Preview: Romance Is in the Air at Luxury Family Hotels This Coming Valentine's Weekend

19 Jan 2016

Romance Is in the Air at Luxury Family Hotels This Coming Valentine's Weekend

Valentine's Day is a time when couples can enjoy some quality time together but with children in tow, it can sometimes be a challenge to enjoy a romantic meal, glass of wine or even walk together. Luxury Family Hotels has come up with three cupid-themed breaks for couples to enjoy as well as the rest of the family.

Valentine's Weekend Fit for a King and Queen: Thornbury Castle, Cotswolds

Why? Chance for couples to step back in time and stay in this extraordinary Tudor castle. This hotel offers the perfect luxurious retreat – combining 500-year-old architecture with sumptuous facilities – and a romantic backdrop that will melt anyone's heart.
What's special about it?: This is a hotel steeped in history, surrounded by unspoiled grounds and abutting the lovely landscape of the Cotswolds. Add to that a restaurant that developed a Michelin-starred reputation in the 1970s, drawing stars from all over the world to dine there, and now where couples can dine in peace and privacy next to a roaring fire – and you have a hotel that offers the ultimate romantic setting. As soon as guests arrive at Thornbury Castle, they will feel they have stepped back in time given its historic surroundings and amazing interiors. Lounges with roaring fires welcome guests, dining areas look fit for a king or queen, and palatial bedrooms really make Thornbury Castle stand out from the rest.

Bedrooms: Each of the 26 bedchambers is unique – most with coronet or four-poster beds. While focusing attention on historical detail, the castle's designers have not skimped on contemporary luxuries. The rooms are far warmer than they would have been in Henry VIII's time and the bathrooms are both opulent and well-appointed with everything you would expect in a top-flight ensuite.
The rooms to request: The Tower Suite: Choose the high life! The suite is at the top of the tower in the South Wing and is reached via a spiral staircase of 77 circular stone steps (the hotel staff will carry your luggage!). The huge four-poster bed, sumptuous Tudor furnishings and stunning views across Gloucestershire make this, quite literally, the top suite in the castle. Another of the hotel's most popular rooms is The Dukes Bedchamber. This is the actual room slept in by Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn during their honeymoon in 1535 and overlooks the oldest Tudor gardens in England. The room boasts an open fireplace, four poster bed and an en-suite bathroom.
Extra insights: The Tower Suite also boasts of having the largest four-poster bed in any hotel in the UK.
Package: The Ultimate Valentine's Weekend: Celebrate Valentine's weekend in style at Thornbury Castle. Arrive at your bedchamber and be greeted with a glass of bubbles, a box of homemade truffles. Unwind and relax while the hotel's team of award-winning chefs will be preparing a delicious candle-lit dinner in one of the hotel's romantic dining rooms.
Packages: Thornbury Castle Valentine's weekend two-night break includes: Three-course a la Carte dinner on your first evening; five-course special Valentine's dinner with classic guitar entertainment on Saturday evening; two glasses of champagne on arrival; a box of hand-made truffles. Rates from £734 for a two-night break.

A Valentine's weekend by the sea…and the kids come too: Polurrian Bay Hotel, Cornwall

Why? Given Valentine's Day falls at the start of half term, most parents will be with their children for the most romantic weekend of the year. Polurrian Bay Hotel provides a perfect Cornish seaside setting to appeal to all star-crossed parents and their little cherubs.
What's special about it? The luxury family hotel is perched on the cliffs of the Lizard Peninsula, one of Cornwall's most dramatic coastlines. The hotel boasts a boutique seaside style, with sea-view lounges and restaurants, chic rooms and contemporary family rooms.
On Valentine's Day children can enjoy craft activities including 'Make a Valentine's heart' and their very own heart-themed bookmark in the hotel's OFSTED registered den. They will then be able to enjoy a children's tea party. The fun continues with PJs on and a special screening of Gnomeo and Juliet in the hotel's cinema accompanied by lashings of hot chocolate and marshmallows. For the very little ones who will not be taking part in Den activities parents can make use of the hotel's baby listening.
As part of its weekend package, parents will be able to tuck into a gourmet two-course dinner served each night during their stay. The highlight will be a special menu prepared by the hotel's chef for Valentine's night. And to make the most of the romantic weekend, the hotel has organised for its team of OFSTED nannies (aka Cupid's helpers) to provide an early morning pick up service of children from their rooms and serve them breakfast while mum and dad get the chance of a lie in and leisurely breakfast together the morning after. Bliss!
What's special about it?: Perched on the cliffs amongst 12 acres of landscaped gardens, with stunning views across Mounts Bay and the Atlantic Ocean on Cornwall's Lizard Peninsula, the Polurrian Bay Hotel is the ultimate family seaside hotel with its own private beach with public access and has scooped numerous awards in the last 12 months.
The hotel has hosted a number of famous guests from world-renowned inventors to stars from stage and screen and including Hollywood A listers.
Bedrooms: Polurrian Bay Hotel has 41 bedrooms. Interiors are fresh and contemporary, with a boutique seaside style. All rooms come with luxurious feather bedding, flat-screen TVs and Voya toiletries.
The rooms to request: Whether you choose sea views, a spacious family room, or one of its two-bedroom self-catering cottage, the hotel has got the perfect accommodation to suit every family's needs and even welcomes pet pooches. With two en-suite bedrooms connected by a private corridor, the family suites are often the first to get snapped up. Guests can choose from a Superior Sea View or Inland Facing suite.
Extra insights: For those who enjoy a cocktail or something chilled on the rocks, they will be delighted to know that the hotel has just been listed as one of the ten best places in Cornwall to have a cocktail.
Packages: Stay three nights for a half term/romantic break away at Polurrian Bay and receive a complimentary 40 minute 'Coastal Calm' spa treatment and a two-course dinner on each night. Guests will be served two complimentary Valentine-themed cocktails before dinner on the 14 February. Children up to the age of 16 stay free in their parents' room and pay for all meals taken and complimentary childcare in the hotel's OFSTED registered crèche. Rates from £500 for a three-night break.

Valentine for literary lovers, shopping fans and spa junkies: Fowey Hall, Fowey, Cornwall

Why? Everyone falls in love with Fowey. The pretty sailing town of Fowey has become a Cornwall hot spot due to its stunning location, quirky shops and cafes, and its breathtaking scenery.
What's special about it? Fowey Hall is a grand Queen Anne mansion thought to be the original inspiration for Toad Hall in The Wind in the Willows. Its welcoming, unpretentious atmosphere makes it feel more like a friend's country retreat, where kids can roam freely and parents can unwind.
Fowey Hall makes an ideal location for a romantic Valentine's weekend combined with a fun family break this half term. The hotel's nannies offer a Mary Poppins pick up service direct from the room for little ones on Valentine's Day morning so parents can enjoy some quality time together, catch up on sleep, and treat themselves to breakfast in bed with the papers.
Bedrooms: Bedrooms at Fowey Hall come in all shapes and sizes, from huge interconnecting rooms under the eaves to more contemporary rooms. Each of its 36 rooms is elegantly decorated with a mixture of antiques and contemporary and ooze comfort and luxury.
The room to request: Family rooms in the main house are often the most popular. Sleeping two adults and two children or infants, these provide a separate room for little ones and are ideal for families who like a bit more privacy while not compromising on luxury and comfort.
Extra insights: Fowey is also famed for its association with author Daphne du Maurier, who lived in the area for many years. Fowey Hall was awarded 2 AA Rosettes for Culinary Excellence and a Highly Commended Taste of the West awards. Head Chef James Parkinson has over 25 years' experience working in the kitchens of luxury hotels and is renowned for his Cornish inspired cuisine. Fresh seafood is landed by Fowey's fishermen; bangers and mash are sourced from farms on the hotel's doorstep. Seasonal menus are created using the best local ingredients, complemented by Cornish-inspired flavours such as samphire from the beaches and herbs picked from the hotel's kitchen garden.
Fowey Hall's spa boasts a fantastic range of relaxing and luxurious treatments designed to pamper and refresh guests from top to toe. Treatments to request include The Great Escape (85 minutes), £85. This is a unique sensorial and aromatic wellbeing ritual for the face and body that results in relaxed muscles, improved circulation and visibly oxygenated, luminous and nourished skin. Alternatively, Fowey Hall's Glorious Skin Facial, is another perennial favourite, giving an immediately effective lifting and firming treatment and has a powerful anti-ageing effect (70 minutes), £70.
Packages: Two nights stay including a three-course dinner, bed and breakfast from £700. Two complimentary glasses of Prosecco served to guests on arrival. Children up to the age of 16 stay free in their parents' room and pay for all meals taken and complimentary childcare in the hotel's OFSTED registered crèche.