We love travelling to hotels we can really relax in. After a week of busy work a weekend away at somewhere that combines family friendly with a touch of luxury is the perfect tonic and The Elms Hotel in Worcestershire has a great balance.
The Elms, Worcestershire – Hotel and Location:
Worcestershire is such a beautiful part of the country – packed full of historic houses and interesting countryside it’s an ideal place for a country break. The Elms is right in the middle of it and as part of the Luxury Family Hotels collection, you know it’s going to be good.
The Elms is three hundred years old and full of period features with fireplaces, sweeping staircases and gorgeous kitchen gardens. It’s a hotel to really enjoy and with an on-site kids club, swimming pool and spa it’s somewhere that’s hard to leave.
The Elms, Worcestershire – Sleeps:
This is a beautiful historic house so every room is different but unusually for converted houses The Elms still manages to have some inter-connecting rooms. We were lucky enough to get one of these inter-connecting (always my favourite way to stay with our three children) which consisted of –
A gorgeous master bedroom with huge, comfortable bed –
A spacious bathroom –
With some of my favourite, Voya products. And I love that they provide these in large bottles to use in the room, saving on the throw away plastic bottles which just add to so much landfill –
Tha bathroom then connected through to another bathroom and then a double bedroom for the children –
I love the rooms at The Elms, they were comfortable but had that extra touch like big, comfy chairs to enjoy the great range of magazines from and Orla Kiely mugs for cups of tea –
The Elms, Worcestershire – Food:
Breakfast at The Elms was a nice spread of pastries, cereals and juices –
There was also fruit salad and breads and jams and then you could order from the hot menu with beans on toast or tappy eggs (as our three call them) and soldiers. The children loved being brought hot chocolates –
And we enjoyed some great dishes from the adult’s menu – I couldn’t resist the waffles with maple syrup, creme fraiche and berry compote – a lovely weekend treat! –
At dinner you can opt for a high tea for children, family dining or using the in-room monitoring service you can dine in the adult-only restaurant too. It’s great that there are so many options to pick and close what’s right for your family.
We decided to enjoy the family dining which had delicious and really imaginative starters like a tasty tofu which was full of flavour –
The children really enjoyed their meals which come in two menu groups, with the younger children up to five years old having one menu and those six and over having another which reflects the portion sizes. Our oldest son had fish goujons and chips while the younger children both tucked in to pizzas –
Our main courses were a bit more hit and miss, I enjoyed a mushroom risotto but the fish and chips went largely uneaten and wasn’t particularly enjoyed which was disappointing. The desserts were much more up to standard with a delicious lemon posset and homemade shortbread –
And the children loved their knickerbocker glories.
What we all really enjoyed was the ability to eat in a very nice dining room with other parents. Diners without children are in a separate dining area, so it’s a great place for children to eat in a formal setting but with other families all around, so completely friendly and welcoming, and the staff particularly went out of their way to make this a really enjoyable experience.
The Elms, Worcestershire – The Best Bits:
This is a beautiful historic house and it feels such a wonderful place to come and really relax. When we visited in winter the numerous lounges had fires burning and it really did feel like a place to kick off the shoes, grab a magazine and indulge in some chill out time!
Because of the Kids clubs – see below – it means that the adults can get time to relax too. And along with the lounges there is a great spa offering up all the treatments to pamper yourself. I tried out their luxury facial which was really lovely. The therapist really understood the products and my skin, and tailored the facial to suit it. It was a wonderful hour of skin pampering and it felt amazing afterwards. I would definitely recommend it.
Even if you don’t make it to the spa don’t miss the brilliant pools which are super warm and come complete with floats and even water pistols for the children to enjoy. We loved the indoor / outdoor jacuzzi which was a lovely way to spend an afternoon relaxing in. There are no restrictions for kids use either so my oldest two enjoyed a late-night after dinner swim which they thought was a real treat!
The Elms, Worcestershire – Worth Bearing in Mind:
The Elms is a historic house and not purpose built so there are some elements that you probably wouldn’t get in a purpose built hotel, but for me that’s all the charm of it.
Probably the only slight disappointment though was the food which while overall wasn’t bad, had one or two dishes which let it down. That aside the dining area is such a great space for children to get used to more formal dining and for that we thought it was brilliant.
The Elms, Worcestershire – Child Friendly?
This is probably the most child-friendly, combined with luxury, hotel experience you are going to get. With a real feeling of camaraderie from other parents who are all looking to continue enjoying a luxury hotel experience but wanting to know they are welcome there with their children.
From the wellies lined up by the back door ready to help yourself to, to the bottle washing service this is somewhere to come away to and not worry….in fact, scrap not worrying, to really enjoy!
For each day of your stay your child is also entitled to two hours of childcare in The Elm’s fantastic ’The Bears Den’ kids club. My children went along and had a great time colouring, making crafts and having fun while we got to sip hot chocolate in the lounge and I went off for a spa treatment. Our children aren’t always big fans of kids clubs but they loved it so much they begged us to go back the following day.
The hotel also has so many other lovely details from a croquet lawn for the summer, to a fairy trail where you can hunt for all the little fairy doors around the grounds – lots to keep a family entertained.
There are also books and board games, trampolines and playgrounds. We loved stumbling across Barney the tractor with its sign to please clamber on to him. It’s little touches like this that just feel so welcoming and fun.
I really feel that for parents who like the added luxury element but are nervous about taking their child to a traditional high-end hotel then The Elms is perfect. You can enjoy all those added touches and feel like you’ve had a great, pampered break but in a space where children are truly welcome, catered for completely and allowed to have fun. What’s not to love?!
Here’s a short video of our visit to The Elms.
Ready to book?
You can find out more at the hotel website.
Globalmouse was the guest of the The Elms, Worcestershire but as always all opinions are our own.
What to do nearby: Lower Brockhampton Manor House and Estate, Herefordshire – National Trust