After a busy few days exploring some of Hampshire’s family friendly attractions such as Marwell Zoo and Peppa Pig World, we chose to stay at the 5* Lainston House hotel which was the perfect place for us to recharge our batteries.
Located in the beautiful Hampshire countryside, it was the ideal location to explore nearby Winchester and was less than a 20 minute drive away from Paulton’s Park, home of Peppa Pig World and the New Forest.
For families looking for a luxury hotel close to Peppa Pig World, there is no better option than Lainston House. Let me tell you why.
This is our family review of Lainston House.
We knew we had arrived somewhere very special the moment we drove through the gates down the long meandering drive into the 63 acres of grounds that the hotel occupies and caught our first glimpse of Lainston House, a beautiful 17th century manor house.
Lainston House has everything that you would expect from a luxury hotel without sacrificing any of its historic features and more importantly for us, it was really family friendly.
This is the perfect place to escape the hustle and bustle and soak up the atmosphere and calm of this stunning countryside setting which boasts the longest avenue of lime trees in the UK.
As soon as we stepped into the lobby, we had a warm welcome from the front desk staff who were friendly and happy to help. Nothing was too much trouble and this high level of personal service continued throughout our stay – you feel like a VIP from the moment you check in to the moment you leave.
Valet parking is included in your room rate and after a long day it was wonderful to know that our car and luggage would be whisked away, allowing us to start enjoying the hotel.
The lobby, like the rest of the public rooms at Lainston House, was impressive and had a lovely country house feel, with its stone floors, sash windows and gorgeous gardens.
We also loved the little touches everywhere, from a chess board set up ready to play, to the rows of Hunter wellington boots by the fireplace which are available for guests to borrow if you wanted to go for a walk in the expansive grounds of the hotel.
Because of its unique setting and the fact that we were staying in such a historic property, we were so excited to see our room which added an extra touch of excitement compared to most other hotels.
Hannah checked us in and showed us to our room. As we made our way through a winding mix of corridors and staircases the look on the girls’ faces was priceless. It was such an exciting adventure as they set off to find our room.
We stayed in a family suite ‘Silverthorn’ one of the 50 rooms available at the hotel which are named rather than numbered. What makes this hotel so memorable is that each room is unique, with no two bedrooms alike.
It’s not very often when you open your hotel door and you are lost for words but our room here at Lainston House certainly had the wow factor with two huge beds, separate seating area and a desk with views that would make you want to study.
It was really luxurious; in fact it was palatial in size, more than enough room for a family of four. When a hotel room has so many wonderful details, it can be difficult to take it all in.
Our immaculate room contained a clever mix of historic features and antique furniture along with 21st-century mod cons such as high speed wifi, flat screen TV and ample power points which are essential for any modern traveller especially those with kids when you have to charge multiple phones and ipads each night.
My husband’s favourite gadget was the interactive room tablet containing everything that you would find in a traditional paper hotel directory along with the fact that you could order extra toiletries or room service directly from the device – who needs a telephone!
I loved the fact that the room had huge sash windows (as you would expect from a 17th century home) but what made them even more amazing was the view of the countryside when you peered through them.
Our enormous beds were so soft with the highest quality bed linen ensuring we all had a perfect night’s sleep, just what we all needed to rest after an energetic day at the theme park.
The room highlight for me was the beautiful bathroom with its designer toiletries, lots of soft white fluffy towels, dual sinks, roll top bath and huge walk-in shower – it was difficult to get the kids out. As many of our readers will know, I love a luxury hotel bathroom, and once more Lainston House didn’t disappoint. I loved the controls for the underfloor heating for the bathroom.
We have been fortunate to stay at some impressive hotels but the shower here with its rainfall head and side jets was easily the most impressive. The girls in particular loved relaxing in their robes after their shower before getting dressed for our evening at the hotel.
On one of the beds was a Lainston House owl soft toy, which Holly quickly fell in love with along with the yellow rubber duck perched next to the roll top bath.
As could be expected in a 17th century manor house, its maze like corridors and opulent public rooms create lots of snug corners to relax and play one of the many board games available.
One of our favourite areas was the sitting room where we enjoyed family time playing chess or Jenga. It’s these precious moments that you tend to pass by when at home because of busy family life so it was great to spend quality time together enjoying traditional board games.
The bar in the Cedar Room was really impressive, carved from a cedar tree that fell during in storm in 1930 and it’s here we enjoyed drinks and snacks in the evening, which was the perfect way to end our day in Hampshire.
If the hotel only had a pool or spa it would be one of our all-time favourites, but there was still plenty to keep families occupied here. We didn’t have time to take advantage during our stay but bikes (including tandems) are available for hire if you wish to explore further afield along with tennis courts and country sports such as archery and fly fishing.
Along with acres of beautiful gardens for children to run around in and have fun, we lost count just how many cartwheels the girls did as we watched from the large terrace. On selected days throughout the summer we also found out that the hotel puts on outdoor movie evenings which sounds so much fun.
Because of its peaceful setting we all had a fantastic sleep and breakfast the next morning at the Avenue restaurant was delightful. We were greeted upon arrival by the friendly staff and a small buffet selection of continental items, as well as an a la carte menu for hot breakfast items, awaited us.
Afterwards there was time for a last game of Jenga and a stroll around Lainston House gardens, which range from the apple orchard and the walled Victorian kitchen garden ( we had a chat with the gardener who was selecting produce for the restaurant’s evening menu) to the private collection of owls and falcons. What we all loved was that around each corner were beautiful hidden features or more gardens to explore.
Overall and is it family friendly?
Definitely, Lainston House is an excellent family friendly hotel and is highly recommended for families looking for a luxury hotel. It’s certainly not a budget option, but there are very few hotels who can rival this, which means a stay here is well worth it.
We had such a wonderful stay here and it was the perfect location for us to explore the great family attractions that Hampshire has to offer.
The best prices for a stay at Lainston House can be found directly on their website, where a family stay in a junior suite costs £370 bed and breakfast.