Over the Easter bank holiday weekend we decided to go away for the night for the first time with Francis, our little, 8 month old miniature dachshund. While searching for doggy friendly hotels in the UK for a last minute escape, I found No 38 The Park in Cheltenham. A stroke of luck and we had a room booked just the day before we headed west on the train. It was going to be a restorative break and an escape from routine in the city.
No 38 The Park is a gorgeously elegant Georgian townhouse overlooking the greenery of a small square, a short stroll from the heart of the city. There’s 13 bedrooms, ranging from cosy, shower-only rooms to spacious suites with stunning roll-top baths.
With a warm, welcoming lounge space for guests, decked out with fresh flowers and magazines to read, it feels like you’re staying in a (very nice) family home, not a soulless hotel. The ambience is luxurious yet understated and unpretentious – there’s an honesty bar where you can help yourself to drinks, the sofas are deep and inviting, and there’s often a wagging tail there to greet you when you arrive.
Our room was one of the ‘excellent’ ones, we pulled out the stops and treated ourselves! It was a huge, vast space, practically bigger than the downstairs of our house, with a big king-size bed and two comfy armchairs. The room had gorgeous tall ceilings and period details, with large, shuttered windows looking onto the park opposite.
The decor is neutral – a mix of old and new – with pops of colour and richness from the original artwork and dark green velvet bed. The TV lifted up from the bottom of the bed, dressed in gorgeously crisp white linen – oh the luxury! – and there was a Nespresso machine in the room (always a marker of a good hotel in my eyes). There’s nothing better than nipping out of bed and enjoying that first cup of coffee in your dressing gown.
The bathroom was the cherry on the cake, two large double doors opening onto a green roll-top bath, two basins and a double shower big enough for about 10 people. There was even a green velvet sofa in there in case it all got too much and you had to have a sit down!
A lovely detail was receiving croissants and freshly squeezed orange juice to your door before you go into breakfast. Now, I don’t have any pictures of the breakfast and can’t really comment on it as I didn’t actually make it there… We had gone to No 38 The Park’s sister restaurant The Tavern and I had unfortunately been sick all night from dinner. It was a real bummer and dose of bad luck, and I felt gutted I didn’t get to enjoy this one night away to the fullest. But, these things happen, and at least I got to throw up in a beautiful bathroom hey! It didn’t alter my love for No 38 The Park, but I’d just be careful what you eat.
Anyway, puking aside, I didn’t really feel like taking many photos the next day, but I managed to get a couple of the lounge area just before we left for London. Can you imagine curling up in that corner in front of the fire? You can tell that we didn’t want to leave and go back to reality yet.
Next time I want to check out their sister hotel No. 131, a revived Georgian house in the centre of town, but I’m not sure if they take dogs like No 38 The Park.
I was a bit nervous about taking Francis away and thought he’d howl all night and try to get in the bed with us, but he was super well behaved and quiet (he only came on the bed for the photo, but slept in his bag by the bed!). It was great being near a park so we could give him a good walk and pop out easily for a toilet trip in the morning.
One thing I would say is that next time I would book with Pets Pyjamas, which I recently discovered. With them, dogs stay for free and they get a little pack with some treats and a toy, whereas booking through the hotel like we did, dogs are an extra £10.
All in all it was a lovely stay and I’ll definitely be going away with this little sausage again. He’s totally mastering the art of posing for photos too, just look at him!
All images Cate St Hill
