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I’ve got some time off between jobs, and looking to exploit it now that the weather is getting better.
Are there ways to easily search for cheap deals for B&Bs, boutique hotels, etc within 2 hours drive of London? For midweek stays? Especially if I’m flexible and can book last minute?
Or any personal recommendations for a nice place that is exceptional value midweek? I quite like going for long hikes and quaint villages/towns to explore. Spa hotels – not my thing, but a good pool is welcome!
I’ve found some great deals on Sunday nights, often half the price of Fri/Sat, but I don’t know of any specific sites which target the weekday market.
The Indigo in Stratford Upon Avon is extremely quaint and near some lovely countryside but might be a bit far from London. That area and Warwick etc has some lovely places to explore.
I love the south east as well (Wiltshire/Somerset etc), there are so many ancient sites to wander round. Another Indigo, Bath, is a very nice base for this area.
If you like historical places and have plenty of time to explore, joining English Heritage or the National Trust is a very cost-effective way of getting access to lots of lovely places.
I love the south east as well (Wiltshire/Somerset etc), there are so many ancient sites to wander round. Another Indigo, Bath, is a very nice base for this area.
As a Somerset native, I can promise you that if you describe it as being in, or related to, the South East you will be hoisted and paraded by tractor around the county 🤣.
Oh dear, my coffee clearly hasn’t kicked in yet 😂
Living in a semi-rural area myself I spend enough time being stuck behind tractors, so accept my grovelling apologies!Also – the posh places like The Langley don’t seem to have much price difference during the week so I don’t know whether work patterns have changed so much that bargains are quite rare. I looked at booking a couple of nights for OH’s birthday but at nudging £600 pn I decided it was on the wrong side of crazy when you don’t even get breakfast with that!
@dahokolomoki – for hiking, the Beetle and Wedge in Moulsford gives directs access to the Thames Path and the Ridgeway which gives a huge web of fantastic and varied hikes of with wonderful views all over the North Wessex Downs, good rooms and excellent riverside restaurant. Nearby very traditional award winning pub, The Bell in Aldworth and also restaurants and pubs in Goring. The Fleur de Lys in Bampton is a new inn/restaurant in a nice village (the church and streets are what you see in Downton) and it’s near Burford which is very beautiful if a little busy and other much smaller Cotswold villages. Also near there is the Bell at Langford which has great food and accommodation, the only downside maybe that it’s quite isolated. Also, I’ve mentioned here before the Feathered Nest at Nether Westcote which is a lovely place. I’m afraid none of those places have a pool, but once you add that facility you are talking about a different sort of accommodation.
@dahokolomoki – for hiking, the Beetle and Wedge in Moulsford gives directs access to the Thames Path and the Ridgeway which gives a huge web of fantastic and varied hikes of with wonderful views all over the North Wessex Downs, good rooms and excellent riverside restaurant. Nearby very traditional award winning pub, The Bell in Aldworth and also restaurants and pubs in Goring. The Fleur de Lys in Bampton is a new inn/restaurant in a nice village (the church and streets are what you see in Downton) and it’s near Burford which is very beautiful if a little busy and other much smaller Cotswold villages. Also near there is the Bell at Langford which has great food and accommodation, the only downside maybe that it’s quite isolated. Also, I’ve mentioned here before the Feathered Nest at Nether Westcote which is a lovely place. I’m afraid none of those places have a pool, but once you add that facility you are talking about a different sort of accommodation.
Completely support @JDB’s idea of Burford: not too busy midweek but stuff going on. Easy walk to the Carpenter’s Arms in Fulbrook and a lovely one to the Swan at Swinbrook (more Downton!). Had a VERY good price/quality meal at the newly refurbished Prince of Burford; they also have rooms, a fantastic location (can walk to the garden centre if that’s your thing) and car park (no small thing around these parts).
Secret Escapes is worth a look. You get decent off peak deals dumped on there from quite plush places.
+1 Secret Escaoes, Look at Travelzoo too
Thank you for all the suggestions!
Especially JDB – all those places look fab. Have decided to do the Fleur de Lys. They had a midweek offer (buy one night, get the second half price, and also including 3-course dinner for two one of the nights). £260 for a mid-range Double Room for two for two nights, can’t complain.
Thank you for all the suggestions!
Especially JDB – all those places look fab. Have decided to do the Fleur de Lys. They had a midweek offer (buy one night, get the second half price, and also including 3-course dinner for two one of the nights). £260 for a mid-range Double Room for two for two nights, can’t complain.
Hope you have a great time. Assuming you have a car, definitely follow @MichaelC advice to go to Swinbrook (15-20 mins from Bampton) and it’s a nice walk from there to Burford. In the opposite direction it’s about 2 miles to the Thames Path at Tadpole Bridge where the Trout Inn is a nice riverside pub. If it’s the sort of thing that interests you, Kelmscott Manor, home of William Morris, so a monument to Arts & Crafts design is open I think Thu-Sat. There’s a decent pub The Plough in that village and The Bell at Langford I originally mentioned is close. The market town of Faringdon isn’t far and beyond that is the White Horse at Uffington – a bit of classic England with quite a few footpaths around!
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