QHotels

QLodges Our Stunning Lodge, A Real Home From Home

Last week we were lucky enough to spend a glorious long weekend at QLodges Slaley Hall, Northumberland. Nestled in 1,000 acres of breathtaking countryside, this really is the perfect family lodge break. When you visit a resort for the first time you really don’t know what to expect. Will the lodge be nice? Will it meet your expectations? Will the kids get bored? I could go on but you get my drift.

Lodge

Well, I need not have worried. I will share in my next post just how much he loved the wonderful estate and all the incredible activities. But today I wanted to share just how gorgeous the lodge is, and trust me this can’t be done in a paragraph, it was stunning.

Check-in takes place at Slaley Hall main reception, and was a quick easy process, where we received our lodge keys, and the key to our very own golf buggy. Yes, you read right every lodge has its very own golf buggy. At first I though it was a little extravagant, I mean what is wrong with walking right? But the Slaley Hall Estate is vast and the buggy was a godsend, perfect for nipping out for a spot of lunch or nipping up to the spa or golf club. And you still get plenty of opportunities to enjoy the wonderful walks, but as a family we loved the golf buggy.

Slaley 8

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Being Treated Like Royalty at The Queens

I thought long and hard about this heading, it sounds a little corny doesn’t it. I have tried to think of another fitting title but I can’t argue with facts can I? So the title stays, and becomes less cheesy and more a statement of truth. We loved our stay at the Queens Hotel Leeds. They truly made us feel so special.

Let me start with our welcome, I was a little stressed about finding the Queens and parking.  I had never been to Leeds before and although Chris has, he didn’t know the City well. The great thing about the Queens is you don’t have to worry about parking as they have concierge parking. And trust me when you have two hungry kids in the car this is a godsend. We were able to pull up outside the Queens, unload and drop the keys off to reception. And for £15.99, I thought this was a mega bargain and worth every penny.

The Queens 1

We were welcomed at the reception by the Queens general manager Jacquie and David, and a lovely lady whose name I didn’t get (sorry) Meeting Jacquie was like meeting an old friend as we had been tweeting on the run up to our visit.  I had tweeted Jacquie prior to our visit, as I had been concerned about Jacks sugar levels as we were collecting the boys from school and traveling straight to Leeds. The chef had very kindly arranged some snacks for our room to ensure he was able to eat. Things like this make such a difference when you have a diabetic teen; I am so touched the Jacquie and her team took the trouble to ensure Jack got a snack.

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The Beautiful Iconic Queens Hotel Leeds.

Before I shared our Queens experience I wanted to write a little about the History of the Queens, as the building is just stunning.  The Queens hotel has stood over City Square in Leeds since 1937. It was designed by architects W.Curtis Green and W.H.Hamlyn for the London, Midland and Scottish Railway; The Queens was built as the flagship, modern hotel for the recently redesigned Leeds Railway Station.

According to my research it was the first Hotel in Britain to have en- suite facilities. And when it opened in 1937 is cost 10 shillings and 6 pence a night to stay. Which was just under £18.00 in today’s money. It must have been a fortune then. Especially when you think the average house price was £540 at that time.

The Queens Way Back When Although the Queens is beautifully restored, they have take care to retain lots of original features, including the original lifts and windows, which are listed. I am such an old romantic and can just imagine the glamour of the 1930s, the grand opening ceremony. Can you believe this stunning building like many other historical buildings has lived through a war? If walls could talk I bet it would have tales to tell.

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The Mighty Midland Q

Last Saturday as part of our Q Hotel ambassadorship duties we were lucky enough to stay at The Midland Hotel Manchester.  This was our first visit to Q so we were excited but nervous about the task ahead. Now I would imagine the Midland is one of the most grown up hotels of the Q family, It first opened its doors in September 1903 and is every bit as grand now as it was back then.

PicMonkey Collagemidland3

On first impressions the atmosphere in the reception area was just amazing. It was very grand with a huge tree and with a pianist playing festive tunes, It felt very special.Check-in was easy, there was plenty of reception staff available and although it was busy, we did not feel we had to wait or were at all rushed during the checking in process. Alex, the Lady that checked us into our room was efficient and very helpful.

We then met Thomas the guest services manager of the hotel, who showed us to our room. Thomas told us about the Midland and a little about its history, and kindly arranged a pre theatre dinner for us. This allowed us to chill for a while, rather than rushing around trying to find somewhere to eat. He made us feel so at ease and welcome and even arranged our pre dinner drinks when we visited the bar later in the afternoon.

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