience all the hotel has to offer we declined the fireside table and opted to dine in the 2 Rosette Award winning Restaurant. As a vegan guest the chef really did go above and beyond as I was given my own menu to dine from for the evening and was wowed by the variety and flavours he had managed to create. With a wonderful bottle of Prosecco we ordered our food and were shown to our intimate table in the fine dining restaurant.
Bread was served to the table initially, butter for the boyfriend and delicious rosemary olive oil for the vegan; along with the most amazing amuse bouche I have ever tasted consisting of lemon and rocket - I couldn't stop raving about this whilst sipping to cleanse my palette!
For Starters I went for the Fan of Avocado served with Asparagus and Tomato Chutney, who would have thought that tomato chutney would go so well with perfectly fresh avocado. This was a brilliantly light starter and was just enough to get me ready for my Main Course. Mushroom Risotto - as a vegan I always expect this option when looking at a menu but the vast array of mushrooms used and the perfect consistency of the risotto meant this was the one of the best I have ever eaten.
Pre-Dessert was a vegan version of their Whisky Sour Mango Sorbet, this usually comes served with cream however was delicious just the way they served it to us. Finally Dessert! This can always be difficult when you're vegan as everything normally has milk or egg in. Again, the chef did well and I went for Red Wine Poached Pear with a Winter Berry Compote. This was perfect for the time of the year we were visiting and again was just the perfect amount to finish the meal.
After our delicious meal we went back to the bar to finish our wine and get the update that our room should be warming up with hot water now. Further apologies from Paul came with a nightcap of our choice, being the boyfriends birthday and a special occasion we both went with warming scotch - Highland Park for him and Singleton for me. At around 9:30pm we decided to call it a night and head back to our room. There was still no heating or hot water and the power had gone from the living room and bathroom areas. Another call to Paul resulted in us moving rooms at 10:30pm with reassurance this room was warm with hot water. On the way to this room Paul explained he had moved us to a Honeymoon Suite - which was lovely but confirmed my initial suspicions that the first room we were allocated was not the room initially offered or indicated on the registration form. This room did have hot water and heating but we were too tired to properly appreciate the luxury offerings and headed straight to the land of nod.
After a wonderful nights sleep we enjoyed the beautiful bathroom, huge bathtub and waterfall shower whilst getting ready for a Yorkshire Breakfast. Lyndsey, the General Manager, was there to greet us and apologise for the occurrence the night prior which was lovely. Again, the chef had gone the extra mile creating a delicious vegan cooked breakfast with the added extra of baked beans - apparently not a usual sight on a traditional Yorkshire breakfast!
We gathered our belongings and checked out ready for a stroll around the Scarborough coast and to reenact some childhood memories on the 2p machines! As we visited in February not all of the amusements were open however, the coast looked beautiful and there were still some arcades for us to wander into. Taking a walk along the promenade is a great way to explore Scarborough, lined with arcades, fish and chip restaurants (for you omnivore and pescetarian readers) and tourist gift shops. I can imagine in the Summer this coast is very busy with local holidaymakers and local residents enjoying the sound of the crashing waves and smell from the local restaurants and food stalls.
Scarborough also has a small shopping area meaning you can wonder around the shops on your way back to the train station. We didn't have time for shopping but it only took us 15 minutes to walk from the coast to the train station and take a look at Scarborough as first time visitors. Scarborough isn't a large town but for a short seaside break there is plenty to do. It is home to Europe's largest open air theatre and for families there are lots of attractions such as the Mini Monsterz outdoor play area and regular Boat Trips around the coast. Once back at the train station it wasn't long before we were headed back to Nottingham and back to our regular everyday life.
Overall, our experience of Scarborough and OX Pasture Hall Hotel was average. I can only imagine that had we been given the correct room in the first instance than our views would have been different. It also didn't make sense to us that the best room was not initially allocated as we were told we were the only guests booked into the hotel that evening. This might sound ungrateful but from a hotel perspective you wouldn't allocate your Standard Double Rooms when your Suites are empty.
I also couldn't help but notice the rates for that evening did not reflect the low occupancy and during the colder low season months I would have expected better rate management to attract more customers; I am only hoping these are not the off-peak rates as I am not sure higher rack rates could be justified. The restaurant was amazing and the chefs definitely deserve their 2 Rosette Award however, the service and hotel needed more attention. As a luxury hotel I would expect a napkin to be with the bottle of Prosecco and high level dusting was obviously an issue in all areas of the building (some dusty drawers were also found in Room 3). Attention to detail in a hotel which offers rooms starting at £135 for a Single should be high on the list of priorities here.
In the Summer I believe this may be a great hotel and the grounds beautiful for the setting of an outdoor wedding. In the Winter season though OX Pasture Hall Hotel seems to become dormant like its surroundings in Scarborough.
OX Pasture Hall Hotel, Scarborough, North York Moors National Park, North Yorkshire YO12 5TD
Tel: 01723365295 Email: info@oxpasturehallhotel.com
As part of the East Midlands Blogger Meet Up I got the chance to stay at the Casa Hotel in Chesterfield! As you will know by now I love hotels (it is the industry I work in.... outside my blogging life) and whenever I go to a new city I always try new places which I can then recommend to you! It is also important to me to stay in independent hotels as I love supporting small businesses and choose independents over chain hotels all of the time.
Casa Hotel is a large hotel just outside the main town area and close to the local football ground. It is perfect for corporate stays but also weekends away with friends and weddings as there are 100 bedrooms and a 2 Rosette restaurant. They even do a free shuttle bus service in the week to the bus and train station so you don't need to worry about finding your way around.
I stayed in one of their Deluxe Rooms which can be a super-king size bed or twin beds. Each room has everything you need including free WiFi, built in speakers, rain showers, 32" TV's and extra soundproofing for those noisy couples (you know who you are!). The beds were so comfy and have been voted as the comfiest beds in the UK by Laterooms.com; you can even buy one when you checkout if you just can't bare to part with it.
The bathroom was spacious and had beautiful toiletries which seemed to jump in my suitcase before I left, not sure how that happened. I always love those extra touches like heated towel rails and shower caps - I don't own a shower cap but I love having them in hotel rooms.
After a lovely evening relaxing, a cocktail in the bar and watching TV in the most comfortable bed it was time to wake up the next day and head to breakfast. The breakfast is served as a buffet with a wide range of continental items and English Breakfast options. Egg choices are cooked to order and the staff are always on hand to help you if you need anything. As a Vegan I perused the items and decided on beans on toast and a delicious fruit salad. Everything was high quality and all of the guests seemed to enjoy what was on offer.
Time to pack my suitcase and checkout.
I highly recommend Casa Hotel to anyone visiting the Chesterfield for leisure or business. The hotel was large but not impersonal and suitable for all budgets. Let me know if you have every stayed at Casa or will after reading this review xx
I received a discount in return for a review. All opinions are my own.
It was my birthday at the beginning of June and I thought what better way to spend it then to go to a luxury hotel for the night and have dinner?! I love, love, love hotels (who doesn't) and having recently finished University I felt that a little break was just what I needed.
Hambleton Hall is owned by Mr & Mrs Hart who also have the Hambleton Bakery's, Hart's Hotel and Hart's Restaurant in their collection. If you have been to London you may have visited their restaurants ran by Sam and Eddy, their sons, Quo Vadis, Fino (now closed) and Barrafina. Located by Rutland Waters it is easy to get to via train or car from everywhere and only took us an hour via two trains from Nottingham. Originally opening in the 1980's Hambleton Hall is a large country house hotel featuring 15 bedrooms, a restaurant, bar, drawing room and heated outdoor swimming pool. With beautiful grounds and next to the quaint town of Oakham it is a lovely retreat away form the hustle and bustle of busy cities.
After arriving at the hotel and checking in to our room we decided to take a stroll down by the lake and walk alongside the sheep and lambs whilst the weather was being nice to us (this didn't last though and we managed to be on the way back to the hotel with umbrella in hand when the heavens opened!). Time to dry off and have a tea and coffee in the drawing room; as this isn't supplied in the rooms. Personally I really liked this as it encouraged us to see more of the hotel and be in the company of other guests rather than hidden away in our room...although it was so nice that this wouldn't have been a problem at all. Loose leaf tea and a cafettiere of coffee with some homemade biscuits really was added luxury instead of a tea bag and instant coffee, the small things really do make a difference.
Time to head back to the room and really take a look around and get the camera out. We had a Standard Room on the top floor which was the Treetops room - named so because of the view of the trees across from the entrance of the hotel. Each room is individually decorated and named according to it's view and each has a large bedroom and bathroom to go with. I didn't see any of the other rooms but to say ours was a Standard room it was much better than any other Standard room I had been in. The bedroom was large and had a small hallway in-between that and the bathroom. In the wardrobe was a walking pack with maps and granola bars and instructions of where to find the wellingtons to wear for walks around the countryside. The bathrooms was the biggest I have had the privilege of using in hotels with a large bath and separate walk in shower there was probably room to dance in there and two people to actually get ready at the same time. The walls in the bedroom were covered in high quality fabric and the bathroom floor was marble - pure luxury.
We changed for dinner and headed to the bar for a pre-dinner drink and canapés before being shown to our seat. I had a Bramble Cocktail and the canapés included a parmesan windmill and a beetroot macaron with goats cheese. The Sommelier had also introduced himself after our order was taken to recommend a bottle of wine to go with the dishes we had chosen, given the choice of two we decided with a very nice French red.
Starters were served and we were blown away with the Michelin Star quality of food in front of us. I went with the Seared Scallops served with Lapsang Tea Puree and Escabeche. The Scallops were cooked to perfection and the puree provided a slight smokey and flavoursome accompaniment which went beautifully with the light flavours of the Scallops.
For the Main Course I chose the Roast Goosnargh Duck served with Cucumber, Plums and Black Beans. The Duck was, again, cooked to perfection and the sweet plums with black beans and cucumber made the meat taste divine. The portions were not huge but with the amount of flavour we received we were both quite full after our Main Courses and had to hold off dessert for thirty minutes. We decided to try something that sounded light and fruity after our previous courses so we both chose English Strawberries with Champagne Jelly, Sorbet and Pistachios. It arrived on what could only be described as an Oyster dish with amazing flare and attention from every other table. We still managed to devour this and we were then ready to head back to our room to relax. The wine suggested was beautiful and paired well with each course.
We arrived back to our room to find that the turn down service was one better than any other. Our clothes that we had wore during the day and thrown on the bed were folded and put in the wardrobe, our phones were on each side of the bed and everything had been picked up off the floor and put neatly on the side. Some people may find this intrusive however we appreciated the extra touches and were surprised at the effort taken for a service that can easily be forgotten about.
After an amazing night sleep in the huge bed we were in it was time to order breakfast to the room. As Hambleton Hall is part of the collection with the Hambleton Bakeries all of their breads and cakes are made fresh and delivered from the bakery just nearby. All produce is also sourced locally and the quality shows in the taste. I ordered some Loose Leaf Tea, a Tea Cake, a Manchet, Grapefruit Juice and Eggs Benedict. Everything was amazing and I was very satisfied with not a bite-full left on the plate. Time to relax in the large bath and get ready to go home we were very disappointed to not be enjoying another night of luxury.
We very much enjoyed our stay, the staff and food were amazing and we couldn't fault anything about Hambleton Hall - hopefully we will return again one day! Let me know what your favourite hotels are in the comments below!
Hambleton Hall, Hambleton, Oakham, Rutland LE15 8TH Tel: 01572 756 991
Twitter: Hambleton Hall Hotel
Dinner, Bed and Breakfast was a complimentary gift however all opinions are my own.
I know, I know it has been a while but I thought why not come back to blogging with an introduction to my new blog series, Afternoon Tea Tour! My friend and I have been wanting to try loads of afternoon tea delights lately and thought what better way than to blog about them as a tour....with tea and cake!
First up on the tour is Hart's Hotel, an independent hotel bordering the City Centre of Nottingham and The Park Estate. This hotel is still relatively new and was only built around 12-13 years ago which was years after the Hart's Restaurant opened in the old General Hospital on the same site. The restaurant is fine dining but Hart's host their afternoon tea in the Park Bar over in the hotel and it is served between 12pm and 6pm everyday. With the selection changing according to the seasons and Summer just around the corner we thought what better way to start our afternoon tea tour than with new Spring/Summer offerings.
Hart's serve their selection on a three tier stand, specifically designed for two people, that is full on each layer with delicious food. On the bottom layer we had two savoury Cheese and Spring Onion Scones, two Ham and Mustard Sandwhiches, two Smoked Salmon and Cream Cheese Sandwhiches and two Cucumber Sandwhiches, finger size of course.
I almost forgot to mention that Hart's have a sister bakery named Hambleton Bakery who supply them with fresh baked bread and delicious cakes everyday, the scones for the afternoon tea are baked fresh everyday and the tea has unlimited refills - everything really is fresh and delicious. On sunny days they also serve lunch and afternoon tea in their courtyard and it can be ordered with Prosecco or Champagne for those special occasions!
The second tier of the stand had two Lemon Tarts, two Chocolate Brownies, two Tea Cakes, two Macarons and two Mini-Eton Mess Desserts. The lemon tarts were just lemon enough, the chocolate brownies had a gorgeous coffee note and the Eton Mess desserts were just enough to not feel guilty about afterwards!
Oh wow, finally the third tier - each tier gets a little smaller which is perfect for a mid-afternoon treat too. The last tier had two more Macarons, two Sweet Scones and some fresh berries. On the table was Jam, Butter and Clotted Cream so we could be as decadent as we wanted to be and with a wide range of teas on offer we could easily have sat there until dinner time.
We really enjoyed our afternoon and can't wait to continue the tour! Thank you to all the staff at Hart's! Let me know if there is anywhere you suggest I visit on the Afternoon Tea Tour xx
Afternoon Tea is £21.95 per person however we were treated to 20% off.
It was Jensen's birthday last month so I decided to treat him to a night away somewhere not too far but that felt far enough to enjoy some time together. After searching through websites for independent hotels I came across Langar Hall, I had heard some good things previously and I don't know why it took me so long to think of staying here. They had a Dinner, Bed and Breakfast offer available and it was just too tempting to pass on!
Pulling up to the hotel down the tree lined road we were greeted by a gorgeous honey coloured country house and some welcoming receptionists. It seemed we were the first guests checking in so far that day right on time at 2pm; unfortunately there was a wake due to start within the next hour and we were advised to stay in the room until around 5pm whilst the 200 or so guests were there. A little disappointing as this meant we were almost imprisoned in the room and couldn't take a leisurely walk around the hotel to see what it had to offer. We didn't mind too much as the bed was so comfortable we made ourselves some tea and got cozy until the event had finished.
To our delight a couple of hours later we were given a small complimentary afternoon tea (food from the wake but absolutely lovely) and this tied us over until our evening meal. This offer included the best available room also and we were not disappointed by the lovely Lilac Room they allocated us. The room had all of the essentials and was decorated beautifully with white walls and accents of green and lilac. Our room was on the second floor and the view out of the window was of lovely peaceful greenland and the tree lined road that leads to the hotel.
Time went by and we were ready for our dinner! We got changed and headed down to the restaurant where we were given some Prosecco (courtesy of Imogen the owner) and some popcorn to snack on whilst we looked over the menus in the lounge area next to a beautiful log burning fire. We finally decided what to have and were taken to our lovely table in the restaurant to enjoy our evening.
After having a wonderful nights sleep in the huge comfortable bed we got ready and headed down for breakfast. Imogen, the owner, was there once again and it made me think she must never leave for the day except to sleep. She greeted us on arrival, was there at dinner and came to say 'Hello' to us at breakfast. Service was incredible again and the breakfast was lovely with fresh baked croissants and local produce we definitely appreciated the delicious food. I opted for Poached Eggs, Black Pudding and Mushroom whilst Jensen went for the Full English. With a pot of Green Tea and some lovely continental items the breakfast room was truly heavenly.
Overall, we really enjoyed our time but were a little disappointed by the lack of communication before we arrived that the wake was being held, it would have been nice to look around the communal area. I would definitely recommend the hotel and the food really made our evening special.
Dinner Bed and Breakfast was £185 for 2 people sharing. Although the afternoon tea and prosecco was complimentary everything else was paid for and all views are my own.
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