Escaping Reality at Shoreditch House

In my (often imagined) parallel universe, weekends with the family would be a leisurely confluence of long brunches, coffee drinking, strolls round parks and perhaps a mooch around some nice little shops/cafes/markets. Of course the kids would be quite happy with these arrangements, we'd all get along famously and then we'd come home, feeling rested and restored for the week ahead. The reality, is of course, a little different, with most weekends - even ones that are supposed to be 'quiet' - passing in a blur of drop offs and pick ups from various activities or social engagements. 'Downtime' constitutes a snatched half hour with the Sunday paper and a cuppa, carried out with a nagging sense of guilt that we should really be using any kid-free moments to do something productive: ironing school uniform, helping with homework or finding out out why there's a damp patch in the spare room...Being able to escape these responsibilities every so often is a real sanity-saver and one I'm happy to pay good money for. For a couple of days each year we leave our children in the very caring and capable hands of their grandparents and take off, just the two of us, coming back to our 'real' lives a little more human again.

Shoreditch House

So it was last weekend we found ourselves enjoying the sanctuary that is Shoreditch House in East London. While London might not suggest the most obvious 'go to' place to escape life's stresses, this hotel is a true oasis of calm. It's not cheap, sure, but it's also not prohibitively expensive, and as a special treat it's absolutely worth every penny. A 'tiny room' will set you back around £165 a night, with larger rooms upwards of £200. To keep a handle on costs we opted for the 'tiny' option and were pleasantly surprised by our room's size - it was roomier than we'd been expecting and we didn't get that nagging feeling of wishing we'd paid out more for a bit more space. Like everything else at Shoreditch House, the decorative style is just my thing - comfy but elegant with lots of quirky, vintage touches. It's a look that has become a bit ubiquitous but the vintage stuff in this place is the real deal and it shows. I fell in love with it all and am considering buying the hotel's style guide, 'Eat, Drink, Nap' to try and bring a little bit of its vibe to my own home (well, a girl can dream!)

Amazing furniture and lighting

Perhaps the real lure of this place isn't the rooms and luxurious bathrooms - filled with Cowshed products from its downstairs spa - but the sense that you've really escaped from the world outside. This vibe is particularly evident around the top floor, open-roof pool, a place that oozes languor. There's something deliciously indulgent about lazing on a day bed in the middle of the day, with a drink close to hand, engaging in nothing more strenuous than a little bit of people watching. 

On the subject of people watching, Shoreditch House is obviously a fashionable place, attracting an accordingly hip clientele, including a mix of club members and hotel guests. But there's a nice feel to the place without much hint of pretension. We saw several families during our stay, who were enjoying full use of the pool without feeling self-conscious or uncomfortable. Hubby and I didn't feel as confident taking a dip with an audience of trendy types looking over us, so we saved our al fresco swim for the following morning when we enjoyed the pool completely to ourselves - an amazing way to begin the day. The pool is fully heated and the views across the city's skyscrapers are fantastic. 

The stunning rooftop pool

There are two main restaurants on site, as well as the next door pizza restaurant, Pizza East, which we ate at on a previous trip to London and loved (it serves perhaps the best pizzas in London, I reckon.) This time we couldn't resist the pull of the top floor restaurant, which is a light-filled, beautiful space with unbroken views over the London skyline. Buzzy at night, relaxed over breakfast, we fell in love with this place and enjoyed a lovely dinner and even nicer breakfast. Prices are, like rooms, not exorbitant and I'd have paid more for the luxury of enjoying a delicious breakfast (full English for him - £12, AMAZING pancakes with blueberries and mascarpone for me - £6) in such beautiful surroundings. 

Top floor restaurant 

Singer Paloma Faith walked in mid breakfast which felt appropriate - you kind of want to see someone a bit famous when you're staying at a fashionable East London hotel, even if you're not allowed to take a sneaky pic. Shoreditch House has a 'no mobiles' policy which is another reason to love it - it's a joyous thing not to see all and sundry hunched over or yelling into a smart phone for once. That said, I did manage to take a few pics; the rule isn't strictly upheld, it seems, but you definitely feel you shouldn't be taking photos or even having your phone in view while at Shoreditch House - a GOOD THING!

To say our whole experience here was blissful is an understatement. The best things in life might be free but there's also something to be said for buying a bit of R&R every now and again...

LOVE the chairs (& tiles, lights, etc...)

To find out more about Shoreditch House and its sister properties in London, visit the website here.

For a more budget-friendly alternative just up the road on Great Eastern Street, I recommend the fantastic Hoxton Hotel - read more about our stay there here.

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Weekend at Hampton Court & The Foley Hotel

Much as I love Bristol I also love the occasional weekend away. Weekends away with kids do, unfortunately, bump up your expenditure quite considerably so any prior planning you can do to bring costs down a bit is well worth the extra legwork. I picked up the tip for our recent visit to The Foley Hotel, in Claygate, Surrey from the Times travel section which recommended it as a good value option for tying in with a visit to local attractions such as Hampton Court Palace, Chessington World of Adventures and Thorpe Park. 

Scouring the supplements for travel tips and special offers is something I do religiously and while some newspapers and magazines don't always interpret the word 'budget' in the same way that I do, they're definitely worth a browse to find out about lesser-known accommodation options across the UK.

The Foley Hotel 

The Foley is part of the Young's hotel group, owned by the brewery of the same name and operating mainly across London and the South East (although there is also a hotel in Exeter.) Located just 3 miles from Hampton Court and just over a couple of miles from Chessington, it makes a really convenient choice if you don't want to confine yourself to a day trip. 

We travelled from Bristol first thing Saturday and headed straight to Hampton Court; it's a motorway drive that you can easily do in under two hours. Family tickets for the palace will set you back £42 - not cheap, but compared to the cost of a day at a theme park or similar attraction, and considering the educational value of the experience, it's a pretty fair price to pay. Aside from the obvious attraction of exploring the grand halls and haunted galleries of Henry VIII and co's stomping grounds, there's A LOT to see here. 

There's loads of 'history in action' and walkabouts from a stellar cast of Tudor dignitaries. We didn't, sadly, bump into Hezza himself, but we brushed past a very authentic looking Sir Walter Raleigh and you will stumble upon all sorts of other characters during your day, from ladies-in-waiting to courtiers and servants. They're not just there to make the place look pretty but to offer some historical insight, too, in a fun and child-friendly format. Your kids will absorb all sorts of interesting historical info from these lovely people, plus they'll get to live like a Tudor themselves, particularly in the kitchens where our kids helped to turn roasting meat on a spit and learnt a bit about Tudor table manners. 

Take a packed lunch and enjoy it in the lovely gardens surrounding the Palace. Don't forget to seek out the famous maze and the Great Vine, the world's longest grape vine. A wonder just outside the palace gates leads you to tranquil walks along the river front, or you could continue on to the expansive Bushy Park, former hunting ground of Henry VIII and home to a children's playground and a wealth of wildlife, including the red and fallow deer for which the park is famous.

After our busy day we were looking forward to relaxing at our hotel and we were not disappointed. Our family room was spacious, with a massive, comfy king-sized bed. There are 17 rooms at the Foley including rooms that can accommodate children on sofa beds. If I had one complaint it would be that the sofa bed in our room wasn't quite a double and it was a bit confined for our (average-sized) 9 and 5 year-olds. Despite the fact that rooms are adjacent to the restaurant and pub we had a surprisingly tranquil night's sleep. The general style of the place is comfortable chic - think textured throws, tartan armchairs and fixtures and fittings with a retro touch to them. I loved the old-school phone in our room and little touches like the vintage-style ceramic milk bottle in our mini bar and the 1950s mirror in the bathroom.

The exceptionally comfy bed

We made use of the restaurant for dinner which offers good value, gastro-pub style food and a well-priced kids menu. A highlight of our stay was the breakfast which is included in the room rate. Alongside full English and continental style breakfasts, the breakfast menu includes more imaginative choices - I opted for a delicious cinnamon-infused French toast, served with a sweet stewed apple sauce. Servings were hearty and the friendly staff were happy to top us up with extra toast and slices of bacon. 

We paid £109 for our room, which while not 'bargain basement' is good value for this standard of accommodation in what is traditionally an expensive corner of the South East. We experienced very friendly, efficient service, our room was clean and stylish and we loved its convenient, pretty setting.

Here are some other photos of our stay to give you a taste of The Foley's ambience...

If you'd like to find out more about The Foley click here, or visit the Young's Hotels website for details of similar hotels in London and the South East. 

For information about Hampton Court Palace click here. 

Weekend at the Hoxton Hotel - Review

As ex-Londonites me and my other half love the capital and we can be in town in just over an hour from Bristol. And now we are no longer living there full time (and dealing with the usual gripes of tube delays and exorbitant living costs) we can enjoy the best bits of what has to be one of the world's most dynamic, constantly evolving cities without the aforementioned hassles. One area that has changed significantly since we lived in London is the East End, an area we had only dipped into for the odd night out in Old Street in the past. So for a recent visit we decided to base ourselves in this area, staying at the Hoxton Hotel on Great Eastern Street. 

This is a fantastic, well-priced hotel in a great location in walking distance of local highlights such as the restaurants and bars of Shoreditch, and the interesting mix of independents, well-known brands, restaurants and gastro pubs of Spitalfields. While clearly positioned as a hip boutique-style hotel, The Hoxton has none of the pretence that similarly positioned London hotels can suffer from, where you can sometimes feel alienated by the relentless pursuit of cool that often results in stiff, unfriendly service and rooms that put style over function and comfort. 

The Hoxton, in comparison, is an ultra-friendly, laid-back place with a nicely buzzing atmosphere and rooms that offer some of the best value to be had in this part of the capital. We paid £99 for a double, standard room, including the Hoxton 'Lite' breakfast, a cute breakfast bag delivered straight to your room and including yogurt, fruit and juice. There are frequent promotions - in the recent summer sale £69 rooms were up for grabs, and if you can book months in advance you'll find really affordable rates. 

We particularly liked the 'hub'-like atmosphere throughout the day, with lots going on but not so much that the place felt chaotic or noisy. There's a well-priced restaurant and bar on site - it serves a mean rose and lychee champagne cocktail - and there is a gorgeous courtyard area where you can enjoy a drink or bite to eat. 

Why else do I recommend the Hoxton? Friendly, efficient staff and a seamless check-in process. This was the first hotel we'd arrived at to find we could check in immediately - I've spent a lot of time in hotel lobbies while the reception staff faff about with reservations and calls to housekeeping; valuable time that could be spent sight-seeing or relaxing!

To find out more about this great hotel, visit the website here

PS - if you're looking to be closer to the West End the Hoxton Hotel is opening a sister branch in Holborn in May 2014 - read more here.