Half-Term Fun with the Family at The Runnymede Hotel

Half-term here was a chance for me to chill my beans and enjoy nourishing quantity and quality time with those I love. I hit pause on work and roamed around Windsor and London pretending to be a tourist (my number 1 fave pastime) and the family and I were lucky to have been invited to spend two peaceful days in a river-facing family apartment at The Runnymede Hotel just ten minutes from where we live. I told you I like to be a tourist in my hometown!

We’d eaten there before and I had a super spa day just the other week with a friend but this was the first time staying over and we never wanted to leave!

The apartments are dog and child-friendly (the hotel is child-friendly of course, but not dog-friendly bar the apartments) and these vast and welcoming suites offer all the luxurious extras you find in a hotel (biscuits, complimentary water, soft toys and huge flat-screens in both bedrooms), an en-suite with bath and shower, and a riverside view as the hotel sits adjacent to the River Thames.

Perfection.

Cute duck teddies were left in the children’s room.

Dreamy.

We loved the duck theme throughout the hotel and even bought a few rubber ducks like the ones on display. (Thanks GANT for the kids’ gorgeous shirts they wore to dinner above too).

…So this was the run-down of our two days away:

Ate, swam, napped, swam some more, ate some more, watched quiz shows which are my kids’ fave (strange children), ate some more (no joke), took a boat out onto the Thames with the wonderful Craig in Guest Services and laughed so much our jaws ached.

The kids have not stopped talking about steering the boat. The sky was clear, the sun was out and this trip will never be forgotten.

Look at the two captains’ focused little faces.

We drove to Slough and back and were pleasantly surprised by how calm the water was.

…My husband Peter went to work in the day joining us at night for dinner so it was just myself and the boys by day, living out our best lives (Peter hates that phrase so HAHHAHA if you’re reading this Pete)!

I wish I could have bottled our special time together. These two sweet, caring and hilarious twosome are the best company and I’m sad they’re now back at school.

The Runnymede Hotel has absolutely everything you could want for the most perfect short or long break away in Berkshire: beautiful rooms and apartments, the most epic of breakfasts with OUTSTANDING food across the board, from the spa restaurant to the Leftbank Restaurant which offers buffet style banquets for lunch and dinner and a fine dining eaterie The Lock Bar and Kitchen for a more formal lunch or supper. You can also eat quick bites in The Lounge.

There’s also a spa, swimming pools (with a children’s pool too), an infra red sauna which promotes well-being, steam rooms, a gym, jacuzzi, tennis courts, a playground, courtyard, an outdoor heated pool available in the summer, and not forgetting the most achingly beautiful views of the river and friendly service from the hotel staff who make you feel at home from the minute you arrive.

What more could you possibly want?

 

Below is the dinner we enjoyed at the Lock Bar and Kitchen, a restaurant brimming with atmosphere and a seasonal menu with some of the most delicious food we’ve ever eaten (and you know what foodies we are)!

Vegan butternut squash soup with homemade bread

Vegan warm mushroom tempeh with tahini dressing.

Salmon in a butter sauce for Peter.

A bespoke vegan risotto with butternut squash ribbons, spinach, watercress and peas for me thanks to the chef.

The kids plumped for burgers…

And Peter couldn’t decide on dessert so had two (I was too full)!

Dark chocolate and walnut tart, praline sauce and creme fraiche.

Poached pear with vanilla ice cream

Melted dark chocolate with strawberries and marshmallows for the (lucky) boys.

What a meal.

Oliver, 8, turned to me during our stay and said, ‘I’m so lucky to be part of such a cool family’. Bless him.

I love that my blog gives my family the most wonderful of experiences and I’m incredibly grateful to you guys: my readers for making trips like this possible so thank you.

Runnymede, we could not have loved you more and simply can’t wait to return again, soon.

P.S. Boat trips are back on in the spring and are absolutely worth a go!