One thing I have learned from travelling this big blue, beautiful and beguiling world of ours, is that you really don’t have to travel that far, or wide, to find pretty things.
They’re all around us. In every corner. You just have to open your eyes, look around, and there they are. Just waiting to be swooned over and appreciated.
Same thing is true of the place you call home, no matter where it is, you will always be able to find gorgeous things close to hand.
At A Glance: Thornbury Castle
Getting There
All of which is why I recently decided to spend a night at Thornbury Castle Hotel, a Relais & Chateaux hotel just a few miles from where I live.
Getting there is simple because it is in Gloucestershire, just up the road from Bristol, near the Cotswolds and Welsh Borders. I went there to see just how much beauty was on offer so close to home. Turns out, there was rather a lot of it.
Hotel
Driving up to the hotel was amazing. And a touch surreal. It’s a genuine,16th century castle, apparently the only Tudor castle in England to be open as a hotel.
Which may be why it is so very wonderfully upmarket. When I arrived there was a party of tourists in the courtyard, listening to a talk on the significant features of the place, after nodding dutifully, they then picked their way past the brand new Bentley parked up next to the front door.
Pretty much sums up the vibe of the place perfectly. It’s a cheerful cocktail of sweet delights, full of real history and unabashed affluence.
Where comfort, charm and ancient architecture collide in a smorgasbord of superlatives.
To add spice to the mix, turns out King Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn actually slept in one of the 26 bedchambers and walked through the ancient gardens.
The Room
My bedchamber (far too grand to be a mere bedroom) was named after Catherine Parr, last wife of Henry VIII. The one who survived him.
Stepping through the stone and oak doorway was like stepping back through time, only to find yourself in a Harry Potter filmset, surrounded by every possible modern convenience.
Stupendous stuff on every side. Tea and coffee station, mini bar with fridge, decanter of local sloe gin waiting to be guzzled.
There were tiny feature windows, squirrelled away at the other side of four foot thick walls, a heavenly ensuite hidden behind heavy oak panelling, with glorious and comfy armchairs cuddled up next to old school radiators.
In pride of place, living it large like a proper star, sat a gigantic four poster bed fit for a king. Or his last surviving wife. Loved it all so much I could hardly drag myself away from the place. At least, not until dinner time.
Dinner
The hotel has been awarded 3 AA Rosettes for food quality and it shows. Led by Executive Head Chef, David Williams, they offer diners an awesome eating experience in a superb historic setting with the finest of castle interiors.
You can choose from a wide range of delicious and impressive menus including a 6-course tasting menu, A la Carte menu, Afternoon Tea, and Lounge menu.
I went for the 3 course, a la Carte menu and it was everything I could have possible hoped for and then some. Starting off with a slab of superb treacle cured salmon, followed by a seafood mix involving some terrific trout, luscious lobster and classy caviar, I then rounded off proceedings with a green apple cheesecake that was stonkingly good.
Taking all my tastebuds to eleven, it sent me back to my bedchamber with a most kingly smile upon my face.
Breakfast
Next morning’s breakfast was yet another lesson in culinary loveliness, I went for the full english and it definitely lived up to it’s name. I was full by the time I had eaten half of it. Fried perfection on a plate.
Out and About
After breakfast, I went for a soothing stroll round the Tudor walled gardens. Pretty as a picture and another reminder of just how unique this place is.
At one point I noticed some crazy curved windows in the castle, with a sign casually mentioning that they are the best surviving example of oriel Tudor windows – on the planet.
Conclusion
If you are looking for an experience that is out of this world, yet very much a part of the real historical record, then this is the place for you.
Whether it be a special occasion, anniversary, romantic breakaway for two or just an excuse to see how it feels to walk in the shoes and sleep in the bedchamber of a real live king (or queen), I can thoroughly reccommend this castle shaped paradise.
