A couple of months ago I organised a very last minute overnight stay at a Coaching Inn called The Hare and Hounds.
Now, when I say it was last minute I literally booked it the evening before my actual stay and it was a simple choice down to the fact that it was close to the area I needed to be in AND was dog friendly.
I took a total chance on the establishment and I can honestly say I am SO glad that I did as it was absolutely outstanding!
Anyway, I will start at the beginning and tell you all about the Pub and the wonderful time I had there.
I arrived in Newbury around 5pm along with Theodore and booked in at reception. I was given a key for my room and instructions that all I needed to do was walk out of the back door and my room would be opposite.
What I didn’t expect was a little ‘house’ like set up with every kind of facility you could imagine.
My place was called “The Graze” and was set in a stable block, A little tiled doorstep led up to a solid wooden door and I wasn’t sure what to expect when I opened it.
The surprise on my face must have been evident, when I walked into a stunning, beautifully decorated corridor.
To the left was a sliding door that hid the bathroom, well more of a wet room to be honest. Fully appointed, I will come back to show you this a bit later.
The main room wasn’t the biggest of rooms I have ever stayed in, however it was one of the nicest!
Directly in front of the entrance was a large luxurious bed, topped with a beautiful throw and big cushions. It was quite high up and when I sat down it was both firm yet so very comfortable.
The room was beautifully appointed. Everything seemed to be high quality such as tiny lights near the bottom of the room to guide you to the bathroom in the dark of night.
A large painting hung above the bed echoed the name of the room. This was flanked by antlers and rustic lamps and these really were wonderful.
By the front door was a peg to hang keys on. This was in the shape of a dogs bottom with tail included; a perfect welcome for Theodore.
Talking about Theodore, the room was all set up for his arrival; a dog bed, bowl of fresh water, a blanket, muddy paw towel and a little bowl of treats were all ready for him.
Before arrival I had a message from the pub asking if I would like a kettle in the room and if I had a preference to the tea I drank,
Of course I said yes please and Earl Grey if at all possible.
Not only was there a smashing Bodum kettle, there was a Nespresso machine, several different kind of pods and in the cups were silk pyramid teabags, Earl Grey of course!
The establishment had thought of every little eventuality and issue; bottles of complimentary water, still and sparkling were on the table, a large chrome fan was cooling the room down and on a DAB radio, Jazz FM was playing softly.
Being a bit nosy I spent time opening drawers and looking around and this was when I spotted a little spray bottle of sleep aide; lavender and other herbs and perfumes to get you off to sleep.
This was placed on top of a little wooden box and when I opened it, it was full of ear plugs! As I said, every eventuality.
I unpacked my clothing and headed across the car park to the beer ‘garden’ of the pub itself.
Filled with wooden garden tables, every single seat had a real sheepskin to sit on top. Super luxurious.
The tables were all situated under massive taut ‘sails’ which kept off both the fierce sun and I assume the rain if a little inclement. These also had lights woven through them; very pretty indeed.
Theodore was catered for again, with bowls of water, treats and lots of love on offer.
After a cold drink, I headed back to the room to get freshened up in the bathroom. And what a bathroom it was.
Fully tiled, as I already mentioned it was more of a wet room than a bathroom. Underfloor heating was installed but as it was a very hot sunny day, I didn’t bother with that.
Popping on a lovely light sundress, I went back to the dining area to have something to eat.
The menu was expansive; little plates, starters, main courses, desserts and more. I ordered some bread and olives as an appetizer before ordering the lobster arancini.
I say bread and olives. They were Green Goddess Nocellara olives with freshly baked ancient grain sourdough with summer truffle butter and Cornish sea salt.
My main course was difficult to choose; I was torn between my favourite meat, Pork Belly OR Brick Lane spiced monkfish tail.
In this instance it was soy glazed and served with wasabi mash, black sesame puree, pak choi, fermented red chilli and a miso dressing or Brick Lane spiced Monkfish tail wrapped in a banana leaf, South Indian sweet potato dahl, grilled flatbread and coriander shoots.
I took advice from the Restaurant Manager who said the Monkfish was his favourite dish on the menu, so I went with his recommendation.
This was an excellent suggestion and the meal was literally one of the best I have ever experienced. There was not a single thing I could have complained about or said was under par.
It was absolutely divine.
I have to say that I probably ate far too much, however I enjoyed every single morsel. I finished the meal off with a wonderful dessert; crushed pink peppercorn meringue with poached peach, berries and blackberry ice cream.
This too was so very delightful and finished the meal perfectly.
I sat people watching along with the adorable one, until my eyes got heavy and I retired back to The Graze for what I hoped would be a good nights’ sleep.
Jazz FM was gently playing on the DAB radio so I decided a shower before bed was a good idea. The bathroom had gorgeous toiletries for guests to use so I liberally splashed them all over before climbing into bed.
I then remembered the pillow spray so used a little of that on both sides of the pillow and settled down. Theodore headed into the bathroom where the tiles were both cold and now wet from my shower and he was soon snoring.
Obviously I don’t know for sure but I probably was doing exactly the same, mere moments later!
Waking up the next morning, I literally felt like a new woman. I had slept for over 10 hours and was so comfortable in the huge bed, I didn’t really want to get up.
Breakfast however, was included and so I got dressed and went to head to the restaurant. You can imagine my surprise when I opened the front door to find fresh milk and bottled water on my doorstep.
Theodore led the way to the restaurant where my booking had included a Continental breakfast. I sat down and was served immediately with an offer of tea or coffee.
I was then asked what I would like for breakfast, advising they had some lovely black pudding for the full English. I said that I only had the Continental breakfast included in my booking but was told that all bookings include a full English as well as Continental options.
Well, it would be rude to refuse so I went with the full English and asked if it was possible to pay for a couple of sausages for Theodore.
I was told not only would they cook some for him, I could offer him some other bits from the buffet. I was also told to help myself to juice, water, pastries and any other items from the fully equipped self service area.
One large apple juice later and baba was happily scoffing some Parma ham and mature Cheddar cheese.
When my breakfast was served, a separate plate was brought out for Theodore with Sausage, poached eggs and a little bit of bacon.
I started in on the fabulous cooked breakfast and finished every morsel. I was quite full however I do like a little bit of sweetness after my savoury so chose a chocolatine to end my repast.
Heading back to the stables, I had a couple of hours left before check out so I packed my belongings and headed into the ‘wet room’ for a shower. Theodore decided to join me in there, getting thoroughly soaked!
Thankfully it was an exceptionally hot day again, so I knew he wouldn’t be wet for too long.
Eventually it was time to check out and I was still not convinced that the breakfast had been included. As I went to the reception desk to check out, I mentioned the disparity in what my booking had said versus what the breakfast staff had advised.
She confirmed that the full English was indeed part of the one night stay, so all I owed was the dog supplement which I couldn’t pay via the website as it was payable directly to the hotel.
The cost of the dog supplement? Twenty pounds was the grand total which completely stunned me as he had been treated like a king.
All of the staff were absolutely wonderful and my stay at The Hare and Hounds was absolutely outstanding. I was actually really sad to be leaving but there was just one thing that cheered me up…
The thought of returning again soon!
Till next time,
SPSG xxx