Fowey Hall, Cornwall
Fleet, Near Weymouth, Dorset
Fowey has a lot to offer: spa, pool, outdoor space, outdoor play area, trampoline, supervised Ofsted crèche, games room for older kids, fantastic restaurant, comfortable luxurious lounges, children's menus, gorgeous views, a general feeling of opulence and as a Luxury Family Hotel an incredibly friendly welcome.
The lovely coastal town and the local sandy cove at Readymoney are just a short walk from the hotel, which is also within easy reach of the many superb attractions in Cornwall, including The Eden Project and the Lost Gardens of Heligan.
Within the hall are 15 traditionally decorated rooms. Rooms range from double through to large interconnecting; suites are available on both first and second floors. Those on the first floor are extremely spacious; mine could comfortably have accommodated 4 children, as well as a couple of travel cots! The second-floor turret rooms are smaller but have loads of character, as well as enviable views across the estuary. 12 contemporary rooms are in the Garden Wing connected to the main house; all have estuary views. There are a further eight Court rooms in the original coach house. All are equipped with families in mind, hence lots of baby equipment (cots, sterlisers, changing mats and nappy buckets), TV, DVDs, comfy robes, space to move/crawl and fresh flowers - essentially whatever your room taste or requirements Fowey can probably provide.
Mealtimes, you will be pleased to know, are easy. The breakfast buffet, served in the relaxed conservatory consists of homemade muesli, cereals, freshly baked pastries and a full Cornish breakfast. High tea, served at 5pm or 5.30 pm (2 courses for £7), is again served in the conservatory though weather permitting you might take either out on the lovely terrace or veranda. Children under 12 are not allowed in the main restaurant for dinner, but families may eat together after 18.45 in the Conservatory. BBQ parties are organised some evenings during the summer.The qualified nannies are on hand to arrange juice and food but parents are asked to stay with their children - pre-book your sitting before leaving for the day.
Should you wish to enjoy a family meal together a Children's menu is also available during dinner service hours. This menu is available from 6.15pm to 6.45pm for children not needing the nanny supervision.
Grown up dinner is served in the elegant wood paneled dining room. Our food was beautifully presented, tasted superb and was impeccably served - I even made sure there was room for a pudding that was so worth it. It's always a treat to finally get some 'me' time. And when Aggie decided to waken mid-way through, all the parents realised that the baby monitoring system works a treat!
The Aquae Sulis Retreat is available for a deserved treat during your stay. The recently refurbished swimming pool and changing area and a fabulous hot tub with sea views on the new decking area add to the desire to get in there!
And the Four Bears Den provides the opportunity. More suitable for under 8s, the Den is free of charge and open every day from 10.00am to 4.45pm. Children are not expected to be left for more than two hours at any one time, which is ample to indulge in a spa treatment or just some quiet time under a tree reading. "The Beach Hut", located by the Den, is ready to occupy the older kids and is generally supervised in the early evening during busier times. There's a pool table, table tennis table, table football, TV and DVD and a stereo available. In The Gun Room in the main house there are also two Xboxes and a Gamecube with games available from reception. Films are also available from reception.