Jess writes: This weekend, my mum, dad and I stayed for two nights in the gorgeous Spread Eagle Hotel and Spa in Midhurst, West Sussex - part of the South Downs National Park. Please watch the video below for a short round-up of our visit...
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We stayed in the Queen's Suite, which is the biggest room in the entire hotel. It was spacious and had a lovely four-poster bed - something I found very exciting. Queen Elizabeth I is said to have stayed in our very room, which gave it a wonderful historical link, but unfortunately no one was able to give us any specific information about when and where!
The suite had two rooms: the main one where mum and dad slept, and a smaller one with a fold-out sofa bed. This was more than comfortable, and probably could have accommodated me and my brother at a push (although I doubt either of us would have been very happy)! The hotel does have rooms for families and is able to construct beds for children in most rooms, although it seems to be suited more for families with one child rather than two.
The room was huge and also had a very nice bathroom with a good shower and stand alone bath. We were all fascinated by the history it contained, and I particularly loved the wig powder closet in the corner which was equipped with three wig stands and a mirror!
In fact, there was history dotted all around the hotel, including 17th century stained glass windows, an eagle statue from the Second World War, old clocks and furniture, a suit of armour and even a proclamation of the beginning of the reign of King Edward VIII (who never actually took the throne).
The back part of the hotel, where the bar is, dates from the 15th century, which is remarkable and we also found old stocks just a minute away from the hotel, as well as many blue plaques about the writer H.G. Wells, who was educated and worked in Midhurst.
The Spread Eagle is also a spa, and mum, dad and I had loads of fun swimming in the pool and relaxing in the jacuzzi. It was lovely and quiet, and we also sampled many different spa products... Mum and dad enjoyed the sauna and steam room, and I loved putting my feet up and reading the paper by the pool.
We ate dinner and breakfast at the hotel, and we were all blown away by how scrumptious everything was. We do not eat meat, but the dinner menu had more than enough to choose from. I had a creamy potato soup, lentil and coriander samosas and was even given crème caramel made without gelatine when I asked.
Everyone in the restaurant was really kind and friendly, and we had a delightful dinner. Breakfast was also wonderful - I loved my waffles and maple syrup, and there was even a pineapple "pina colada" salad.
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The ruins at Cowdray[/caption]
The Spread Eagle is situated right in the middle of the South Downs National Park, meaning that the scenery was stunning. We walked through the lovely high street to a beautiful path, where we stumbled onto the Cowdray Ruins; one of England's most important early visitor houses. It was breath-taking, but it is only open for visits from the end of May until the end of September. I would have loved to take a look inside, as it was visited by Queen Elizabeth I and King Henry VIII.
Mum, dad and I also ate at a great tea-rooms called the Moonlight in a place called Cocking, before taking a walk up the South Downs Way. Although the weather was dismal, it was nice to take a long walk as this is not something we usually do. In better weather it would have been fun to cycle too.
The Spread Eagle is also near an open air museum - Weald and Downland. We visited it and had a really fun time - a piece from mum is on the way.
Overall, the Spread Eagle was a fantastic place to stay. Everyone was friendly, the food was delicious, the spa was lovely and the room was brilliant. Midhurst was a lovely place to visit, and we all had a great time. My only complaint was that the people at reception, although amiable, were not actually that helpful when we wanted to find out information. They did not know much about the history of the hotel, and didn't give us much information when we asked for good places to go walking. However, I'm sure they could easily learn this and apart from this one aspect, everything was perfect. We would all be more than happy to go back.
More from us:
Staying in a castle
Rooms at the Spread Eagle start from £99 B&B (Standard Room) and The Queen’s Suite starts from £299 B&B. We were given a discounted media rate in order to write about it, but all our thoughts and opinions are our own.
We're linking up with Super Busy Mum at the mid week blog hop this week. Scoot over there to read some other lovely bloggers!
Labels: Blog, Cowdray ruins, Elizabeth I, Midhurst, Spread Eagle hotel, Tudors, UK
