Be transported to a magical kingdom when you book a stay at New Hall in the Midlands. One of the Hand Picked Hotels’ collection, this medieval moated house (the oldest inhabited moat house in Britain), will have you conjuring up images of characters from a fairytale as soon as it comes into view.
The impressive, majestic building is a stunning stop off in the countryside of Sutton Coldfield and the calmness and serenity of this beautiful romantic bolthole hits you immediately, It’s the sort of place in which you might want to switch of your mobile and be uncontactable for the whole weekend.
Cross the pretty bridge above the moat into reception and you’ll be greeted by wonderful staff at reception and luxurious interiors, with modern touches. Originally a manor house which was built by the Earl of Warwick, New Hall has 60 bedrooms with 9 feature rooms, all retaining the original charm, but of course updated so that none of today’s luxuries are compromised.
Our double deluxe suite had a spacious, separate, wardrobe area, a sitting area, desk space and dressing table, a luxurious, comfortable bed and the most serene of views of the grounds outside. Our huge bathroom was fabulous. With stunning ceramic walls and shimmering mosaic tiles along with two sinks, and rainfall shower, we particularly loved the touch controls on the bath tub and the auto lighting that came on when you entered the room (eliminating that search for the light switch in the middle of the night!)
Dinner is served in the 2 AA Rosette Anglo-Saxon style banquet hall – The Bridge Restaurant. Henry VIII once visited New Hall and you can immediately picture him here in the grand dining room gnawing on a chicken leg! Thankfully, the food is a little more refined these days and you can expect a seasonal menu with classic dishes, sourced from home grown suppliers.
We feasted on hearty dishes to warm us up on a very cold night, enjoying a steaming hot bowl of parsnip soup to start, along with Brixham market mackerel which came both with a seared fillet and pate, followed by a truly delicious pork and cider pie of the day, oozing with the tasty filling when you cut into it. The Bridge Restaurant has an extensive selection of wines by the glass, so we washed down dinner with a gorgeous glass or two of 2014 Vivanco Rioja Crianza.
After a wonderful nights’ sleep and a hearty breakfast with copious amounts of warm fresh croissants, coffee and a full cooked English), we enjoyed some time in the spa complete with swimming pool and treatment rooms. You can book in for spa days and different packages with everything from Himalayan salt massages to remedy facials.
Feeling refreshed and rejuvenated, we stretched our legs, taking in the beautiful scenery around New Hall, before the long journey home. For getting away from it all, this really is the perfect place.
The Bridge Restaurant is running its festive menu until the 1st January. Click here for the New Hall website and here for reviews of more spa hotels.
