Cardynham House. No pains in Painswick
Written: Jun 01 '06 (Updated Jun 02 '06)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: I'm really not sure where to begin. Positive expectations were exceeded.
Cons: Absolutely none, whatsoever!
The Bottom Line: I left here stunned, and feel lucky to have stumbled upon it!
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| andymcf's Full Review: Cardynham House Hotel, Painswick, United Kingdom |
We recently visited friends in Cornwall and I felt it important, for the sake of wee Josh, who is now four years old, to break up the return journey into manageable portions; it can get lonely and boring in the back seat of Amanda's (relatively slow) car. With this in mind, I randomly stuck a pin into the World Wide Web and stumbled, quite by chance, upon Cardynham House in Painswick - a town with the epithet "The Queen of the Cotswolds". I am extremely glad that I did, for this place, make no mistake, is an absolute gem. It's the sort of place, in fact, that one should not ever publicise for fear of it becoming so popular that rooms become unavailable and prices become unaffordable. When the boss added this to the site for review potential, he added that this was the sort of place that he would probably love. He certainly wasn't wrong. For all manner of reasons, I prefer hotels to B & B's, yet this place broke the mould. Built in 1489, it still defied superlatives in 2006.
Having checked out their excellent website (You must take a look at http://www.cardynham.co.uk/; you will see exactly what is on offer and it's well worth it!), I made my booking by telephone. John, the owner, was jovial and booked us into our second choice room - and therein lies the charm of this place...
There are eight rooms and each is individually themed and appropriately named, rather than numbered. All but one features a four-poster bed. Given that the pool room with (You guessed it) its private indoor pool is booked months in advance, I'd hoped to secure the tent-themed "Arabian Nights" room with its vibrant colours. It had gone. Our second choice was "Dovecote". And it was even better than I had expected from the web site's description.
Painswick is a beautiful Cotswold village. We drove around it a few times before locating Cardynham House. Had I read the small print properly, I wouldn't have bothered to check in at our first attempt, as there's no guarantee of there being anyone to person the portal (or Man the Door) before 5pm. Have faith, however, and take solace in the fact that there's a good pub (The Royal Oak) right next door. The weather was great, the beer garden was delightful, and life is really rather too short to worry about such trivia as "Will I actually have a roof over my head tonight, when I have decent beer in my belly?"
Our second attempt at check-in was more successful. I rang the bell outside the low door (And you WILL bang your head at least once, incidentally - people were a lot shorter in the Fifteenth Century) a second time. A long-ish wait ensued before Amanda muttered the magic words: This is ridiclou..., which did the trick. Oh, to be Scottish!
A youthful Duty Manager, Wayne, flung open the door and welcomed us in with a cheery smile. Very friendly, very welcoming and very switched-on. I gave my name and our booking details were instantly recognised. "You're in 'Dovecote'", he said. "Head up the stairs - I'll come with you - second floor; you're aiming for room 5!". And up we went...
The room was stunning. An antique four poster bed, thankfully too tall for Josh to climb into, two singles for Josh to choose from, with a blue carpet, white bed linen and an absolute wealth of traditional oak beams. In a chain hotel, this would have been billed as a junior suite; it was a very spacious room and had two televisions; one in the seating area, and one by the Master bed. And if you're seeking heritage, you might as well look no further. Four poster bed, antique furniture, full bookshelves, excellent views in three geographic directions, comfy sofa, exposed beams, superb ensuite bathroom with power shower and Neutrogena toiletries. I had climbed the Stairway to Heaven, and enjoyed bliss.
I have stayed in better hotels. I don't think I can recall a nicer one, though. Work it out!
Evening meals are available; the breakfast room is contracted out at night and becomes a Thai restaurant. We opted, instead, for a really enjoyable pub supper next door.
Breakfast was included in the rate of UKP 87.50 for the three of us. One is asked to state preferences the night before. Not absolutely ideal, to be honest, but we complied. And breakfast was outstanding. It's not a meal I usually indulge in, but this was very special. The porridge was delightful. The bacon clearly had never been within oinking distance of a supermarket. The eggs were clearly straight out of a hen's bottom and were thence cooked to perfection. Fruit juice and tea / coffee were plentiful and service came with more than a smile. The American pancakes and maple syrup were a delight.
We checked out, extremely happy and with only a very reasonable dent in my wallet. I have absolutely no hesitation in recommending this gorgeous and well-run establishment.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
andymcf
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Member: Andrew McFall
Location: Canterbury, Kent, England
Reviews written: 74
Trusted by: 132 members
About Me:
Maths teacher. Father of young Josh. See below!
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