Royal Windsor Horse Show

My keen interest in horses began at a very young age, when first introduced to the magnificent creatures when visiting my cousins on their farm. I was lucky enough to be able to start learning to ride at this young age, and have been hooked ever since. My interest is not only riding myself, but going to watch shows and competitions, as well as popular horse racing events such as Royal Ascot and Cheltenham.

My next such event is going to watch the showing and show jumping at the Royal Windsor Horse show, which is running from 14th-18th May this year. The show is in the fabulous grounds of Windsor Castle, which is just a beautiful venue. When I went last time I just visited for the day to see a few of my favourite chosen events, but this year I’m really keen to see a lot more! The trouble with coming from far away though as in my case, is that I then need somewhere to stay.

I began my search for Royal Windsor Horse Show accommodation on the internet, as everyone does these days! I started looking for Hotels in Windsor itself, but as I had left booking a little late it was already very full and the prices accordingly high. Feeling a little annoyed with myself I checked on the Windsor tourist website in the view of preparing to broaden my search somewhat, and the perfect little Hotel immediately jumped out at me. Stirrups Country House Hotel. Stirrups… Stirrups..! I could already tell from the name that it was perfect for my needs!!

Doing some more research on Stirrups Hotel it certainly comes highly recommended. A Country House Hotel in between Windsor and Bracknell with free car parking, it would take me less than 20 minutes to get to Windsor for the Horse Show meaning I could take a taxi and avoid the hassle of parking in the busy town centre! Looking at the Stirrups website I could tell it was tastefully themed with horses in mind, with beautiful décor and a fabulous looking bar and restaurant. I was able to download their menu and was completely spoilt for choice with delicious looking meals!

I was already sold from everything I had seen and read about Stirrups, but when it came to booking my room the price just blew me away… I could get this beautiful hotel near Windsor with acres of manicured gardens, perfect location and theme for the Royal Windsor Horse Show, for as little as £87 per night! I booked with no hesitation and I can’t wait to stay at my perfectly accompanying accommodation for the Royal Windsor Horse Show!

Royal Ascot Racecourse

Myself and my partner stayed at Stirrups Country House Hotel last year during ascot week. The reason we chose to stay in Stirrups Country House Hotel was because it was very close to the Ascot racecourse and the hotel was more personal and to a higher standard that your usual chain hotel.

Once we arrived we were greeted by really friendly staff that explained to us everything about the hotel and also showed us to our room. We had quite a few luggage but the front of house team willingly helped us with our bags which was a very nice surprise. We stayed in total for 3 nights. The breakfast every morning was delicious and freshly cooked. Even if the hotel seemed to be fully booked the reception always managed to book us a taxi which arrived promptly even if we usually booked it at a short notice. The taxi journey was around 20 minutes to ascot racecourse which wasn’t too bad. We really enjoyed the location of the hotel as it was set in a beautiful countryside and myself and my partner enjoyed having meals outside in the evenings.

We also really enjoyed our little walks in the manicured gardens of the hotel and one very cute feature was the little pond with the different types of fishes. I would definitely recommend to come and stay at Stirrups if you want a pleasurable stay and something different than your usual hotel. The staff were really friendly and the room we stayed was of a high standard. Also the hotel accommodation was reasonably priced for Ascot week. You will not be disappointed.

Family Easter Break

My children are already getting very excited at the prospect of a nice break over their Easter Holidays. They want something fun and exciting; whereas my husband and I want something affordable and practical - which with five of us is no easy task.  We have twin 7 year old daughters and a 4 year old son to please, and it has been getting ever more difficult to find that perfect destination for our Easter Break.  It’s near impossible to find anywhere abroad that does cheap deals over the school holidays, so we started looking a little closer to home.  After a little searching we found Stirrups Country House Hotel and knew it was the perfect place for us, practically next door to Legoland and just a short drive away from Windsor castle!

Looking over their easy to follow website we found that they have family rooms to accommodate the whole family and with a little extra exploring we found the kids menu, it was pleasing to know there was enough variety to please all our little ones.  We called up the hotel to see what sort of deals could be had and were delighted when we found out that they have discounts for families visiting Legoland.  Our search for an affordable Easter Break was at an end!  They booked us in and offered us adjoining rooms to give us some extra space so that we could truly enjoy our weekend away.  We have told our children, they are all very excited for their trip away and won’t stop asking how long until we get to go to Legoland!

Mother’s Day 2014

With the birth of my daughter last summer, we suddenly had 4 generations of girls in our family, and 3 generations of Mums! It’s now the beginning of March, and I am so excited for Mother’s Day approaching on the 30^th, and to be celebrating as a Mum for the first time!

Traditionally for Mother’s Day Lunch, my Mum and I have always cooked together at her house. We invite the family round, and have a good old catch up over a lovely roast dinner. This year however, my Mum suggested to me that as it was my first Mother’s Day as a Mum myself, and that now there were 3 Mums in the family, it would be a nice idea to not do the cooking for once and to go out and make a real special day of it! As you can expect I was really on board with this idea, and we soon began searching for our ideal venue to have Mother’s Day lunch in Berkshire which is our local area.

We had many specifications for our ideal venue… that’s the trouble with having headstrong women in the family!My Grandmother wanted a traditional roast dinner, Mum wanted a venue with grounds where we could spend some time in the afternoon and the younger members of our family could run around, and I wanted to have our Mother’s Day meal somewhere big enough to house such a large group as ours! Including a high chair for my daughter, we were looking for a table of 14.

It was a colleague who suggested we go for Mother’s Day lunch in Bracknell. She had her Wedding at Stirrups Country House Hotel a few years before and just knew it would be the perfect place for our special lunch. Having not been to this Hotel before, Mum and I went for a little road test one Sunday lunch time. We pre-booked for the two of us, and it was just as well as the restaurant was really busy, full of happy diners and awash with the smell of absolutely gorgeous roast dinners. Our lunch was delicious, and after looking over the menu with the reception staff we were more than happy to pay our deposit for Mother’s Day lunch right there and then! The traditionally styled Hotel is a beautiful secluded gem, near Bracknell but with lovely huge grounds, making it the ideal location for our needs!

I absolutely cannot wait for 30^th March to come around and to celebrate my very special first Mother’s Day lunch at Stirrups! 

Celebration of Mothers day at Stirrups Country House Hotel

Last Mother’s Day I decided to spoil my mum and arrange a surprise for her. The plan was to whisk her away for the day to celebrate in style with the whole family without her knowing. I looked around different restaurants in Ascot, Bracknell and general Berkshire area but I couldn’t find anywhere special in regards to Mother’s Day meals.

I asked some friends around and they told me about the restaurant in Stirrups Country House Hotel. I had a look on their website and they had a lovely set lunch menu for Mother’s Day lunch. I decided to ring the hotel and someone answered the phone from reception in a very professional and friendly manner. They explained the mother’s day lunch menu in details and they explained the cost per person. I booked a table for 8 of us so the whole immediate family could come and surprise my mum. On the day I collected my mum and we arrived in the restaurant. The rest of the family was there awaiting for us. My mum was happily surprised. We had a lovely meal and all the staff in the restaurant were really polite and helpful. My mum really enjoyed the meal and it was clear that she had a great time because she kept talking about mother’s day lunch for months.

If you are looking for a nice restaurant to take your mum and spoil her for this mother’s day, make sure you check the restaurant in Stirrups Country House Hotel as it has a lovely atmosphere, excellent staff and reasonably priced.

Wedding Venue Bracknell / Berkshire

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Myself and my husband got married in Stirrups country Hotel in July 2013. We were looking for a wedding venue that has big beautiful gardens as we wanted to make sure that we could take wedding pictures in the gardens and also our guests could spend time inside and outside during our reception. We looked really hard for different wedding venues in Bracknell and the general Berkshire area and I have to say it wasn’t an easy task as we found it really difficult to find a wedding venue that could tick all the boxes. When we arrived to view Stirrups Country House Hotel we were really impressed firstly with the general overview of the hotel. The architecture was beautiful and it definitely matched its title. The Hotel was surrounded by beautiful grounds that were well maintained and buzzing with a variety of flowers. We were welcomed by one of the event coordinator who was really welcoming, showed us around the three different function rooms and had a very comprehensive meeting with us explaining everything in detail. The meeting really reassured as she answered all our questions and explained to us our payment schedule. Our events coordinator remained in touch over the phone and via email. The hotel suggested us a couple of people for flowers, our wedding cake and photos. I have to say we were really impressed as they did exactly what they said and they made the process really easy and painless.

Valentines Break

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Last year myself and my partner decided to stay in Stirrups Country House Hotel for Valentines. We wanted it to be a little romantic break. We booked the 1 night package. Once we arrived we were welcomed by the view of a beautiful country hotel surrounded by beautifully groomed gardens.

What surprised myself and my partner was how peaceful even if located next to a busy road. Once checked in, we entered our room where a box of chocolates and a bottle of chilled champagne was waiting for us. That made us feel really welcome and ready to start our romantic break away. After resting for a bit we decided to go to the restaurant and have a three course meal. All the dishes were delicious, well priced, all staff were very professional, helpful and at the same time discreet. We decided to have a couple of drinks following our dinner and then we retired to our bedroom. After a good night sleep both of us feeling extremely refreshed we went to the restaurant to have our full English breakfast and I can say we were equally impressed with how fresh and delicious it was accompanied by freshly made coffee/tea and pastries.

I can definitely say this was one of the best valentine breaks we had and we will be considering coming back for next Valentines. So whether you’re in a new relationship or celebrating fifty years of married life, quality time together is extremely important and Stirrups Country House Hotel is the ideal place for a break away. Modern lives are so busy that we often forget to sit back, relax and talk with that special someone. Coming to Stirrups Country House Hotel myself and my partner felt absolutely rejuvenated and it was so romantic it felt like our first valentine’s break together even if we have been with each other for 10 years.

Clearly there is something magic about this hotel and you should definitely experience it. You will not be disappointed.