Rory's First Holiday

Does being a parent mean you lose a bit of yourself? No more lie-ins, no more peeing in peace and you can kiss goodbye to those luxury holidays….. or perhaps not…..?

If you’re like me, you may not have heard of Luxury Family Hotels. A chain of eight family friendly escapes across the U.K. What makes these a little different to your usual “child friendly trip” is that parents really don’t need to compromise on quality. This is truly a “break” for the whole family.

Each of their eight distinctive properties boasts a unique character and celebration of English heritage. We chose to stay at Woolley Grange Hotel in gorgeous Wiltshire. Nestled in the countryside on the edge of picture perfect Bradford on Avon, Woolley Grange is just 15 minutes from the Beauty of Bath, our favourite city in England.

We were drawn to this property for its heritage, country charm, the proximity to the city and the promise of a wonderful restaurant serving produce from its very own walled kitchen garden.

Rory wasn’t even born when we booked, and we knew he would be just a few weeks old. We were really keen to get away as a family to celebrate his arrival, but we were a little nervous.

Would we really have time to relax with such a young baby and a tiny toddler in tow?

Was this hotel REALLY suitable for children as young (and unpredictable) as ours?

We needn’t have worried. Luxury Family Hotels have thought of everything. There couldn’t have been a more perfect place for our baby’s first holiday.

Ahead of our stay, I got a call from a lovely lady at reception. She was warm and friendly, genuinely excited for our stay and to meet the boys. She asked their names, and ages. She went on to list things we may need the hotel to arrange to make our stay as comfortable and practical as possible. From cots, changing mats, nappy bins…they’d thought of everything! She even asked us if we would like feather bedding, or if the boys had allergies. Just chatting to her, I felt relaxed and super excited for our little break.

On our journey to the hotel, we stopped off in Bath for some lunch and a little shop. It was a beautiful day, the streets were bustling and the sunlight glowed on the famous Bath stone. There’s no prettier city!

We enjoyed a delicious lunch at Circus Cafe, the same restaurant we had our first date 6 years ago. It felt surreal and romantic being there with our boys. Then we wandered around the shops. Bath offers a perfect mix of well-known high street stores and the loveliest independent shops and restaurants. A stroll around this picturesque city is hard to beat.

After a short and pretty drive through the countryside, we arrived at Woolley Grange in time for Ollie’s tea. The sun was beginning to set and this gorgeous 400year old Manor House and its stunning grounds blew us away.

We received a warm and heartfelt welcome from reception and checked-in by providing Ollie and Rory’s names. Super cute!! Ollie was running about like a crazy excited puppy, and as grand as this old house was, we felt at home. No stuffy hotel vibes, the staff did nothing but smile and lead us to our room.

We stayed in The Balcony. A family suite with two adjoining rooms so that Ollie could enjoy his own room and not be woken with Rory’s night feeds.

There were high ceilings, heaps of natural light, gorgeous Voya toiletries and fluffy white robes. Nothing about this was saying “family hotel”. It was true luxury. The room was set up with all the things we’d chatted about on the phone, cots, changing mats etc..

At Woolley Grange, kids enjoy a “high tea” served in the light-filled Orangery between 5-7pm. It’s so cute watching them all eat at the same time. Of course parents can eat at this time too, but I would definitely recommend the candle-lit evening menu instead….I’m coming onto that… The kids menu is healthy and varied, I’m pretty sure that even the fussiest eaters would be catered for.

Ollie LOVED that the table had a sign with his name on for Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner. The hotel has thought of EVERY detail, there’s bibs, sippy cups, plastic cutlery, straws and even a stash of wet wipes to help yourselves too. I’ve never felt so relaxed and at home eating in public with Ollie.

After Oliver’s dinner, we grabbed a glass of fizz and took a stroll around the grounds to explore. It’s perfection! All the stylish amenities you’d expect from a luxury hotel…a sun drenched terrace, spa, indoor and outdoor swimming pools and lots of lovely walks and places to relax. BUT you’ll also find a kids play area, a den (that provides childcare throughout your stay) a fairy garden, white witch’s house, a tree swing, balls, games…I could go on and on…. Ollie was over the moon. The look on his face was one of pure joy from the moment we arrived.

Now for our favourite bit….

At the time of booking we were informed about the ‘babysitting’ and ‘baby listening’ services that the hotel offer.

Baby listening means that parents can put their babies to bed and enjoy a candle lit dinner in the gorgeous hotel restaurant while the hotel use the telephone system to listen in. This is totally free, and works a treat!

They also offer a babysitting service that needs to be prebooked….it’s only £10 per hour and the babysitters know the hotel well and are utterly reliable.

Having not left Rory’s side, well, ever! We decided on a baby sitter for the first evening of our stay. Solange was the warmest, kindest lady. We came back to two happy sleeping boys and Solange informed us they had been wonderful.

This gave me the confidence to use baby listening the next night. Once again, this was fabulous. We were the last ones sitting in the lounge enjoying an after dinner drink at around 10.45pm and Rory started to stir so we went back to the room. All totally calm and relaxed.

For a couple who really do adore a bit of one on one time, and so rarely get it, this amazing service is a huge asset for us. It was such a treat to have two date nights in a row, knowing our babies were perfectly safe and fast asleep just a short walk away.

So how did we spend our date nights? Woolley Grange has THE BEST drink selection, so many wonderful fine wines and spirits. The cocktail list was super inspiring and the staff are really passionate and well informed. We had pre-dinner cocktails on the terrace, wonderful wine with our meals and cozied up by the fire with our after dinner drink in the lounge.

The food is something else. A simple menu, that changes each night depending on the gardens pickings and fresh local produce. The gardener writes the gardens fresh pickings on a chalkboard outside the kitchen so you know what to expect every evening.

From freshly baked bread to tender steaks, it was all Divine. If “Textures of Chocolate” is on the desert menu when you visit, order it! We had it two nights in a row!!

Breakfast and lunch are also a delight. There’s a large buffet selection in the orangery, or you can order a hot breakfast including bacon, fresh eggs from Woolley’s chickens or even hot waffles with berries.

The coffee is amazing, it’s so good to put your feet up in the lounge after breakfast and enjoy your coffee while reading the paper. There are chests of toys dotted around the hotel, so always plenty to keep the children entertained while you put your feet up.

The hotel isn’t huge, but just the right size to enjoy atmosphere and peace at the same time. Ollie made lots of little friends and they all gathered in the lounges after meals to play with trains, dolls etc.. All the children just seem to be having the best time.

On our second day we explored the grounds. There’s so many hidden treasures, around every corner another treat for us to find. The walled garden was undoubtedly Ollie’s favourite.

The magical White Witch’s House….

The Little Green Fingers Club….

There are chickens, ducks, pigs, rabbits. Ollie was particularly taken with the adorable hotel dog, Rex.

Needless to say he enjoyed a lovely long nap that afternoon, giving myself and Colin some time to relax too.

Every day at Woolley Grange, children can enjoy 2 hours of complimentary childcare in the OFSTEAD-registered Woolley Bears Den. So while Ollie played with his friends, Colin enjoyed a beer in the garden and Rory and I headed to the spa. I chose a luxury pedicure which was bliss.

The spa use only the best products, Elemis beauty, Jessica nails. It feels like a real treat and so luxurious, but still, in true Luxury Family Hotels style, kids are welcome in the pool. There’s even a play area at the spa so kids are entertained while you blow-dry your hair.

WHAT NOT TO PACK…

It’s almost impossible to travel light with little ones in tow, so should you decide to treat your family to a break at Woolley Grange, I wanted to finish this post with a list of things you need to pack. After visiting though,and experiencing first hand how they cater for Babies First Stay I think perhaps a “What not to pack” list would be more appropriate, so here it goes:

No need to pack a travel cot, bedding or blankets. The ones they provided were perfect.

No need for a bottle warmer, whole milk, or any feeding equipment at all. Every night they brought fresh warm milk to our room for Ollie. Woolley Grange can also wash and sterilise all your bottles, dummies etc..

No need for a nappy bin, changing mat or nappy bags. All of these were waiting in our room.

The restaurant doesn’t just provide high chairs. They have bibs, plastic cutlery, sippy cups, beakers and straws.

It’s not just the baby equipment you can leave at home. The hotel also provide soft fluffy robes for mums and dads as well as all the lovely toiletries and goodies you’d expect from a luxury escape.

A buggy is probably a necessity, however we didn’t use ours for our entire stay. If you have smaller babies, I would absolutely recommend baby wearing rather than a buggy. The streets of nearby Bradford on Avon are so beautiful but very narrow and winding, baby carriers would be easier if that’s an option for you.

All in all…it was the most wonderful stay, one that I can highly recommend. This hotel does “family” so well, it’s everything we’ve been looking for and we’ll undoubtedly be visiting again. Thank you so much for spoiling us rotten Woolley Grange, you’ve given us wonderful memories to cherish always.