As promised in my previous post this is a little blog about my birthday in Lincoln.
As a surprise, my other half very kindly booked up for us to stay at a beautiful hotel called Branston Hall for the night, just outside of Lincoln. He chose Lincoln because the journey from Norwich is pretty straightforward, even if much of it is along single track carriageway.
I will confess that I have stayed at this hotel before and really loved it, so thought I’d better review it this time.
Stunning surroundings
Branston Hall is a beautiful country house dating back to 1885, set in 88 acres of fields and overlooking a very pretty lake. With such surroundings, it’s peaceful and quiet – just perfect for a short break.
In fact, it is the ideal wedding venue too, because the scenery is ideal for photographs. It would also be great for a party, because it has a function suite housed in an extension with its own bar.
As I was neither getting married nor partying, my OH booked one of the gorgeously decorated 51 rooms. With a queen-sized bed and a huge bathroom, it was the perfect place to kick back and relax.
In fact, if you really want to splash out there is a spa in the grounds, which often has special offers if you’re staying at the hotel. If you’re not feeling so flush, you can take advantage of the hotel’s gym (which is rather small, but adequate) and swimming pool.
Food fanatic
As you may have guessed, one of the major plus points for me was the restaurant. Serving up high quality food and wine, it was always going to be a winner. My absolute favourite dish was the starter of smoked mackerel with chorizo, potatoes and gooseberry jam. It was cooked perfectly and the flavours really complemented each other.
My only niggle is that, even though dinner was included with the room (along with breakfast), there was a supplement on some of the meals. Although the maximum supplement was only £6, it did come as a little bit of a surprise.
Breakfast was of a good standard too. Although it offered the usual buffet of cereals, fruit, fry up and yogurt, you could also ask to have kippers, porridge and other items to be cooked fresh. If I recommend one breakfast food, it would have to be the Lincolnshire sausages…!
The drinks were of average price, £6 for a large glass of wine, so although that is pricey, it’s not unexpected.
If I’ve encouraged you to take a weekend away, visit their website to find out more.
Branston Hall is located in the village of Branston, 4 miles from Lincoln city centre.