Picture this! A lady who I support was having new flooring in her room and needed to go away for a couple of days while the work was being done.
Where to take her?
I browsed the Internet looking for somewhere to stay. I looked at hotels in Eastbourne, Brighton, Worthing and Littlehampton. Then I had a bright idea (bit of a shock that, I don't often)
The lady I was going away with loves animals and I had wanted to take her to Marwell Zoo sometime, it is about an hour and a half drive from where she lives so would make a really long day out for her so why not combine her trip away with a zoo visit?
I typed Marwell Hotel into Google and came up with a website full of information. It sounded perfect and wasn't too expensive so I phoned them and booked a room for us.
I am not going to review the web site, anyone interested can go and have a look at it, this review is of our experience of the Hotel.
http://www.marwellhotel.co.uk/default_ie.htm
Where is it?
Hampshire.
How to get there.
From the East and West take exit 4 off the M27, from the North take exit 11off theM3After that it gets a bit complicated so if you look on the website you can print detailed directions from whichever way you are coming from.
How much would it cost you?
Well, for what we had, a family room, which includes, dinner, breakfast and a ticket per person into the zoo, this summer it will cost £129 per room per night which is about the same as last September (2004) which is when we went. A double/twin room is £119.00 per room
per night. Very reasonable I think for what we got.
The Hotel.
This isn't an ordinary hotel, not a high rise building with lifts to all floors. This is a series of large lodge type buildings, a couple of floors high and all connected by glass walled walkways. This hotel is set amongst woods full of wildlife where you really feel you are amongst nature. It is peaceful but at the same time noisy, birds and animals rather than traffic and people make the noise. It is a place where you feel the need to sit and watch rather than rush out and charge around. There are walks amongst the woods and a track to run if you feel that energetic.
Reception and check in.
We checked in mid afternoon. I just walked up to the long reception desk and told them who I was and gave the reference number that I was given when I booked. The people at the reception were really helpful, cheerful and welcoming. We were given our room key and directions to our room.
A walk along a glass walled walkway, some ramps and just a few steps and we found our room, I opened the door and we entered a lovely room. I had tried to book a twin room and after a little confusion (there were only the two of us but I wanted two beds) we booked a family room.
The whole hotel is decorated in a natural theme with white walls and lots of natural wood, although there are displays from different countries around especially in the bar and dining room, this pulls the hotel towards the zoo with their animals from around the world. I found it restful as well as very interesting, some decorator has taken a lot of time and put a lot of thought into making this hotel a fascinating place to stay.
There were two beds, one queen sized (4ft wide) and a single. Both were covered with thick fluffy soft white duvets and had several huge pillows, they did look inviting.
Looking round the room I saw a kettle and in a cupboard enough sachets tea/coffee/hot chocolate to keep us well supplied with hot drinks from the kettle. There was plenty of wardrobe space and drawers, more than enough for a stay of a couple of days, our clothes looked a bit lost hanging in the wardrobes. The television worked fine with a clear picture and could be easily watched from both beds.
The bathroom was nicely decorated with all the basics and a stack of thick white towels. The lighting was perfectly adequate and there were plenty of mirrors for applying make up or looking to see if we looked ok.
The best bit though was the French windows that opened onto an outside walkway, we spent quite a lot of time quietly standing and watching the many species of birds as well as squirrels playing and eating.
I looked through the brochure to see what else the hotel offered and these were the things we could do.
We could go to the gym (free) We could go for a swim, spa or steam room (free) We could have a manicure We could have any one of several different beauty treatments We could go and have a drink at the bar or a pot of tea Or, we could go to dinner.
I glanced at my watch and we went to dinner.
The dining room was really well presented. The tablecloths were white, the cutlery was gleaming and the glassware was sparkling, each table had a candle burning in a glass, which added to the effect. My friend (for want of a better word) wanted to blow the candle out; I think she thought it was her birthday.
The food was good, well cooked, of good quality and nicely presented, although fairly basic, steaks, fish, vegetarian dishes and a children's menu with burgers, sausages and chips. We were totally unadventurous and ate really good fish and chips. Dessert, there were
Pictures of Marwell Hotel
Marwell Hotel
quite a few different choices most of which I have forgotten but my friend had an apple pie and cream while I ate cheese and biscuits, not the most varied cheeses but tasty which was fine by me.We didn't sample anything from the wine list. I know nothing of wine but it looked like a comprehensive list to me, there were lots of choices and prices varied so I think most people would be able to find something to suit their palate and their pocket.
The dining room was quiet, the waiters friendly and the food good so I'd give these 5 stars. Here you might remember that I was with a lady who lives in an institution and who is not used to hotels or smart restaurants. The only slight difficulty we experienced was that she wanted to clear the table once dinner was over, a friendly waiter obligingly cleared for us without showing that this was unusual so he gets 5 stars as well.
For the rest of the evening we watched some television, did some colouring, and then had a bath where the water was piping hot and the toiletries supplied filled our room with a pleasantfragrance.
And so to bed.
We made ourselves a hot drink, put the bedside lamps on and turned the television down low. I must say here that seeing this lady propped up on numerous pillows, covered by a thick white duvet and drinking hot chocolate while watching TV. is a sight that will stay with me for life. This lady doesn't talk but her smile is worth a million words and she smiled a lot during our stay. The bed I slept in was really comfortable and we both woke rested and refreshed in the morning.
We went in September so didn't really need heating but the radiators came on for a little while in the evenings and kept the room nice and warm.
Breakfast.
We had this in our room, there was a card to fill in and hang on our door at night. There were loads of things to choose from and I seemed to have ticked too many boxes so a veritable feast arrived at 8am sharp. My friend had cereal, yoghurt, pains aux chocolat and toast with preserves. I had fruit, pains aux chocolat and toast, then we had tea and biscuits and wished we hadn't eaten quite so much.
We spent part of the day wandering round the zoo and part of it taking a trip to the New Forest to see the ponies.
The second evening, after a full and tiring day we had dinner in our room while watching the wildlife outside the windows and listening to the sounds of the woods. Once again the food was delicious and delivered to our room piping hot.
So, that was our stay, after the second comfortable night and a second huge and wonderful breakfast we packed our bags and drove home.
Checking out was as simple as checking in had been. I asked for an itemised receipt for our stay because the lady I was with needed this to show what we had spent her money on. This was quickly printed out for us.
I want to praise the staff of this hotel for their friendly welcoming manner and above all their professionalism. You have to understand that I am used to people with learning disabilities. I work with/ support them daily. I know probably over a hundred learning disabled people who I can greet by name and know where and with whom they live, but sometimes, while out, shopping, having fun or eating we do get some strange looks. The staff at the Marwell Hotel didn't give us strange looks or treat us any differently to anybody else staying at their hotel, so 5 stars for them all.
So, who would enjoy staying here?
I think this hotel would suit couples of any age wanting a quiet weekend away. While there I thought it would be a most romantic place to stay with someone you love. I plan to go back with my husband sometime this winter and sample all the delights on offer. (I can swim, gym and spa while he can sit in the bar, ha ha) There are a few disabled rooms with level access and there are ramps all over the place, which would suit wheelchair users. The family rooms would be lovely for a couple with young children, and the menu does cater for children. We saw a couple of children in the hotel during our stay but not many, less than I had expected with the zoo so near.
There is an adequate free car park and disabled bays near the entrance of the hotel.
It is within easy walking distance of Marwell Zoo with no main roads to cross.
And to answer my question in the title. Yes, we did hear a lion roar during the night (or something anyway, and it did feel quite exciting being that close to lions, tigers and giraffes etc.)
Thanks for reading this, I do seem to have gone on a bit :o)
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Advantages: Great zoo, Pleasantly laid out, well kept animals, lots of explanations Disadvantages: Not enough for very young kids, erratic snack bar opening times. .
jenny2write 14.08.2006 (14.08.2006)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful
Review of Marwell Zoo, London
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