Suggestions please for 4/5 days away with baby in nice hotel

[meb2006]

Hello.We are looking to go away in the next few weeks for 4-5 nights in the UK with our 5 month old daughter. We have been looking on the internet for a few days now but everytime we find something that looks nice in photos we look up reviews and they seem to be awful. There is a list of hotels on the board (top 10)but the cost of some (?360 a night!)is prohibitive. We don't want a budget/basic hotel - it must be somewhere quite nice- excellent (we don't go away vey often) and ideally within 250 miles of London. We want to be somewhere with places to visit for day trips - originally I was thinking derby/peak district but can't find anything and as happy to go south as north. We need a room with a bigger then a 10 by 8 room as there will be us and baby. We have looked at some of the child friendly hotels on the top 10 on here (there seem to be a few in cornwall) but we don't need many of the facilities for kids (e.g. nursery etc) as she is only little. An indoor swimming pool would be nice but not essential. Has anyone stayed somewhere quite recently that they can recommend? Here's hoping....Mel

This site specialises in family holidays in the south west.
www.cartwheel.org.uk/
Dawnx

stayed at the Sandown Hotel in Sandown, Isle of Wight pre children but would recommend it - can't remember the room number we had but it was a huge room with a double and single beds plus ensuite and plenty of room for a travel cot without you falling out of bed into it!

they are currently advertising a 3ngt break from £129 pp inc of b/b and evening meal with car ferry included. hotel is right on the beach front and the room we had looked out over the sea. It also had an indoor pool.

here

didn't do that link right - www.sandownhotel.co.uk

We stayed in the Marriott in Bournemouth last summer -we had a suite so DS was in a separate area. The hotel is on a cliff next to the beach and walking distance to the pier, aquarium, shops etc. The hotel has an indoor and an outdoor swimming pool. Pre-children we stayed at the Great House in Lavenham, Suffolk, which is more of a restaurant with rooms. Although not specifically child-friendly we had a huge room with separate sitting area and the very nice restaurant is just downstairs, so a baby monitor would work. No swimming pool or other amenities, though.

Centerparcs!! It's fab!!

Plus your DD will love it! It has a gorgeous swimming pool and a special class for under 3's called baby dolphins where you can teach her to be in the water-it's very safe. It cost us about 300 quid from fri to mon and then you pay for things like horse riding and other activities on top (pool is free though). Food is lovely and lots for you and partner/husband to do. They offer a babysitting service if you fancy some time on your own. Hotel is the cheapest accomodation there, (they have villas too) but the hotel we stayed in was lovely, big and very clean with it's own TV CD and DVD players and obviously en suite. You can have a cot in your room. Good luck xx

we just stayed at the chine hotel in bournemouth - www.fjb.co.uk. Was v. good. Has indoor pool, play room, kids high tea, don't mind if baby comes 4 dinner with you.

DSis stayed at the Grosvenor Hotel in Chester two weeks ago and said it was FAB - 5 star, I think. Chester's probably not great for prams/pushchairs though IMO - bit cobbledy, and the rows are tricky to get up to. Pretty, though.

We enjoyed the Beauport Park Hotel in Battle. Lovely grounds, travel cots available and decent sized room. Swimming pool inside the next-door gym, to which you get free access. Restaurant (we didn't try it) and also a very good snack menu.
Loads of places to visit in the East Sussex/Kent area.

link{http://www.theprioryinn.co.uk\Priory Inn} is nice -- we went there after seeing it recommended on Mumsnet.

Technically it's a hotel and gastropub but the food is way ahead of what I'd think of as gastropub levels -- on a par with some pretty expensive restaurants, and it's mostly organic and all locally-sourced. Restaurant is within baby-listening-alarm distance of the rooms. Not cheap but not prohibitive either, very family-friendly, lots of days out within easy reach (slap bang in the middle of the Cotswolds). DVD players in the rooms. Bathrooms are a bit small but that's my only gripe.

They provide changing mats, travel cots and a selection of age-appropriate toys. There's a coffee bar/lounge downstairs with another huge selection of toys, and (not that this applies to you) they have really excellent healthy kids' meals that you can have served at a time to suit you either in the lounge or in the restaurant. There isn't a swimming pool, though.

Gah! Priory Inn