The big houses where your little ones are very welcome
WOOLLEY Grange can make a fair claim to being the UK’s first truly family-friendly country house hotel.
The Jacobean mansion, set in 14 acres of grounds near Bradford on Avon in Wiltshire, has just celebrated its 25th anniversary at a fun garden party with organised football, rounders and tree-climbing.
‘When we opened Woolley Grange back in 1989, everyone thought we were bonkers,’ says Nigel Chapman, its creator. ‘Back then, country house hotels were all for couples who wanted to get away from children, not be surrounded by them.’
Now more than 90 per cent of guests at Woolley are families. They come for the beautiful surroundings, comfort and informality, and for the host of family-orientated facilities.
From the outset these have included a staffed creche/ playroom (Ofsted-registered these days), high tea for children, and baby-listening – in the evening you can link your room to reception and have staff keep an ear open while you enjoy a grown-up dinner.
Over the years, as families’ expectations have gone up, other enticements have been added. A Sunday morning lie-in service is available – kids are taken for a supervised breakfast and then looked after in the creche.
On weekend evenings and nightly in the school holidays, family movies are shown on a big screen. At the back of the splendidly productive kitchen garden lie a tractor to clamber over and play sheds to explore.
Ducks waddle around and there are eggs to collect from the resident chickens.
Another relatively recent addition is a spa, whose indoor pool families can visit at any time – not always the case at spas in other supposedly family-friendly hotels.
As much as anything else, it is this kind of accommodating attitude, also much in evidence in dining arrangements, that makes Woolley Grange (01225 864705, woolleygrangehotel.co.uk) such a long-lasting family hit.
Rates normally start at £180 B&B per night for a room with space for a family of three, or £220 B&B for a family of four.
However, a Sunday Stay And Dine deal is on offer for most Sundays until mid-July: from £70 B&B for a room for three or £100 B&B for a room for four, when you spend £75 on food and drink.
Other hotels in the group – in Dorset, Cornwall, Suffolk, Worcestershire and the New Forest – have the same ethos and many of the same facilities. Some also offer the Sunday Stay And Dine rates. More details at luxuryfamilyhotels.co.uk.
As for other family-friendly UK hotels, I’ve stayed at and can recommend the following.
Prices, unless stated otherwise, include breakfast. Calcot Manor
(01666 890391, calcotmanor.co.uk)
Stylish Cotswolds country house hotel with a dozen family rooms and suites, elaborate Playzone, high-tech area for older kids, and a heated outdoor pool – but children can only swim in the spa’s indoor pool at certain times. Family of three from £335, four from £385; children’s meals and Playzone £30 extra per child. Bedruthan Hotel (01637 860860, bedruthan.com) Large 1960s complex above golden Cornish sands. Fantastic facilities include indoor and outdoor swimming pools, imaginative playgrounds, and age-specific children’s clubs. Family of three from £170, four from £190, with children aged over three; cheaper rates with children under three. The Druidstone (01437 781221, druidstone.co.uk)
Long-established hotel with a homely feel in a fabulous spot above a Pembrokeshire beach. Healthy children’s suppers are served in the farmhouse kitchen. Family of three from £110, four from £130.
Premier Inn (premierinn.com) All the above too pricey? Then consider this reliable budget chain – a good option for UK city breaks. In my experience, bedrooms are usually spick and span, and the buffet breakfasts are pretty impressive.
Most Premier Inns have plenty of rooms with pull-out or sofa beds and can accommodate families of up to four. Under-16s stay in the room for free and get free breakfast (for each adult breakfast booked). If you reserve well ahead, rates can be as low as £29, room-only.