United Kingdom… You are so much more than just London! And I am so happy, that I finally get to see so much of you now, that Clara is old enough to explore this beautiful country with her parents! This weekend it was all about Shakespeare – and a beautiful, newly opened hotel in Stratford-Upon-Avon!

It takes about 2 hours to go by car to Stratford-Upon-Avon! Luckily the trip went smooth and stress-free thanks to Family Transfers, who took care of everything for us

Family Transfers specialise in transfers for families! They are always on time and only use large vehicles with enough space for a family to travel in comfort! Oh…and even more important! Plenty of space for your luggage and a buggy!

The car is provided with EU approved child car seats. (Bonus-info: You will not be charged extra for using up to two child seats on your transfer!)

Ready, set, go!

 – And here we are! Welcome to beautiful Baraset Barn Hotel in Stratford-Upon-Avon

Baraset Barn is a well-established restaurant with a newly opened hotel! 

We were warmly welcomed in the cosy reception with coffee and drinks, before we were taken to one of the sixteen individually designed air-conditioned rooms

The room was as I had hoped for: Plenty of space, designed in modern English style with a big, luxurious King-sized bed in the middle (and a lovely baby cot for Clara as well!)

I loved the fresh flowers! You don’t get that in many hotel rooms! 

Each room has a terrace! And sometimes sheep come by the say hello! Clara enjoyed that! 

This is something that I a value a lot: A modern and spacious bathroom! Yes, please!

There are so many lovely outdoor areas at Baraset Barn. I can only imagine it being even nicer in the summer! I must come back for a bit of lounging in the sun!

Time to explore! We took a local taxi to Stratford-Upon- Avon and started our journey in front of The Jester Statue 

Bonus-info: The fine bronze statue of the fool stands on a stone plinth at the end of Henley Street. It portrays the Jester ‘Touchstone’ from the play “As you like it.” An inscription states “The fool doth think he is wise but a wise man knows himself to be a fool.”, another William Shakespeare quotation states “O’ noble fool, a worthy fool”

 

It is also at Henley Street that you will find William Shakespeares birthplace

Shakespeare was born in this very house and grew up here with his parents and siblings. He also spent the first five years of his marriage living here with his wife Anne Hathaway. Bonus-info: You can visit the house and explore the home and hear tales of Shakespeare’s family life, enjoy live theatre and get up close to rare artefacts from the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust class collections as you discover how the extraordinary Shakespeare continues to shape our lives today

The shop next to the birthplace had the funniest and most amazing books. I wanted to buy it all – especially this Shakespeare bathing duck for Clara’s exquisite collection!

“Is this a dagger which I see before me?” Frenchie aka Macbeth is having a little roleplay moment in the shop

Shakespeare cookies…

Shakespeare Star Wars…

Shakespeare poetry for kids (I really loved these ones!)

Or how about the cat version of “Romeow & Juliet”? (I ended up bying this for Clara. I just couldn’t help myself. This adorable book was bought in Shakespeare’s Schoolroom and Guildhall around the corner

This is the place where Shakespeare was educated and inspired to become the world’s greatest playwright

Stratford-Upon-Avon is such a charming market town with more than 800 years of history!

It is not a big town, so you can easily see it all within a day or two! Expect it to be a bit busy here, as many people come to see the place, where Shakespeare was born and lived for many years! (Stratford receives approximately 2.5 million visitors a year)

There are plenty of lovely places to eat and drink…

Experience High Tea in all its quintessentially English glory in one of Stratford’s finest tea rooms Hathaway Tea Rooms. (It was very busy, when we were there, so we decided to try another place)

The Garrick Inn is the oldest pub in town – and where we went for lunch. It was such a fun experience!

We loved the cosiness of the pub…

Clara is very interested in what grown-ups are having these days… Frenchie did however explain to her, that even though she was in a pub, she was a bit too young for a beer

So instead she had a few of mummy’s french fries!

On the menu: Hand-battered Atlantic cod and chips for Frenchie, and a Wagyu beef burger for me. Both menus were utterly delicious! (Definitely at must-visit place if you are in Stratford)

Lots of cuddles with mum… I think good ol’ Will was a bit jealous!

Can you spot a very VIP person in the the other room? Audrey Hepburn go home!

A bit more sightseeing with Clara and Frenchie

Don’t forget to take a stroll along the pretty banks of River Avon (with the “Stratford Eye” in the background!)

Here we are in front of The Royal Shakespeare Theatre!  A 1,000+ seat thrust stage theatre owned by the Royal Shakespeare Company and dedicated to Shakespeare 

We had a lovely day in Stratford-Upon-Avon, but it was also good to be back and have a little rest at Baraset Barn Hotel… Clara seemed to enjoy the King-size bed a lot – (and so did her parents!)

Time for drinks and dinner…

I wish this was my home… It is SO cosy here!

I tried to take a family selfie… Not so easy with a baby, who wanted my gin and tonic and a boyfriend, who was doing a “Jack Nicholson”!

Mood…

We had our dinner in the most amazing restaurant. The decor was just as I liked it – a combination of cool and classy. (Granite, pewter and oak!)

It was a fun and busy evening ,as many people were celebrating birthdays! (There is room for around 100 guests in the restaurant)

What I really like about this place is that everyone are SO lovely! I am always a bit nervous, when bringing Clara to a nice restaurant, but it was no problem at all! People came and said hello to Clara, so instead of “putting baby in the corner”, we were the center of attention! It was really nice!

Frenchie was in an “exotic” mood, so he opted for Moroccan spiced lamb rump, cauliflower cous cous, smoked aubergine hummus and pomegranates! It was just as good as it looked!

After having seen this beauty at the neighbour table, I simply had to try the Rib eye steak with onion rings, rocket, fries and peppercorn sauce! I still dream of this dish!

Good times… 

As Clara turned 10 months that day, we decided to celebrate with desserts. (There is always an excuse for having a dessert, right?) This is the Apple and winter berry crumble, maple and pecan crumble topping and vanilla ice cream. It was SO good – and there is plenty of food for two

 – But we didn’t know, that the desserts were that big, so we also had the Profiterole and Toffee Sundae: Carmelita and Vanilla ice cream, salted caramel profiteroles, toffee sauce and whipped cream! It was gorgeous – and Clara shared it with us! She had the happiest little face covered in ice cream and whipped cream!

After a good nights sleep it was time to pack our bags and check out…

The weather was amazing that Sunday morning

Our breakfast was lovely. There were plenty of things to choose from at the buffet

– And if you wanted a full English Breakfast (in the company of The Beatles), that was possible too!

I think the guys wanted a piece of my delicious avocado on toast with poached eggs! Look at Paul’s face! 

We said goodbye to Baraset Barn Hotel, but we still had a few hours to spend, before Family Transfers came to pick us up and take us back to London. Here we have arrived at Warwick Castle

Warwick Castle is situated in the town of Warwick. It is a medieval castle developed from a wooden fort and originally built by William the Conqueror in 1068

The castle is one of the most well-preserved Medieval castles in the UK. Named recently as one of the richest families in British history, the Earl of Warwick had lots of money and knew how to spend it! As wars ceased, the Earl enjoyed a lavish lifestyle and the results can be seen in the elegant 17th Century Great Hall and State Rooms – home to the castle’s most prized possessions

Ever wondered what a weekend spent in Victorian high society would be like? We joined the Countess of Warwick and her guests for one of her lavish Weekend Parties

Throughout 12 exquisitely designed rooms wax figures of the principal attendees stand alongside authentic furniture and furnishings to help bring to life the excitement and scandal that swept through this weekend party. From seeing Daisy (the Countess of Warwick) trying on her newly commissioned gown to a young Winston Churchill reading a book in the library (see below), Victorian Britain is accurately recreated here

There are plenty of things to do at Warwick Castle for young and for old

Welcome to the “Birds of Prey Arena”

“The Falconers Quest “is UK’s biggest Birds of Pray Show….

I tell you…These vultures and eagles were NOT small! They were beautiful (and a bit scary as well). It was my favourite moment of the day, and I can’t wait for Clara to see it, when she is bit older! For now, I think it is best to keep her hidden from these naughty birds!

 

It was not easy catching this one on camera!

From one bird to another! “Hello Mr Peacock”

One of the most iconic elements of Warwick Castle is the stunning peacocks that roam in their garden home. This part of the garden was designed by the Victorian landscape gardener Robert Marnock and consists of a number of topiary peacocks, manicured hedges and beautiful pond and fountain

Bonus-info: There are many places, where you can buy food here, but most of them were closed, when we were there. I basically ended up standing in a line at Cafe Costa at The Conservatory for 40 minutes, and when I finally wanted to order, I was told, that everything was sold out, but I could have a coffee, if I wanted to!  It was probably the worst service, I have had for a long time. Except from that, we really enjoyed our trip to Warwick Castle (just remember to bring your own food – especially if you have impatient children with you)

Lovely princesses wanted to tell stories for Clara, She is a bit too young, but I loved the idea!

“Parting is such sweet sorrow…”

I would like to thank:

Baraset Barn Hotel and Restaurant for such a lovely stay and treating us like family

Family Transfers for giving us a safe and stress-free transfer to Stratford-Upon-Avon. (For 10% off until end of June 2019, use discount code: LOUISELOVES10)

Warwick Castle for a wonderful and adventurous day

All opinions are as always my own

Louise x