Rudding Park Hotel

I’ve just returned from a weekend away to Rudding Park in Harrogate. Every New Year I try to book a spa break to beat away the January blues… Rudding Park did just the trick. 

It’s a beautiful hotel set in 300 acres of parkland with 88 bedrooms and lodges for families. It also has a luxury spa and golf course as well as it’s own Victorian Gothic chapel which hosts weddings.

The interior is beautifully designed. One of the most striking rooms is the Library, a quiet but colourful room with a hanging egg chair as the centrepiece. The bar area and Clocktower restaurant, set partly in a conservatory with a large olive tree taking centre stage, are both bright and contemporary. The food is on the pricey side, as are the drinks, but it’s all locally sourced, quality ingredients which are absolutely delicious. 

For accommodation, there are two choices of rooms mixing the old with the new. The Ribston wing has the more traditional rooms which are slightly smaller and therefore a cheaper alternative to the newer Follifoot wing, which has large stylish rooms. Both are luxurious, comfortable and spotlessly clean. 

Having previously stayed at the hotel, I prefer the Follifoot rooms due to the larger bathrooms as well as the heating system (as I find the rooms in the Ribston Wing to be a touch too warm at night). When I mentioned this to the hotel I was told that the Ribston rooms are currently undergoing a staged renovation program to bring them in line with the rest of the hotel rooms. 

The service at the hotel is fantastic. The staff consistently go that extra mile, including running outside with an umbrella as we arrived in the pouring Yorkshire rain and the nightly turndown service, to replenish drinks and snacks in the room and a small gift being left on the bed for guests (in our case a wooden ladybird massager). 

Wifi is free of charge as well as daily newspapers delivered to the room. Guests also have the facility to record their favourite TV programmes if they fancy a quiet night in with room service. We didn’t use this feature as we were offered the use of the hotel’s private cinema to watch a film of our choice. It’s a 14 seat luxury cinema which is offered to guests on a first come, first serve basis. Luckily for us it was available the evening we stayed and within a few minutes of us booking it we were sat in the cinema watching The Holiday with some complementary popcorn while our waiter fetched us a bottle of wine to hunker down for the night. We were in absolute heaven. 

The following morning after a hearty full English breakfast, we popped along to the spa for some pampering. The spa consists of four treatment rooms including a hammam and a steam room, although a little birdie told me that the hotel is currently building a larger spa in the grounds along with a swimming pool. This is expected to open sometime in 2017. 

At the spa, I opted for a Foot Reflex Heaven which was £48.00*; a 40 minute treatment which began with a spicy foot scrub followed by a sandalwood and vetiver oil foot massage “to leave you centred and serene”.

My friend had the Nourish and Relax Massage which is a 90 minute treatment costing £115.00* which includes a salt and coffee bean body exfoliation and a coconut and vanilla oil massage.

After our amazing treatments we were served tea in the relaxation room feeling totally pampered and utterly spoilt. Unlike some luxury spas, we both agreed that Rudding Park’s spa is probably the most relaxing and unpretentious. Neither of us wanted to leave and seriously considered hiding away in the spa so that we could stay another night undetected. 

It’s not difficult to see why the hotel is frequently voted as one of the best in the UK and why it has played host to Bill Clinton, George Bush, Desmond Tutu and Prince Albert of Monaco to name but a few. It’s a firm favourite of mine and I’ll be sure to return again soon. 

Rudding Park Hotel, Follifoot, Harrogate, North Yorkshire HG3 1JH

www.ruddingpark.co.uk

 

*Prices are slightly higher than those stated if visiting Friday to Sunday. 

Cocktail Saturdays was a B&B guest of Rudding Park but all Spa treatments were paid for by us as well as evening food and drinks.

It’s that time of year when you dream...

If you’re anything like me, New Year’s Day is mostly spent daydreaming of holidays gone-by; yearning to peel off the layers of winter woollies to have the warmth of sunshine on your skin. This year there’s one place in particular leaving me desperate to abandon chilly England. A sunny home-from-home; Thailand.

Last summer I was lucky enough to holiday in Krabi. Its beautiful white sandy beaches had always appealed to me, but for one reason or another I'd never quite managed to get there despite visiting Thailand several times in recent years.

I stayed at the Dusit Thani Krabi Beach Resort, a secluded hotel just a 30 minute taxi journey from Krabi airport. The resort is the perfect retreat, with a variety of bars and restaurants as well the gorgeous Mandara Spa for treatments once the sun has gone down. There must be few better places to sit poolside, sipping cocktails served in coconuts, while watching beautiful sunsets descend over bays filled with longtail boats.

The staff at the Dusit Thani were incredibly welcoming. The service in the hotel was fantastic, something I’ve come to expect following previous visits to Thailand. Out of a two week stay, I left the resort just once to go on a boat trip around the neighbouring islands which I’d thoroughly recommend!

One evening a week, hotel guests would gather in Martinis cocktail bar to watch a dramatic fire show as well as some traditional Thai kick-boxing, thoroughly enjoyable when accompanied with a Mai Tai or Long Island Iced Tea (the hotel’s cocktails were gorgeous and potent in equal measure). 

A speedboat took us along the Andaman Coast to the various local islands, including Phang Nga Bay (“James Bond Island” where Roger Moore filmed The Man with the Golden Gun in 1974) and Koh Gai/Kai or Hua Khwan (also known as “Chicken Island” after the strange rock formation which looks like a chicken). 

There are approximately 200 islands around the Krabi coastline, many are small rocky outcrops with no landing access. Others are towering limestone karsts, with hidden white beaches and coral reefs. My favourite, Ko Poda, is a tiny island no more than a kilometre in diameter. It really is picture perfect: covered in palm trees and surrounded by soft white sand and crystal clear turquoise water.

Another must see is Koh Tap & Koh Mor. These two islands are so close that when the tide is low, you can walk through the water from one island to the other.

Christmas in the UK is special, but I yearn to be back on the Andaman Coast. Krabi was by far one of my favourite holidays and an experience I will never forget. It’s not cheap but it’s totally worth that once in a lifetime visit… temperatures are currently topping 35 degrees, what better time to go?

 

Vincent Café and Cocktail Bar, Liverpool

Hotelier Paul Adams has teamed up once again with footballer Steven Gerrard to open an all-day dining concept on Exchange Flags, Liverpool. 

Located a stone’s throw from Liverpool’s waterfront, in the commercial district, Vincent's is open all hours, seven days a week; “the place for the first bite, the last cocktail and everything in between”.

Set in a grand hall that was once office space, the dining area seats over 190 on a mixture of tables and booths. The decor is sleek and glamorous; chrome, copper and leather features heavily. There is also a beautiful private dining area closed off from the main restaurant which seats up to 16 people for private parties. 

The menu has something for everyone. Serving breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea and dinner while offering everything from British classics to sushi (a nod perhaps to the Japanese restaurant that previously occupied the premises). 

The first time I visited was for cocktails on a Saturday evening a few weeks ago. The restaurant was bustling full of people, all dressed in their finest. If you intend to visit on a Saturday evening “dress to impress”. The atmosphere in the bar was fantastic and the cocktails were a real treat. Particular favourites were a Bellini made with strawberry caviar pearls and the signature Vincent Fizz. I believe a new cocktail menu is due to be launched soon. 

I returned again this weekend for a more informal family lunch. The food was simple but done well. We ordered Sicilian Olives, Lemon & Thyme to start as well as the Chargrilled Focaccia Bread with Dipping Oil.

Source: The Vincent

To follow, although I was slightly limited with vegetarian options, I chose a lovely courgette, shallot, pea, asparagus and goat’s cheese omelette, served straight from the pan. Other options within our group included the Vincent 8oz burger served with pancetta, beef tomato, aged cheddar cheese & fries as well as the wild sea-bass fillet, pork char siu, garlic, shallot & pak choi.

The thing that really makes Vincent's stand out is the attention to detail. The presentation of the food is excellent and cocktails are skilfully made using quality ingredients. A lot of thought has gone in to making this a special dining experience; guests are even provided with serviettes to fill out in advance with their home address to pass to their taxi driver in case the cocktails prove to be a little too intoxicating! A lovely little touch!

Unfortunately we didn’t have time to stay for dessert on this occasion. A shame as the menu looks delicious (chocolate pave with salted caramel popcorn and even toasted marshmallows with caramel and chocolate dips), but I am hoping to return soon…. watch this space!

Vincent Café & Cocktail Bar, Exchange Flags, Liverpool L2 3YL 

www.vincentcafeandcocktailbar.com

Shhhh! It’s a secret…

I recently went on a hunt to find Liverpool’s newest secret cocktail bar.

Brought to Liverpool from the founders of Washhouse in Manchester, Ex-Directory is based around a hidden red telephone box. Guests are given the mission of cracking the code via ex-directory.co.uk to make a reservation. Without a booking, the telephone box will refuse you entry.

Feeling rather pleased with myself that I’d actually managed to decipher the code, I phoned to secure a table and asked the hostess how to find the bar. “Sorry I can’t tell you, just look for the red telephone box hidden away somewhere in the city centre”… 

The night of our booking arrived and we set off to find the bar, confident that we knew roughly where it was. Nearly half-an-hour later, completely lost, and about to give up hope of finding it in time, we noticed a stylish group of people scurrying up an alleyway trying to look inconspicuous. Unbeknown to them, we followed them and were eventually led to a big red telephone box. We entered the code and the back of the box opened to allow us entry.

Source: Ex-Directory

A hostess met us at the door downstairs. She led us to our table and explained that it’s a seated only table service. We were given a detailed menu of every cocktail imaginable and began by ordering a Little Fluffi Clouds containing Portobello Road gin, limoncello & fresh raspberries topped with cream soda and candy-floss and a Man From Del Monte Daiquiri which had Reg Leg spiced rum, Aperol and Blossoms Mango syrup with fresh banana, pineapple and Fizz Wiz popping candy. We then ordered Two Little Ducks to share, an impressive cocktail of Portobello Road gin & violet with lavender bath bubbles served in a miniature bath with two little ducks. 

All orders are taken on an iPad which is then relayed to the bartenders making the various concoctions. Although slightly more expensive than other bars in the city, the cocktails are bespoke and are made using premium products. 

Ex-Directory is more than a cocktail bar, it is a truly unique sensory experience, something different and completely exclusive. 

The bar is open Wednesday to Sunday. It’s wise to book in advance, if you can crack the code…

 


Ex-Directory, Somewhere in Liverpool

www.ex-directory.co.uk

The Ivy Chelsea Garden

On a recent trip to London, I was lucky enough to visit The Ivy Chelsea Garden.  

Even though we had an early evening reservation on a Saturday, the restaurant was heaving, yet the service was still exceptional and the food really delicious; and all served in beautiful surroundings.

The menu is extensive, offering breakfast, brunch, afternoon tea as well as the classic all day menu. I opted for an asparagus and mozzarella salad while my friend chose a pea risotto, all washed down with some bubbles. 

For pudding, I ordered a crème brûlée and my friend wisely followed the recommendation of our waiter and had the chocolate bombe; a melting chocolate dome with milk foam, vanilla ice cream and honeycomb centre topped off with a hot sauce. 

I had high expectations of this restaurant and it didn’t disappoint. 

This is the third instalment of Richard Caring’s growing Ivy franchise and he has recently opened a fourth, The Ivy Kensington Brasserie, which I am also looking forward to visiting. 

If you're ever in Chelsea, I'd definitely recommend the Ivy Chelsea Garden. Make sure you book in advance (at least two weeks)... and be sure to order the chocolate bombe! 

Our bill came to around £40 a head.

The Ivy Chelsea Garden, 197 King’s Rd, London SW3 5ED

www.theivychelseagarden.com