For Joe’s birthday this year I treated him to a meal at Heston’s Michelin Star pub The Hinds head in Bray! As we live about two hours away I needed somewhere to stay and I stumbled across The Oakley Court Hotel in Windsor – just 10 minutes away from the restaurant with some seriously great reviews behind it. Although not our usual style of hotel we spent a lovely weekend there so I had to share for any other couples looking for a relaxing and beautiful night away in the Berkshire area.
We arrived to a glass of prosecco at check in, a lovely touch and something more UK hotels should do in my eyes! The Oakley Court Hotel feels like a big country house and the staff make you feel right at home as soon as you walk in. The décor is a real juxtaposition of old and new, country and quirky and we enjoyed finding different bits hidden around the ‘house’.
I’ll hold my hands up and say that Joe and I are usually a boutique room kind of couple so the décor in the rooms at The Oakley Court Hotel is a little chintzy for our liking! But bedsheets and carpets aside the rooms are huge with everything you need for your night away. I have a ‘thing’ about shower curtains so that’s the only part I didn’t like – it made for a very quick shower before we went out! But the bathroom mirror was great for makeup and The White Company products went down well especially as I’d forgotten my body moisturiser.
The bed was very comfy and we both slept extremely well. It wasn’t until the morning we realised it was actually two double beds pushed together and covered by a cushioned mattress cover instead of a king size. Not a problem however as we both slept like logs! The TV has a good selection of channels and although there’s no mini bar house keeping brought us an ice bucket for our champagne within minutes with just one phone call. I’d also told the hotel it was Joe’s birthday and when we came back to the room after a few drinks in the garden they’d left a big ‘Happy Birthday’ balloon and a card which was a lovely touch.
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The gardens are beautiful – you can see why it does so well as a wedding venue. Right on the Thames with deck chairs on the grass we grabbed a couple of gins from the outdoor bar (around £6-7 each) and plonked ourselves down to watch the boats float by. We didn’t eat in the hotel as we were booked in at Hestons but their afternoon tea looked great and we also tried some cocktails later on which were pretty good. It had a very relaxed atmosphere and we felt incredibly relaxed.
Our room was around £160 for the night without breakfast which when I was looking was pretty average for the area on a Saturday night. If I was in Windsor I’d certainly come back and next time I’m bringing my bikini for the indoor pool!
Find out more about The Oakley Court Hotel on their website HERE.
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