Earlier this month I made the journey to the Cotswolds to experience the beauty of Dormy House Hotel & Spa. The 17th century farmhouse has recently undergone a £10 million renovation and we were there to check out the new digs. Now, it’s February in the UK which means the weather outside is less than ideal. The journey up was rainy and grey. But, all is forgotten the moment the front door to Dormy House is swung open. My first foot in and I’m met with warmth, the smell of a roaring fire and soft furnishings everywhere I turn. All I want to do is drop my luggage, curl up in a leather chair with a warm cup of tea and place my wet feet directly in front of burning logs. I have to hold out for just a little longer as I have to make it through check-in first.
After filling in a few forms, I’m given my key to “the attic.” The key is held on a large brass owl keyring that represents a theme we’ll see throughout the hotel. Owls are a thing here. I take my overnight bag and make my way upstairs to my room which is, in fact, an attic. After unlocking my front door and finding a beautiful Rob Ryan piece hung on the wall in front of me, I climb a further set of stairs to access my main room. What Dormy House have managed to put together in a rather difficult space is commendable. The room itself is beautifully decorated and so feels like home that I’m immediately at ease and feel the stress of the city melt away promptly. The weather outside is frightful, but this space is a world apart from any nonsense outside. Shades of pink and white run throughout the attic, with neutral colouring filling in the blanks. This is a soft room, perfect for the “getaway feeling.” The only space better than that of the glorious bed is the oversized bathroom.
In the Attic at Dormy House, the bathroom is actually bigger than most studio flats in London. There is a tub that can easily fit three people, a shower that could accommodate six and floor space to hold a disco party with no problems whatsoever. Truly, I would have been content with the bathroom alone.
But one cannot spend the entire evening locked away in their fairytale quarters. There were drinks to be had, dinner to be served and spa facilities to check out. My adventure was only just beginning.
Drinks were sampled fireside, and again I found it hard to tear myself away. Finding a locally sourced burger on the dinner menu, however, had me on my feet in no time. Dinner itself was delightful. The hit of the evening was the Camembert starter. Everyone reached across the table to get a taste of this delightful winter treat. Beautiful wine, delicious and fresh foods, heavenly desserts and just enough coffee to keep me awake for the remainder of the evening, made this a meal to remember. The coffee bit is important as you’ll see at the very end, the Robot and I made another video and I think you’ll find I might have overdosed on the caffeine in an effort to make the video happen. Enjoy that!
The next day I treated myself to breakfast in bed and did feel horrible for the poor chap who had to make his way up the winding stairs in my chambre to make that possible. He did so, however, without breaking a sweat. Very impressive indeed.
After lounging about for what seemed like forever, I pulled my lazy rear end out of the world’s coziest bed, threw on a bathing suit, bathrobe and slippers, and made my way to the spa. Yeah, can you tell it’s a hard life here at Dormy House? The spa is actually a brand new edition to the hotel, having just opened the previous week. While it does have that brand-spanking-new feel to it, it’s also a space that seems to feel just as homely and stress-free as the rest of Dormy House. For the morning, I lounged by the pool, spent way too much time turning into a prune in the bubble bath outdoors, and even took in a delightful early lunch with girlfriends in the spa cafe. Then came the moment of pure relaxation – a full body massage in the spa. There isn’t much I can say about this as I was so relaxed I drifted right off to sleep. All I know is when I came to I felt as if London were a lifetime away. Blog, what blog? Dormy House saved my tattered soul with the kiss of pure bliss.
Now I’m back in London and the shoulders are hunched over the computer as I write, the coffee is sitting beside me as I burn the midnight oil and I’m starting to loose feeling in my legs as I’ve been glued to this chair for eight hours straight. But even as I sit here and feel the stress slowing seeping in, I know I have a retreat not too far from London which will quickly snap me back to goodness should I need it. And let me tell you, I know I’ll need it.
Dormy House HotelWillersey HillBroadwayWorcestershireWR12 7LF
01386 852711
