I’m going to let you in on a secret. If you are heading to Lapland UK then the Royal Berkshire Hotel IS the place to stay. It’s the perfect family hotel offering unparalleled levels of service.
On arrival at the Royal Berkshire you drive through the hotels perfectly manicured grounds until you reach the hotel which is a striking red brick Queen Anne mansion. Car parking was complimentary and there were lots of spaces available.
As you walk through the entrance, you have the feeling that this is going to be a special stay. With wellington boots perfectly placed upon tree stumps together with a Lapland UK Christmas sign it was a wonderful welcome.
With just a few weeks until Christmas the hotel was fabulously festive and just added to our excitement especially as this is an official partner hotel to Lapland UK (you can read our review of Lapland UK here). An old grandfather clock sat majestically in the lobby next to a beautifully decorated Christmas tree with perfectly wrapped presents below.
Check in was fast and efficient and we were warmly welcomed by Juliana and Natassia who instantly made us feel at home at the Royal Berkshire.
A beautiful staircase wrapped perfectly with Christmas garlands leads up to the hotel’s sixty three rooms.
We checked into our room the Spencer suite which was spacious and stunning, with a separate sitting and dining area. It was truly one of the finest hotel rooms I’ve ever stayed at in the UK.
The room was stylish with fresh modern décor and the girls had their perfect bedroom in the sitting area as it came with a Nintendo Wii and an Xbox One.
In the girls bedroom of our suite they had some Christmas gifts waiting for them on their bed, it was as if Father Christmas knew about our visit the next day to Lapland UK. Seeing the girls faces light up when they saw these presents was a really kind and thoughtful gesture from the hotel and it’s this attention to detail that makes the Royal Berkshire such a special family hotel.
Our enormous bed was so soft with the finest quality bed linen. It was very possibly one of the most comfortable beds I have had the pleasure sleeping in.
The bathroom was luxurious and spacious with a large walk in shower, and a huge spa bath complete with television built into the wall. The girls thought watching cartoons as they had a bath was so cool. With all the bubbles from the spa bath it should have been difficult to coax them out. In fact it was quite easy, all we had to say was who wants to play the Xbox in your bedroom.
If you needed to work there was ample work space at the desk, with plenty of power points and a comfy ergonomic chair. Wifi was complimentary and speeds were great during our stay.
Throughout our suite were plenty of high tech gadgets to keep my husband happy from the touch screen remote control, Denon music player, Bose 7.1 surround sound to the huge wall mounted HDTV in the sitting room.
The room had a large wardrobe with a good amount of hangers, and also shelving so we had plenty of space to store our clothes. Within the wardrobe, the safe was also located, along with bathrobes and slippers. There were also tea and coffee making facilities, along with complimentary water and a selection of magazines.
We had lovely views from our room of the surrounding countryside.
Dining
Breakfast, afternoon tea and dinner are all fabulous here.
Afternoon Tea
Once we had explored our gorgeous room, we went down for afternoon tea. The Polo Bar and Lounge where afternoon tea is served was great to relax in after a long day with lots of comfy sofas and a beautiful roaring fire.
As the hotel offered children’s afternoon tea we just had to try it out. The girls were not disappointed; their afternoon tea was just amazing. They had a selection of finger sandwiches, scone and jam, a delightful mini ice cream cone, candy floss, a small jar of popcorn, chocolate brownie, marshmallows and mini meringues. The girls have been lucky to have afternoon tea at some amazing places but they said this was one of their favourite afternoon tea experiences.
The adult’s afternoon tea had a Christmas theme with a wide selection of loose leaf teas and sandwiches, the turkey and cranberry sandwich in particular was delightful. This was followed by a selection of cakes, pastries, tarts and warm fluffy scones, served with jam and clotted cream. Our afternoon tea experience lived up to every expectation; fantastic food, perfect service and gorgeous surroundings.
Evening Meal
Our evening meal was at Fork, the hotel’s restaurant which was elegant and fresh as it’s refurbishment has recently been completed.
There was a children’s menu and the girl’s meals of chicken nuggets, chips and peas and tomato and cheese pasta was of the highest quality. The adults menu had a great selection of tasty dishes. My husband had steak and hand cut Jenga chips whilst I chose the burger and Jenga chips. Our meals were delicious and the service was great.
The solid wall of glass in the main hotel corridor showcasing the restaurants collection of wines brought back memories of the Jumeirah Beach hotel in Dubai which had a similar eye catching display.
Breakfast
Our breakfast table had a perfect view of the grounds beyond, and the girls loved spotting the roe deer and squirrels, telling us this is a brilliant hotel for seeing nature.
Breakfast was absolutely fantastic at the hotel. We were greeted upon arrival and a beautiful buffet selection awaited us with lots of options from hot cooked breakfast to small pastries, fresh fruit, yogurts and cereals.
Facilities
FacilitiesNavigating around the hotel is a little maze like as the hotel was originally built for the Churchill family dating back to 1705, but that’s definitely part of the charm of this fantastic hotel.
One my favourite aspects of The Royal Berkshire were the super-stylish and elegant public rooms.
The hotels Energy Zone was a hit with the girls with its iPads to the retro computer games, which my husband had lots of fun showing them how to play them. It’s the small personal touches for children that caught our eye, such as the complimentary jars of sweets, popcorn machine and personalised paper sweet bags embellished with the hotels logo.
The 15 acres of grounds that surrounds the hotel are simply breathtaking. The girls enjoyed exploring the gardens and playing on the giant snakes and ladders and draughts board games on the lawn. During the Summer months it must be just delightful to spend it in the stunning grounds of the hotel.
Overall
The level of service that we received during our stay was exceptional and this high level of customer service is a credit to the hotel management because it really does make a difference during your stay.
I have to be honest, we adored this hotel, and everything about it. It’s an exceptional family friendly hotel. The staff were so friendly, the hotel was stunning, our room was beautiful the food was delicious, I could go on. The only negative was when we had to leave, our stay was that good we were reluctant to go.
The Royal Berkshire is a hotel that’ll we will return to again as it is so perfect for a family stay exploring the many family attractions close by such as Lapland UK, Legoland and Chessington.
Video Review
Thanks to Lindsey at the Royal Berkshire Hotel for arranging our visit.
This looks lovely – wish we’d stayed there when we visited LaplandUk! Looks like you had a wonderful time.