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An Easter weekend getaway // DoubleTree by Hilton Cheltenham

We absolutely love the Cotswolds and have been to visit on many occasions. It’s not far from us in the West Midlands, just a short hour’s drive down the M5 and there’s so much to see and do. When we were invited to stay at the recently refurbished and rebranded DoubleTree by Hilton hotel in Cheltenham, we knew it would be the perfect place to enjoy the Easter weekend.

DoubleTree by Hilton Cheltenham

DoubleTree by Hilton Cheltenham, has very recently undergone a multi-million pound refurbishment having been taken over by the DoubleTree by Hilton brand, previously known as The Cheltenham Park hotel. Only opening its regency doors a week before our stay, we were looking forward to having a look around, enjoying the hotel’s facilities and switching off for a weekend of relaxation and quality family time.

On arrival to the hotel we were greeted by a friendly member of Reception staff and whilst we were checking in, Olly was given a warm cookie which is a signature welcome from the DoubleTree by Hilton brand. Such a lovely touch and Olly was delighted with his cookie, which smelt incredible!

DoubleTree by Hilton Cheltenham

We were given a Premium double room and had requested a roll away bed for Olly. We all tend to sleep well when we’re in the room together these days, which is a far cry from when Olly was a teething toddler. I find it comforting being in the room with him, takes me back to when he slept in our room as a newborn, I love to listen to him soundly sleeping.

DoubleTree by Hilton Cheltenham

Our room was modern and stylishly decorated with views over the garden and neighbouring Lilley Brook Golf Club.

DoubleTree by Hilton Cheltenham

The bathroom was spotlessly clean with a large bath and shower with complimentary Evelyn and Crabtree toiletries. Our room had all the mod-cons you’d expect from a recently renovated hotel; power shower, mini-safe, tea and coffee tray, wall mounted fan, bedside and desk USB charging points but unfortunately there was no fridge which we thought was a shame in such a well appointed room.

DoubleTree by Hilton Cheltenham

When we got into the room, housekeeping transformed the sofa into a comfortable bed with the thickest mattress I’ve ever seen and Olly claimed it pretty much straight away placing his teddies at home for the night up on the pillow.

Olly smile teds

We popped out into Cheltenham town centre for dinner, which is a short ten minute drive away and came back to see a professional Rugby team unloading their bags in Reception. That made Olly’s day seeing Rugby players were staying at the same hotel!

Olly sleep hotel

I had promised myself (and Shilts) that I would switch off during the weekend away and attempt to relax after a busy few weeks. To his surprise, I fell asleep before Olly on the Friday evening and we all had a wonderful night’s sleep. The hotel, although it was busy, wasn’t noisy (although we’ll gloss over the incident when some idiot set off the fire escape door alarm which was next to our room, to have a not-so-crafty cigarette!) and all three of us had over 8 hours sleep which is, quite frankly, unheard of!

We had breakfast as part of our stay which is served in the hotels main restaurant. Unfortunately, breakfast seemed poorly organised and was a bit of a free for all with staff ignoring guests waiting to be sat down and didn’t engage in any conversation. We had to ask a member of staff for a pot of breakfast tea before finding out for ourselves about the buffet breakfast. There was a range of cereals available with a speciality coffee machine to hand, fresh fruits, yogurts and cold meats available to self-serve as well as the usual pastries and hot cooked breakfast items. The breakfast was plentiful and enjoyed which set us up for the day ahead.

Making a splash

The hotel has an on-site health club which had restricted swimming times for children to use the pool so before our day out Shilts and Olly took a dip in the pool. The water was warm and there were floats for the children to use. I didn’t go in the pool but watched from a lounger in the Spa area of the club. The health club provides towels and bath-robes on request so you don’t have to worry about taking your own.

Exploring the Cotswolds

We had a wonderful day exploring the Cotswolds. We went to the motor museum in Bourton on the Water and saw the original car Brum, from the hit children’s TV show. It was really interesting showing Olly all the vintage cars and memorabilia. The museum was really worth the entrance fee, so much to see and take in.

Cheltenham Cotswolds Yellow Fields

We then drove through Winchcombe and remembered the time my husband and I were camping and we woke up in the dead of night to find the biggest hedgehog I have ever seen had invited himself into our tent. We drove through Broadway and decided not to stop for a cup of tea as everyone else had the same idea and opted to drive further south to the Cotswold Water Park where we had a good walk around Lake 6 in the sunshine.

Cotswold Water Park

When we returned from our day out, staff had very kindly left us a gift in our room of a cuddly teddy bear for Olly and a tin of cookies (for me and Shilts, obviously!) Such a lovely little unexpected treat which was very much appreciated.

DoubleTree by Hilton Cheltenham

After a busy day, we were all tired and couldn’t wait to climb into bed. We’ve stayed in quite a few hotels over the years but the bed we had in our room at the DoubleTree by Hilton Cheltenham was incredible. So comfortable with the fluffiest duvet ever, just pure luxury. It’s also worth noting that Olly’s bed which was a sofa bed, was incredibly comfortable. Usually a roll away bed is provided they’re of better quality than the sofa bed but on this occasion, the sofa bed was spot on!

On Sunday, the breakfast service had improved and we were shown to a table and offered hot drinks. We helped ourselves to the breakfast buffet and had an enjoyable meal. The restaurant was busy but there was plenty of food and the service from the staff was friendly and helpful.

We had a really comfortable stay at DoubleTree by Hilton Cheltenham. The service was great and the room was clean, peaceful and relaxing, just what we needed and was enjoyed by us all. If you’re looking for a hotel in Gloucestershire that has great road links to Cheltenham and the rest of the Cotswolds then we would definitely recommend this hotel. The perfect base for relaxation and exploring the local sights.

Disclosure: We were invited to stay at the hotel in exchange for an honest review. All words and images are my own and this forms an honest and reliable review.

Comments

  1. Hannah says

    This is a great review and I’ll definitely check out the website for any deals. I’m always on the hunt for places suitable for my 3 kids. The surrounding area looks beautiful!

  2. The Reading Residence says

    Looks like a lovely hotel, Olly looks so happy there! Cheltenham’s one of those places on our ‘must visit’ list, and lots to see around the area. The Cotswolds is just that perfect distance from Brum for a short break, isn’t it?

  3. Baby Isabella says

    We stayed in a Hilton DoubleTree in Southampton on Saturday night but didn’t get our cookies :( sounds like you had a fab stay, very plush x #TriedTested

  4. Colette says

    Oh it looks flipping lovely! And I love the thoughtful details that made Olly feel so welcome too! Our kids love sleeping in hotels!
    Thanks for sharing your review on #TriedTested this week x

  5. Plutonium Sox says

    Oh how fabulous. I love Cheltenham and the Cotswolds, such a lovely area. The hotel looks brilliant, definitely a good recommendation that you all slept so well! It’s a shame the breakfast service wasn’t good the first day but it’s a sign of a good hotel that they managed to sort it out by the following day.
    Nat.x

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