My staycation at the Burnham Beeches Hotel - including Laura Ashley Afternoon Tea!

Location: Buckinghamshire
Price: ££
Value for Money: 4/5
Overall: 4/5
Perfect for: Afternoon Tea, Girls Weekend, Couples Retreat

When looking for a destination for a luxury, relaxed staycation close to London, I came across Burnham Beeches Hotel, which housed both the Laura Ashley Tea Room, as well as the 2AA Rosette Oak Restaurant, and I knew I had found what I was looking for.

Location?

Burnham Beeches Hotel is located in a beautiful Georgian building close to Windsor. The site looks deceptively small from the outside but houses 78 rooms and 4 suitesl, 2 restaurant spaces and a spa and fitness centre.

Impressively, the hotel is nestled in ten acres of picturesque gardens and immaculately manicured lawns. The drive through forested roads up to the hotel was certainly incredible and took us deep into the grounds.

Originally built in 1727, the building functioned as a hunting lodge to royal hunting parties in what was once a part of Windsor Great Park. This amount of space and scenic country landscapes is difficult to find so close to London.

Accommodation?

When we arrived for our manor house retreat, there was plenty of parking and a short path up towards the hotel and check-in desk.

Immediately we could see that the hotel was busy, as there was a short queue at the check-in desk and when we enquired all the spa treatments for the weekend were already booked up.

When we checked-in we made our way to the first floor room, which was large and spacious. The modern and classy decor of the room included a sleek dressing table, comfy seating area with armchairs and plenty of space for our bags. The en suite bathroom was also impressively large.

This was a very comfortable room, with an enormous bed and views out onto the forestry - ideal for a relaxing staycation.

Activities?

Burnham Beeches Hotel houses the Soul Spa, which offers luxurious Temple Spa treatments for the mind, body and soul. Treatments include facials, massages, body polish treatments and craniosacral treatments too.

There is also a Fitness and Wellness centre which houses an indoor swimming pool, Jacuzzi, sauna and small gym. These were quite busy when we checked-in so we decided not to use them. Instead we spent the time exploring the beautiful grounds and soaking up some sunshine on the vast lawn area.

Dining?

One of the draws of Burnham Beeches hotel is the high quality dining options. Best of all is the Laura Ashley Tea Room, which serves luxurious afternoon tea and cream tea in a beautifully designed room.

Laura Ashley Tea Room

We had booked in advance for the Laura Ashley Tearoom, which is recommended. We tried the Champagne Afternoon Tea featuring unlimited tea, sandwiches, scones and delectable sweet treats. Laura Ashley’s signature romantic style adds a compelling touch to the experience and elevates it to a special occasion setting.

We noticed that the service was a little slow after the staff had changed shifts, though we did get a wonderful welcome and start to the meal when we first arrived.

Oak Restaurant

As well as sampling the Afternoon Tea, we also booked in advance for dinner in the 2AA Rosette Oak Restaurant. This fine-dining restaurant serves traditional British classics in a manor house setting.

We dined from the set menu and enjoyed three courses with a bottle of wine. We sampled a variety of delicious dishes including roasted squab pigeon perigourdine, pan-fried sea trout and milk chocolate cremeux and vanilla panna cotta for dessert.

We were impressed with our meal and the service for dinner which made a change to our experience earlier in the day.

Brasserie 1727

The hotel also houses another restaurant - Brasserie 1727. This is a more casual restaurant which is ideally suited for lunch or light snacks. This dining space is much brighter and lighter and opens up to the lawns. This makes it perfect for Summer day-time dining.

Georgian Bar & Lounge

Additionally there is also a tranquil Georgian bar and lounge area on site which is open from 10.00am and 10.00pm. This is ideal for a post-dinner aperitivo and the menu includes an extensive range of beers, wines and spirits.

Breakfast:

Breakfast is served in Brasserie 1727 and includes a cooked dish as well as a buffet. I opted for the vegetarian cooked breakfast and a fruit salad, juices and yogurt from the buffet. We had a bit of a wait for our breakfast, as it seemed due to how busy breakfast service was, the dishes were getting mixed up between tables. However we were offered some Champagne to make up for the wait, which resulted in quite a nice breakfast.

Price?

Burnham Beeches Hotel is well-priced for the facilities and range of dining options on offer. They also have a choice of rooms, ranging from luxurious suites to traditional Georgian rooms. In addition there they also currently have offers available as part of their Staycation packages - which are worth making the most of.

In addition the hotel is located close to many key sites, such as Windsor Castle, Windsor Racecourse, Windsor Castle and Pinewood Studios, making it a great spot for a exploring the area.

Overall?

I was impressed with the size of the hotel which includes the range of restaurants, fitness and wellness centre, as well as the expansive grounds.

I really enjoyed my Afternoon Tea at the Laura Ashley Tearoom, as well as dinner at the Oak Restaurant, and this is definitely a great hotel for a relaxing foodie break.

During my stay the hotel was quite busy and there were often queues to speak to reception, as well as a 20 minute queue to check-out. There was also a lack of experienced staff available in the restaurants during the day which meant longer waits for service and requests. However this can be put down to the shortage of hospitality staff in the sector, and I have noticed a similar theme in many of the hotels I’ve visited this Summer.

There are certainly teething problems with the service at Burnham Beeches Hotel, but I’m sure this will settle in time, making this a great destination for a London staycation.