I’m working on a project at the moment at work which is taking up all of my brain space – I’m leading it, responsible for a huge £££m budget and I feel a lot of anxiety about everything that could go wrong with it. So over the Easter weekend, I really wanted to just invest in a bit of ‘me’ time, and properly rest and recuperate.

Anyone who reads this blog regularly knows my version of ‘me’ time is usually a luxury hotel and a walk. So this was no different – we chose to stay at The Tawny Hotel, and it was an absolutely perfect choice.

---

Location

Nestled just south of the Peak District, The Tawny Hotel sits in rural Staffordshire. You can’t access the hotel without a car so driving is the best option. It’s a 3hr drive from London, 2.5hrs from Cambridge, 1hr from Manchester and 1hr from Birmingham – making it a perfect base from which to explore more of the Midlands.

You could also choose to get the train to the nearest major train station, Stoke on Trent, and then get a taxi which would take around 20 minutes. However that would leave you unable to make the most of the hotel’s surroundings as there isn’t much within walkable distance.

The main attractions nearby are the famous theme park, Alton Towers, plus all the beautiful walks 20 minutes north in the Peak District, around the areas of Leek and Ashbourne. This makes The Tawny the perfect place for a luxury stay to unwind and rest after spending your days out in nature.

---

Accommodation

Wow. That is the only word I can use to describe the accommodation. The Tawny isn’t a traditional hotel – it has no main building, but instead just has lots of different huts/boathouses/lodges/cabins scattered about its grounds. We chose to stay in a boat house over looking a lake.

The room was spectacular, with a statement luxury bath in front of the floor to ceiling window. The bed was huge and comfy, and the indoor bathroom was also high quality with some lovely products provided.

Outside was another treat, with a deck area, plus a large outdoor jacuzzi – totally perfect to collapse in to after a day walking. There is also an outdoor shower so with 4 ways to bathe and wash in the room, you will also smell great!

---

Food & Drink

The Tawny Hotel offers an extensive in room dining menu, but also has a striking modern restaurant building within the grounds. This is home to a fine dining restaurant called The Plumicorn, as well as a more informal bar area serving tapas and pizzas. Breakfast is also served daily, with both a large range of buffet items and a menu to choose from – both were delicious.

---

Amenities & Experiences

The hotel has lots of fun things to explore. Undoubtedly its most unique feature is its utterly stunning grounds, with multiple walking trails around lakes, woodland and landscaped gardens.

Also within the grounds are many games to discover. For example, there are giant garden games including Connect 4 and Table Tennis, as well as an indoor pool table.

The hotel also has a stunning outdoor heated swimming pool, in front of its feature restaurant. I can’t swim so I didn’t go in it, but it looked absolutely wonderful. There is also a spa on site, with an extensive treatment menu.

---

Overall our stay at The Tawny Hotel was absolutely magical. This is probably the best hotel I’ve ever stayed at in England, and it was a really restful and peaceful treat to completely switch off and de-stress. What do you think? Would you like to stay? Thanks for reading and as always, stay safe and happy travelling!