How to have a royally-good weekend in Windsor

A grand hotel, a royal castle and historic town – what’s not to like? We stayed at the DeVere Beaumont Estate, Windsor.

The location:

When you think of Windsor, you immediately think of the famous castle and recently, location for the Coronation Concert. But there’s much more to the historic town on the Thames than the 950-year-old royal residence. It’s a pretty town, around 25 miles west of London, full of boutique shops, pubs and restaurants and makes an easy escape for a weekend. The DeVere Beaumont Estate is a sprawling hotel consisting of an 18th-century mansion, a chapel, a Georgian White House and modern wings at the back, sitting in 44 acres of grounds in Old Windsor, which is just outside of the town.

The hotel:

The De Vere Beaumont Estate is huge and offers varied accommodation depending on which part of the hotel you are staying in. It has just completed a £25 million renovation of the 429 bedroom-hotel, which began as the home of Lord Weymouth, then spent 100 years as a school. We stayed in a Mansion House Suite, one of the newly-refurbished open-plan contemporary luxurious spaces. There was a modern bedroom, with lounge area, walk-in shower, roll-top bath and Penhaligon’s toiletries. It had everything you could want and the view of the grounds was lovely. The hotel even has a Grade II-listed 19th-century chapel, with beautiful stained-glass windows, which is a stunning event space.

Food:

The hotel has two restaurants – the formal 1705 restaurant and bar and the newly-renovated buffet-style Beaumont restaurant which serves breakfast and lots of families, many of whom are visiting nearby LegoLand. We really enjoyed the 1705, especially the bar, which is beautiful and cozy, perfect for pre-dinner cocktails. The restaurant offers a modern-British menu and the food was excellent, especially the twice-cooked beef short rib and the pea and shallot ravioli. 

Facilities: