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Hotels & Inns

THE WOBURN HOTEL

This refurbed hotel in the middle of the pretty Georgian town of Woburn offers fine dining and a family-friendly vibe to keep you happy after you’ve had your fill of the Safari Park and Abbey Gardens.
THE DOG & BADGER

This slick inn near Henley has added six luxe hotel rooms for an appealing 30 second stagger to bed after dinner. Shall we?

THE PORCH HOUSE, STOW

Take one 10th century stunner, add an award-winning restaurant, boutique rooms and a quintessential Cotswold location. Now add gin, book up and enjoy
The Fat Fox Inn, Watlington

I reviewed The Fat Fox Inn in Watlington, South Oxon, on Muddy last year, but since then there’s been a tickle of a refurb and a new chef waving his wooden spoon (yeah, they all do that you know). So, not to be too greedy, I dispatched Sarah – ex Muddy Berks doncha know – to see what she made of it…

Glazebrook House: A Rabbit Hole You’ll Want To Tumble Down

New Year New Muddies! You can now, delightfully, receive your Muddy Stilettos fix in 13 counties – the fragrant Muddy Cambridgshire and Muddy Devon have just launched and my, they’re looking pretty. I’ve been writing a bit about potential holidays on the south coast over the last few weeks and so thought I should let […]
Stay here: Vanbrugh House Hotel, Oxford

You had me at ‘Georgian front door’. Vanbrugh House Hotel won the Muddy Stilettos Award 2016 for best boutique hotel and having stayed the night it’s easy to see why. This honey-stoned beauty, bang in central Oxford, offers something a bit different. Firstly, there’s no restaurant for dinner and no bar, and I loved that, […]

Fit for a queen

Fancy something a bit different on the blogaroo today? No problem, may I offer you a stay in the Cotswolds castle where Henry VIII and Ann Boleyn spent 10 days of their honeymoon? Yes, seriously! This gorgeous piece of stoneware is Thornbury Castle, a Tudor beauty built between 1512 – 1521 whose history includes the […]
All hail The Crown inn, Woodstock

Cool place to stay alert! Muddy Stilettos recently had the rather preeny pleasure of being the first journo to try out bedrooms in the 18th century former coaching inn of The Crown in Woodstock (I know, where’s my trophy?). The Crown has given the other pubs and inns in the town a bit of a […]

Family stay: Stoke Park Hotel & Country Club

It’s been a while since I’ve written a feature for a glossy – I’m full-time Muddying these days – so it was a throw-back thrill to write a more magaziney piece for Stoke Park magazine. Here’s the feature if you fancy reading it – a family stay at the hotel. Not something you’re going to […]
Muddy stays: The Elms hotel, Worcester

I used to go on sooooo many short UK breaks when I lived in London – like most city-dwellers I was desperate to escape the smoke and see some sheep. But somehow with kids and school and, er, lack of funds, it’s much more of an occasional treat these days. I took the kids and […]