Luxury Family Hotels is announcing a number of exciting pop ups at its hotels this year to entertain families as they enjoy a well-deserved break post lockdown.

After a year of not seeing family and friends, 2021 could well be the year of the big reunion too. So whether you are holidaying with immediate family or can reunite with loved ones and even catch up with missed friends, Luxury Family Hotels has covered off all bases and is making the first of a series of announcements on its Great British Staycation 2021 in a number of its beautifully located hotels.

Simon Maguire, Managing Director, Luxury Family Hotels, himself a dad-of-two who has been balancing working from home with home schooling, comments:

“Families had a really challenging time last year and this third lockdown has been particularly tough on lots of levels. We know from conversations we are having on a daily basis with our guests that families are eagerly anticipating an escape from their daily routine and literally cannot wait to have the chance to kick back and relax, stay in a hotel in a beautiful location, be wined and dined, and enjoy some fun together as well as some long overdue ‘me’ time. As a result, we are delighted to make the first announcement of what we have planned for Luxury Family Hotels’ Great British staycation this spring and summer.”

From the planned reopening of the hotels on Monday 17th May, a series of engaging and fun pop ups will start to appear at a number of the hotels in the Luxury Family Hotels collection. These are set to entertain guests young and old and include…

Moonfleet Manor, Jurassic Coast, Dorset

While the doors have been closed at Moonfleet Manor, the hotel team has been busy refurbishing its lounges, restaurant, cinema and other communal areas, ensuring it is in keeping with the story of Moonfleet and its magnificent seaside location.

Taking advantage of Moonfleet’s wonderful views overlooking Chesil Beach and the Fleet Lagoon, the hotel is launching a pop up pizzeria in the hotel’s garden by the children’s play area. Opening May Half Term (May 28th)i, this will serve freshly made pizza using local Dorset ingredients as well as those just picked from the hotel’s own kitchen garden. As well as a choice of mouth-watering foods, local beers and ales will also be served as well as local ice-creams from award-winning luxury Dorset ice-cream maker Purbeck, including the hugely popular Dig-A-Saurus.

This July also sees the launch of Moonfleet Manor’s first ever Tennis Academy. Offering complimentary and supervised tennis coaching sessions for children aged six to 15-years-old on its two dedicated tennis courts, the Academy launches on 10 July and will run to 5 September 2021. Private tennis lessons will also be available priced £45 per 45-minute session for guests who want to learn from the pros.

As we’ve all been cooped up in our homes during lockdown, an opportunity to have fun outdoors is definitely a focus this year and family members will have the opportunity to challenge each other in Moonfleet Manor’s very own ‘GIANT Games’. Located in the hotel’s grounds, games include giant Jenga, giant dominoes, giant hopscotch and Connect Four.

Rooms from £189 per night on a B&B basis.

The Ickworth, Suffolk

Located on the beautiful and historic Ickworth estate, within 1800 acres of National Trust parkland, The Ickworth is just a two hour drive from London.

Luxury and family life go hand-in-hand at The Ickworth and its team has been busy creating a wonderful pop up – with the emphasis on ‘pop’!

This year, the hotel is partnering with Perrier-Jouët and will open its first ever Perrier-Jouët Cocktail Bar in its beautiful walled garden in July. With relaxed seating, it is set to provide the perfect spot to enjoy a Champagne cocktail while the children play safely on the many outdoor games located in the walled garden.

Open from noon until 10pm daily, the bar will also feature a number of live music sessions at the weekends. Lunch, afternoon tea and a small plates menu will also be available to guests to enjoy.

Rooms from £199 per night on a B&B basis. 

New Park Manor, New Forest

At New Park Manor, guests will be able to enjoy luxury combined with a relaxed, family friendly approach, while staying at the hotel and spa located in the heart of the National Park.

Guests staying at the hotel are in the perfect location and are able to explore the New Forest. Why not try and become an amateur wildlife detective and see if you can find badgers, deer (Red and Fallow), buzzards, New Forest ponies and pigs – all regularly spotted in the New Forest? The hotel staff will be on hand to offer their local tips on best places for wildlife spotting.

As well as all that the New Forest has to offer including biking and nature walks, the hotel will host a pop up English Sparkling Wine bar in collaboration with the team at Hambledon Vineyard which is situated a short drive away from New Park Manor.

The bar will serve the classic Cuvee and Rose sparkling wine which guests can enjoy while relaxing in the gardens as children have fun in the outdoor playground. A selection of light bites – paired by the team at Hambledon and New Park Manor – will be available throughout the day. The bar will be open throughout July and August from lunchtime through till 8.30pm.

New Park Manor’s OFSTED-registered Den team will also be planning a range of family activities including den building, leaf printing and nature walks.

As the sun shines and temperatures increase, New Park Manor’s outdoor heated pool, with its stylish loungers, is the perfect oasis for families to enjoy.

Guests who want to up the pace and get the heart rate going, will also be able to join the hotel’s fitness trainers who will be offering Circuit Training, HIIT, high energy kids’ classes, as well as ‘Follow the Leader’ for younger guests too.  Yoga classes will also be available for those who prefer some inner calm and relaxation.

Rooms from £189 per night on a B&B basis.

Fowey Hall, Fowey, Cornwall

Overlooking the Fowey estuary, Fowey Hall offers the perfect place for rest and relaxation, excitement and adventure and is an idyllic destination for a luxury family-friendly holiday by the sea.

In the food and drink stakes, Cornwall is a national and global force to be reckoned with. From fertile land and clean seas, comes the finest fresh produce visitors will find anywhere. Celebrating the fabulous local producers is the main focus for Fowey Hall’s pop up as it launches a bi-weekly market starting 30th May. Running every other Sunday morning, 9.30am-12.30pm, it will feature stalls offering food, beverage, craft and community initiative, and will run throughout the summer.

To bring to life the concept, the hotel is partnering with Farms to Feed Us (an organisation that connects small-scale farmers with consumers) and the market will feature hand picked producers and artists who share the hotel’s vision for sustainable and local produce. The market will offer guests a chance to pick up gifts and something for themselves while supporting local producers as well as being a lovely memory of their stay at Fowey Hall.

After the market has finished and just before dinner (4.30pm-6pm), talented local musicians will be given a platform to showcase their talents while guests enjoy the hotel’s terrace with spectacular views over the estuary and children can play in its extensive grounds.

The hotel team is also preparing to officially launch its new Wind in the Willows inspired children’s play area where children of all ages can run wild. The play area has been created by TouchWood Designs, who have recently worked with The Duchess of Cambridge on her Back to Nature garden at the Chelsea Flower Show and on her new play area at RHS Wisley. Full of fun and adventure it includes a 30-metre zip wire, nest swings, springer lily pads and an event space where children can read a classic tale or enact a play of their own.

Rooms from £279 per night on a B&B basis.

Further news on Woolley Grange Hotel’s pop up along with a new Afternoon Tea launching, available at all of the hotels in the collection, will be released next month.

Each one of the Luxury Family Hotels also offers 1.5 hours free childcare each day for guests to take advantage of as well as family swim times and a range of pampering spa treatments.

For bookings, please telephone 020 8076 5555 or visit luxuryfamilyhotels.co.uk

Follow Luxury Family Hotels on Instagram/Twitter: @LFHotels and on Facebook: facebook.com/luxuryfamilyhotels

Even though this Christmas does not resemble seasons past, there are still memories to be made with loved ones during the upcoming festive break at The Ickworth this December.

After the year we have all encountered, with the challenges of home schooling, working from home and missing visiting close relatives due to the pandemic, families deserve a wonderful break away and a chance to escape the daily routine we are all bound by at the moment.

To help identify the key factors of a truly enjoyable stay away from home, Luxury Family Hotels has commissioned research involving 1,000 families. They were asked a number of questions relating to what they are most looking forward to on their next break away. The most popular responses included:

• a change of scenery (53%);
• someone else taking over the cooking (41%);
• spending time with their partner (34%);
• some ‘me’ time (29%);
• reading a magazine, book or paper in quiet (21%); and
• having their children looked after by someone else (21%).

The research also uncovered the increasing importance of wellness. One in five of those surveyed (21%) indicated that an element of wellness was an important factor in their typical family break, and of those, 50% said that it has become more important to them now due to Covid.

In response to the research, Luxury Family Hotel’s The Ickworth (www.ickworthhotel.co.uk)  – a country house hotel where luxury and family life go hand in hand – is offering a number of tailor-made festive packages to add some festive sparkle this Christmas and New Year for all the family.

Packages include:

• Christmas Break: Rates are from £1,545 for a three-night dinner-inclusive package based on two adults and up to two children sharing a room.
• Recharger Break: the ultimate relaxing break and a chance to truly recharge away from normal routines. Rates are from £1,335 for a three-night dinner-inclusive package based on two adults sharing a room.
• New Year Break: A truly memorable three night celebration. Rates are from £2,025 for a three-night package, based on two adults and up to two children sharing a room.
• New Year Recharger Break: A relaxing post hustle and bustle three night New Year Recharger Break. Rates from £1,335, based on two adults sharing a room.

Within each of the packages, there will be a chance for all members of the family to kick back and relax and have fun to boot! For example, children can look forward to enjoying a range of activities in the OFSTED registered Den – the team has already planned a number of festive themed craft sessions as well as a whole host of games. For those who love the great outdoors, there’s plenty of bike rides, clambering on trees and outdoor dens to be built. And after either a family dinner or children’s high tea, there is a chance to finish off a fun-filled day with a supervised movie night with popcorn and chocolate milk.

Parents meanwhile have the chance to enjoy some well deserved ‘me’ time while the children are in a supervised Den session for one and a half hours. From simply finding a cosy corner by a roaring fire to read a book in one of the hotel’s lounges to indulging in a spot of ELEMIS pampering in one of the hotel’s treatment room, the wellbeing-ometer is guaranteed to go up.

As well as enjoying a swim in the hotel’s indoor heated swimming pool, families can also explore the wonderful grounds of The Ickworth by foot or by bike. The hotel team highly recommend its new multi use trail which gives greater access to the historic 1,800 acres of parkland, enabling people to get closer to nature. The trail goes through various terrains: fields of sheep, woods, meadows, landscaped parkland. The views change all the time and guests are kept captivated and interested.

Food and drink is of course a highlight when staying at the hotel with its excellent kitchen team service locally sourced ingredients throughout your stay. Think hearty breakfasts, traditional festive lunches with all the trimmings, cream teas and wonderful dinners for all the family. Its beverage team is also ready to shake up some favourite cocktails and mocktails, offers a vast wine list and not forgetting some delicious mulled wine to get guests in the festive mood.

The Ickworth adjoins the National Trust’s Ickworth property and is just two hours from London, enveloped in rolling Suffolk countryside. Before becoming a luxury family hotel it was the home of the Hervey family and is steeped in fascinating history. Hotel guests can also gain exclusive access to Ickworth’s gardens, designed by Capability Brown, throughout their stay and also have exclusive access an hour before they are open to the wider public.

Booking:

• +44 (0) 208 076 5555
• www.luxuryfamilyhotels.co.uk

And for those who want to look forward to a break away next year, vouchers are also available to buy in denominations of £20 and as gift packages for breaks away, afternoon tea and spa treatment which is a wonderful present and something to look forward to in 2021.