A few weekends ago I was invited to a Hallmark Hotel, specifically The Welcombe in Stratford-Upon-Avon, for afternoon tea and an overnight stay, so today I’m sharing my experience with you guys…

Firstly can I just say, it’s so crazy to think that just a few weeks ago it was warm enough to wear this dress in the evening and now I’m wrapped up in knitwear whilst typing this, debating lighting the fire… anyway, back to our weekend away. We arrived in Stratford-Upon-Avon, if you haven’t ever visited, make sure you do, it’s lovely, there’s so much to do, we chose to spend a couple of hours being typical tourists and headed straight to Shakespeare’s birthplace home, but actually I was surprised at the amazing choice of shops in the main highstreet too, if there’s a ‘The White Company’ shop, I rate the place immediately… we were only there for a couple of hours before we had to head back to the hotel in time for afternoon tea.

Now I had been told in advance that The Welcombe is the best of all the Hallmark Hotels, but as soon as we turned off the main road onto the long drive I could see why, it’s stunning, you know the kind of house… scratch that, hall, that Mr Darcy lived in? Yeah picture that… or just scroll down to see more! But even the front of the hotel was nothing to match the back, the most incredible gardens (hence the opportunity for a quick photo before dinner – it just had to be done), plus the gardens then looked out onto the Hotel’s golf course so it was just green for miles and miles. We checked in and to my surprise we had the suite booked under my name, (yep, a freaking suite, I couldn’t believe it), and it was incredible. I’ve never stayed anywhere like it… huge, huge room, the most epic bathroom ever, if there’s gold taps and leopards on the wallpaper you know it’s good), the biggest bed in the world (honestly, Matt woke up in the middle of the night and thought he’d lost me because I was so far away ha!) and the most amazing views looking over the gardens. Picture perfect.

Afternoon tea though… well is there anything better? Tea, sandwiches, cake, Prosecco… all my favourite things. Sadly I couldn’t eat absolutely all of it because there was just so much choice but my god it was delicious, and with a lovely view of the gardens too. I felt a little bit like I was starring in Downton Abbey. Give me all the cake.

Oh, I almost forgot to mention. There’s the most gorgeous spa at the hotel too so it seriously does tick all the boxes, perfect if you are on the hunt for a special weekend away!

Thank you Hallmark Hotels for a wonderful, luxurious stay, we’ll be back!!

Disclaimer: I was a guest of Hallmark Hotels for this trip but as always my words and opinions (and love of tea and cake) are my own.