Stoke Green, Stoke Poges,
Buckinghamshire
SL2 4HT

T: 44 (0) 1753 534 790
E: enquiries@stokeplace.co.uk

Close your eyes for a moment and imagine a place of solitude, only 30 minutes from London where you can spot deers, swans and rabbits on the 22 acres of land that surrounds this slice of paradise... now open your eyes again. Kitchen Communications PR found me the ideal place to recharge my batteries and it came in the form of Stoke Place, Buckinghamshire.

Stoke Place is something that dreams are made of; a three storey 'William & Mary' style house, built in 1690 which to this day has maintained some of it's original features. Stokes Place has 22 rooms and suites, which are decorated to perfection. I had the Queen Anne suite - the popular choice for brides on their wedding nights. The room was amazing; bay windows over looking the lawn, a fire place, plasma TV on the wall, free standing bath tub and a fire place ...I've become accustomed to such high standards.

Inside my room was a note from the hotel manager, propped up against a welcoming gift of a bottle of red wine, a fruit basket and some chocolates... they know me so well - though it is my first visit. I flop down onto the huge bed with some wine, strawberries and chocolates and turn on the plasma to catch up with Wimbledon.

The funny thing about Stoke Place is that you have to keep moving as there is so much to see and do; it's easy to get lost in your room's luxuries. The weather on my visit was amazing, so after a few games of tennis I grabbed my ipod and Vario III and began my stroll around the hotel grounds.

Through the hotel's restaurant, The Vyse Rooms, is the doorway that leads to onto the garden. As I step onto the lawn, my feet sink down into the grass and I'm amazed by its neatness. The garden also has giant hammocks for you to fall into and take in the beautiful surroundings - I had my turn later that evening, after cocktails and dinner in the restaurant, it felt so comfortable that I could have easily fell asleep; until I thought of the other wildlife that call Stoke Place home.

My dining experience at Stoke Place was amazing. I had reservations in The Vyse Room at 8.30pm and when I arrived with my date we were taken to Patio area which faces the pond, where we sampled a few cocktails from the menu; the strawberry mule, the English garden cocktail, the gooseberry bellini and my favourite... the strawberry bellini.

For the main course I opted for the sea bass with shaved fennel and lemon. I completed the meal with a blancmange with summer berries (50 pence from each blancmange sold is donated to action against hunger, "eat blancmange, save the world").

I can say with hand on heart that Stoke Place is my new favourite place to stay. Perfect for business or pleasure, they have a choice of fully equipped meeting rooms that can be used for weddings or seminars; they can even put a marquee outside on the lawn for that extra special touch.

Truly, my stay at Stoke Place was far too short, ideally it would be advisable to book a week at this place as a night or two, though remarkable, is not enough time to truly indulge in the luxuries that the hotel has to offer... I have yet to experience a full body massage in my room... horse riding at the nearby stables...fishing for carps on the lake...landing in the back garden in my helicopter, oops - sorry, I closed my eyes again for a second.

www.stokeplace.co.uk

Written by Christy Black