The Four Seasons

We went to the Four Seasons for my mother-in-law's 75 th birthday because we wanted a special occasion kind of place and we were not disappointed. Only an hour or so by car for frazzled Londoners (or you can train it and cab it easily) this luxury hotel in acres of grounds just oozes traditional classy comfort. This is perhaps what you'd expect for the price tag - but what makes this place different from some 5 star places is that they positively welcome families and go out of their way to make you and your children feel at home.

Take check in for example, where there was a chest of toys and mags for the children to help themselves to - a small touch but one which instantly puts you at ease. We had a sort of wing arrangement room-wise, two rooms next to each other on a corner with a sort of sitting room in between. Tons of space, nice big bathrooms with lots of lovely bath products and again those little extra touches like bathrobes for the children (in children's sizes) and their names spelt out in rubber bath letters in their bathroom - as well as a few child-friendly snacks - they were in heaven.

The kids' club is located about 5 mins from the main house and is well equipped and staffed by enthusiastic staff. The spa is lovely - and works if you go child-free too because there are set times when children are allowed to use it. Usually this irritates me, but with two sessions a day we didn't find this too restrictive and were glad of the quiet when we had a sneaky lie down when the children were in the kids' club. The treatments - sampled by my m-in-law so you'll have to take her word for it - were "amazing, wonderful and the best ever".

We'd did children's tea in the bar area, and the children's meal was reassuringly proper - child-friendly but healthy. There's a library of Dvd's for children (and adults) to choose from, so we had no trouble leaving them with the babysitter, in fact we'd have had more trouble getting them to come to dinner with us!
We ate dinner in the main dining room complete with pianist (who played Happy B'day as the b'day dessert was brought in) and the food was delicious , though, like everything else not cheap!

We were still full from dinner and breakfast so it was touch and go whether we could fit in the Sunday lunch but we're so glad we tried it. A massive buffet of mostly organic and all local produce it's definitely worth staying for. it was just lovely and a perfect end to a perfect birthday weekend.

Overall we had a wonderful time. The hotel was truly family-friendly, the staff couldn't have been nicer, the food was outstanding and the rooms spacious and v comfy. The downside? Nothing is cheap. The rooms are expensive, though actually not as expensive as you might think compared to other similar places, but like all 5 stars it's everything else that adds up. Afternoon tea, the odd drink and babysitting at something like £13 an hour (min 3 hours) soon adds up. But, it's one of the few places that will allow you to just stay one night - rather than making two obligatory - and if you've got a special occasion to celebrate and don't mind splashing out, it's just perfect.