26 HOTEL SPOT
The country hotel that has it all...
Sometimes it’s worth travelling for a good meal in beautiful surroundings says ANDREA McVEIGH...
T
HE Mallory Court Country House Hotel & Spa is one such destination hotel and restaurant that, having visited once, I would defi nitely make a point of visiting again for the food alone, not to mention the gorgeous location and ambience. On one of the sunniest days of the year last summer, my husband and I sat at a table on the terrace outside this old manor house, enjoying an amuse bouche and a glass of wine while looking over the carefully-tended gardens - and we couldn’t have been more relaxed or content. My notes about the meal that followed include the words ‘amazing’, ‘exquisite’ and the line: ‘dessert, so light and delicious, just perfect’. It was a delightful and indulgent end to what had been a challenging morning. Roadworks on the route to Mallory Court, which sits in ten acres of grounds on the edge of Royal Leamington Spa, meant that we were late arriving at the hotel and I had to jump from the car as we pulled into the driveway, and dart into the Spa to make my previously-booked treatment on time, while my husband did the necessary job of checking in and bringing our overnight bags up to our room. One much needed spa treatment later - a blissful ESPA Aromatherapy Full Body Inner Calm Massage - and I had calmed down and chilled out suffi ciently,
and was keen to check out our room, handily located within the Elan Spa building. We had a gorgeous big suite, with lovely treats such as compilentary homemade cordial and biscuits waiting for us, and a bed so sumptuous it was tempting to take a quick nap. But with the weather so good, it would have been a shame to stay indoors for long, and we popped down instead to the outdoor vitality pool for a refreshing dip before getting ready for dinner. The spa (and its 12 bedrooms) is in a diff erent budding to the main hotel, and so, dressed casually but smartly for dinner, we made our way to the main 31-bedroom manor house where the Dining Room restaurant is located. After the aforementioned amuse bouche enjoyed in the early evening sun on the terrace, we were shown into the majestic, oak-panelled restaurant, with its stunning views over the hotel gardens. It’s the region’s most celebrated restaurant and you could tell that many guests were here for a special night out, or like, us, overnighting as part of a longer trip through the Cotswolds. The Mallory Court team believe in ‘farm to fork’ dining, using fresh, seasonally grown and organic ingredients from the hotel’s own kitchen gardens. Other ingredients come from respected local suppliers
and menus change daily depending on the produce available. For example, in summer there may be a Mallory Garden Salad with young garden veg, truffl ed cream cheese and a Fosse Way honey reduction on the starters menu or a Brixham White Crab dish with crab dashi jelly (a kind of Japanese stock), served with Isle of Wight tomatoes and pickled green strawberries. For a main course you could choose a Cotswold Spring Lamb or, in winter, a Salt Chamber Aged Venison with salsify, parsnip and preserved blackberry venison jus, or even a treat from the vegetarian menu. The kitchen is under the creative eye of Head Chef, Paul Evans, a 3 AA Rosette award holder whose signature dish is Cured Mackerel, served with fennel chutney, black-garlic puree, basil oil and a heritage-tomato consommé. Getting to Mallory Court is easy. After fl ying from Belfast or Dublin to Birmingham, hire a car at the airport and the area of England known as the Cotswolds is yours for the exploring. There’s a good reason why the Cotswolds is so well-known and much-loved, it’s dotted
February 2019 Travel News
The writer and her husband soaked up the English sun at a table on the terrace outside Mallory Court Country House Hotel
with quaint market towns fi led with pretty cottages built from honey-coloured stone, nestled amidst rolling hills. Covering almost 800 square miles and spreading through fi ve counties, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire, Warwickshire, Wiltshire and Worcestershire, the Cotswolds may also be much larger than you thought. A long-standing member of the Relais and Châteaux group, and one of the award-winning Eden Hotel Collection of privately-owned nine luxury hotels, Mallory Court has been included in a list of the top 200 hotels in the country and with a large number of National Trust properties in the area, as well as Royal Leamington Spa itself to visit, there’s plenty to do during a short stay. It’s easy to see why people fall in love with the menus at Mallory Court. But an outstanding meal is worth nothing if not followed by a sound night’s sleep and it was with delight that we rested our heads on plump, soft pillows that night and fell fast, and contentedly, asleep. Dreaming of food, naturally.
Andrea was hosted by Mallory Court Country House Hotel and Spa.
WIN A Two Night Hotel Break in Athlone Sleep, relax and refresh yourself at the Athlone Springs Hotel
Modern and elegant with 68 spacious bedrooms, this four-star hotel is among the best in Athlone. Athlone Springs Hotel is part of the So Hotel Group and is owned by Pat McDonagh.
The bedrooms are luxuriously furnished in warm tones. All bedrooms have the option of a bath with overhead shower with additional extras such as work desk, Smart TV’s to allow guests to access Netfl ix and numerous other channels and free Wi-Fi. If you are feeling extra tired, the lazy checkout is an option, subject to availability of course. Push the boat out with breakfast in bed and room service.
A family friendly hotel, the Athlone Springs Hotel off ers excellent facilities for families including kid’s camps and children’s pool at the leisure centre. Family rooms are available, some with interconnecting rooms.
Additional camp beds and cots are available on request.
For the ultimate experience in luxury accommodation, the Manhattan suite comes with two widescreen smart TVs, a separate sitting room, “his and hers” bathroom, Jacuzzi bath, walk-in shower, bathrobe and slippers. Fresh fl owers and champagne can be organised ahead of your arrival to surprise that
special someone.
Zen fi tness and leisure centre has a 20m swimming pool, sauna, Jacuzzi and
steam room as well as all the equipment you would expect in a modern gym, with an additional new Class space opened in January 2019.
Dining in the Athlone Springs Hotel is a
relaxed aff air with superb food from both the Cedar Bar and Cedar Restaurant. Off ering excellent service from friendly local staff and a locally sourced menu.
We are located a little over an hour from Dublin and an hour from Galway, just one minutes’ drive off of junction 13 on the M6.
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Athlone Springs Competition Northern Ireland Travel News Unit 1, Windsor Business Park, 16-18 Lower Windsor Avenue, Belfast
transferable and non-exchangeable and must be taken up during one period ● There is no cash alternative to the prize ● All other expenses must be paid for by the winner ● The winner should be over 18 years of age and a UK resident ● The competition is provided by Athlone Springs Hotel and Northern Ireland Travel News accepts no responsiblity from losses that may arrise ● Employees of Northern Ireland Travel News, Athlone Springs Hotel and their families are not eligible to enter ● The name of the winner will be published in the March 2019 issue of NI Travel News ● By entering this competition, the winner agrees to his/her photograph being taken and used for publicity purposes in connection with this competition ● All entries must be on the offi cial entry coupon and are strictly limited to one per household and should arrive by fi rst post on the closing date of Friday March 1, 2019
The prize is for Two Nights Bed Breakfast at Athlone Springs Hotel (for two people) with Dinner on one evening ● Prize is subject to availability and excludes bank holidays and periods of high demand ● The prize is strictly non-
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