To ask for suggestions for baby free night away near London

[Albertatata]

We have 1 &3 year old, no family support & we are bloody exhausted. We have had one night out together in the last year, which was at a wedding & I had food poisoning!

So I think we deserve a treat. It's both out birthdays at the end of January so we are planning on having a child free night away. (Sister has offered to come & babysit).

The question is where though! Any suggestions - a little bit if luxury, nice food and not more than 1.5hrs drive from London - hit me with it wise wise mumsnetters

Baldock is fairly near (I think) and nice in a rural idyll kind of way.

The ole bell in Hurley or Crown Inn in Amersham (same owners I think). Lovely food, usually offers on dinner bed and breakfast and you can get t a room with a roll top bath. I've been to both on rare child free nights and they are wonderful.

Olde Bell that should have been

Stoke Place

The Pig in the new forest

Which part of London are you in? If north or east then I would suggest Dedham, in North Essex. It's Constable country, very pretty villages nearby, and some nice hotels and restaurants. It's about 90 minutes drive from north east London.

We have stayed at The Talbooth in Dedham, which is good, and there is a restaurant down the hill (they drive you there and back). There's a lovely walk along the river to Flatford, which should be beautiful even in January.

Go to Tom Kerridge's Michelin starred pub in Marlow, the Hand and Flowers. Amazing food and lovely town. The pub /restaurant has rooms to stay overnight or there's a premier inn in the town if you've spent all the cash on lovely food & wine But book now for a table in January, crazily busy place! Have a great time wherever you decide :)

Brooklands Hotel/Spa near Weybridge.

Not a rural retreat but a modern luxury hotel with fab spa and restaurant and they often run offers for £99 for a room plus something else. Friends have been and say the rooms are lovely.

I absolutely second The Pig in the New Forest, which is sublime, but you might find it a little further than you want to go.

Maybe look into the Swan Inn in Swinbrook, which has a picturebook countryside setting (though breakfast is not wonderful), or the Milk House in Sissinghurst, which is near the gorgeous Sissinghurst Castle Gardens.

Tangentially -- I used to love the Olde Bell in Hurley but have had increasingly poor service there, including one infamous New Year's Eve they told us to bring our own food as the restaurant was booked, then subsequently refused to let us actually eat any of our naice Waitrose ready meals in our room! The setting is ideal, though, and the food very good, so if you get lucky with whoever's on duty while you're there, you could have a wonderful stay. I would hate for you to squander your precious night off on a catastrophic adventure, though.

The Crab at Chievely

Gorgeous food, although mainly seafood, which I don't like but still managed to have a fabulous meal, gorgeous rooms and it's an easy drive up the M4.

Little chance of a table at the hand and flowers!

The crown inn in amersham is good (can be 20 mins from London depending where you are).

Personally id go ever so slightly further away to the Cotswolds for dinner B&B and maybe spa! Cowley Manor or Calcott manor. There are other places too. Circa £350 all in.

If you're really flush Le Manoir for dinner and B&B!

Could get dinner at the hand and flowers on 2nd or 3rd of feb but that's it in January and February

The bell inn in ticehurst. Sorry phone will only do capitals after.

Hambleton hall in Rutland if you're in n London. Easy drive up A1, then great food in cosseting surroundings. Get a room with lake view.

Or Cliveden, Berkshire.

Third The Pig!

If you want to be a little closer to London, how about Pennyhill Park in Surrey? Has an excellent spa too.