I’m a big believer in taking a break, the wonders it does
for the body, mind and soul are impeccable! Whilst we’d all love to jump on an aeroplane
to somewhere exotic, I’m making a conscious effort this year to explore my home
turf. There are so many beautiful places right here in the UK, which can offer
you a stunning, luxury break, for just a short drive in the car. When I was
offered the chance to review the Macdonald Compleat Angler Hotel, I was
completely over excited. Macdonald Hotels are a luxury chain of UK hotels, who
offer the complete luxury experience, so I was really excited to try one out
first hand.
So this weekend we jumped in the car and took a short drive
to the Macdonald Compleat Angler Hotel, which is based in Marlow. It’s only
about a 50 minute drive from where we are in Hertfordshire, but we could have
easily been a million miles away from home. As soon as we drove over the Marlow
Bridge, I knew I was going to love this hotel. We had the most gorgeous stay
and I wanted to share with you 10 reasons why you should check it out too!
#1 - The Location
As I briefly mentioned, this hotel is based in Marlow, which
is just a short drive from our home in Hertfordshire. We loved that we could
hop in the car and be in the heart of this village in no time at all. Driving
to your minibreak really takes a lot of stress away – you can pack as much as
you need and the hotel parking was just outside our room!
#2 - The Setting
As soon as we drove over the Marlow Bridge and I spotted the
hotel, I was totally in awe. The Macdonald Compleat Angler Hotel is set right
on the river, with big grounds and private views over the river. The gardens
were well kept and the cherry blossoms outside the white building just framed
everything beautifully. The hotel is split over a large complex, with the reception,
bar, rooms, lounge and restaurants in one half of the hotel – plus a newer
subset of rooms just across the courtyard.
#3 – The Riverside Restaurant
The highlight of our stay had to be the dinner in the
Riverside Restaurant. The restaurant itself feels very small and very intimate,
we were even treated to a table looking out over the river. As the sun set, the
church across the river lit up and reflected over the water, it was just
utterly beautiful. As we sat and watched the boats pass, we were treated to
lots of lovely food. The restaurant proudly holds three AA-rosettes, so you can
tell already that the food is going to be exquisite! We were treated to
champagne and dined a selection of food from salmon and duck starters, steak
mains and really incredible desserts – Chris’ Bakewell Tart had gold in the
middle! The service there was absolutely impeccable, I have never ever been
looked after so well, the Riverside team are a credit to the Macdonald team!
#4 – Take A Boat For A Spin
The second highlight of the whole trip was the boat rental,
which can be organised by the concierge onsite. The Macdonald Compleat Angler
Hotel have two boat rental options – there is huge skipper boat, which can hold
12 people or you can rent a smaller boat, which is perfect for 4-6 people. We
opted for the smaller boat, as it meant we could drive ourselves down the
river. It cost us £60 for one hour and we had so much fun driving the boat
along the stunning Thames backdrop. The best bit was hopping on and off at the
hotel, it was so convenient and something we’ve never done before!
#5 - The Hospitality
I touched on this briefly before, but the hospitality at the
Macdonald Compleat Angler Hotel was incredible! Nothing was ever too much
trouble, the team were very kind, attentive and really looked after us well.
From the minute you arrive you feel welcome – from being invited to sit down for check in (which I’ve
never seen before) to being served impeccably at dinner – they do it all!
#6 - The Little Touches
We stayed in a Double Executive Room which had all you could
ever need from a hotel room! The bed felt enormous, I don’t think I’ve ever had
so much room in my life! There was a sofa, two arm chairs, two tables, a
generous double bathroom and so much more. I squealed with excitement when I
saw that we had Molton Brown toiletries in the bathroom, plus two sinks, so I didn’t
have to share the space! There was a little teddy bear sitting proudly on the
bed, some chocolates on the side, and we even had the cosiest robes and
slippers! The room had a Nespresso machine, which is perfect for us as we’re
addicted, but if you’re more of a tea fan, there was also a kettle with a huge
array of tea flavours!
#7 - Breakfast In Bed
When we arrived in our room we had a little note inviting us
to take breakfast in bed, instead of in the restaurant. We fancied a bit of a
lay in, so the idea of having breakfast in the room was really appealing! If you
have breakfast included in your stay, the tray charge is only £5 and the
breakfast was delivered perfectly on time. As you can see in the pictures, the
selection available was huge and we really indulged in all things naughty!
#8 - Afternoon Tea
As well as a three AA-rosette restaurant and an impeccable breakfast
offering, the Macdonald Compleat Angler Hotel also serve Afternoon Tea from
14:30 to 17:30 everyday. You are once again seated in the Riverside Restaurant,
positioned to watch the boats pass you on the river. You can choose to have
just scones, or you can go the whole hog and enjoy Afternoon Tea with all the
trimmings! We were served fresh warm scones with jam and cream, a selection of
sandwhiches and a large array of pastries, which were actually some of the best
I’ve ever had! The tea was served on stunning blue crockery and it just felt so
elegant from start to finish!
We opted for the Macdonald Compleat Angler Hotel as we just
fancied a calm relaxing break, but we were pleasantly surprised at all the
things around to do! On Friday we took a long stroll through the town centre
and explored all the shops on offer! There was everything you could need, from
supermarkets, to Boots/Superdrug, to independent boutiques and more fancy shops
(including SpaceNK). In the reception of the hotel, we spotted a discount card
for Bicester Village, which is just 30 minutes away from the hotel. So we popped
up there for a couple of hours in the afternoon – I ended up making a sneaky bag
purchase which was definitely not on the cards!
As well as shopping and indulging yourself in cake, there’s
the Thames Walk, which we checked out on Saturday morning. This is a pretty
walk which stretches along the river, we wondered up to the Marlow Lock and
enjoyed watching the boats making their way through. Everyone was so friendly
and the Lock Operator enjoyed teaching us about the mechanics of the Lock. If
you don’t want to grab a bench by the river, there is a lovely park which is
lovely to sit in, or countless independent cafes to enjoy. There was honestly a
beautiful picture to be taken on every corner, I really enjoyed snapping away
for the entire weekend!
