In Bed with a Bard - To Chic, or not to Chic...

....that is the question. Although, perhaps a somewhat rhetorical one. I mean, when have I been known to de-chic when it comes to a hotel retreat! You only ever need one Ibis experience to teach you the lesson that less is definitely not more, when it comes to home comforts.

This week my travels took me to Stratford-upon-Avon. Home of Shakespeare, quaint and crooked houses and a plethora of quintessential English touist-pulling magnetic charm - more tea rooms than you could dunk a custard cream in, more curiosity shops than there is curiousness, more English pubs and eateries than you could have time to eat in.

Soaked in heritage and literary delight, it would be very easy for such history to over-indulge with street upon street of postcard perfect Ye Olde Inns, grandmotherly dressed in candle wicked bedsteads and dusty relics claiming to be from the hands if Horrick. And these there are. But Stratford has style... 

Set just opposite the stunning Royal Shakespeare Company sits the Arden Hotel, endorsed by the theatre and a perfect soliloquy of modern chic betwixt the heritage of listed buildings.

So, unsurprisingly, like the call of Juliette to Romeo, I met my first love of Stratford sleep - a luxurious boutique retreat, roll top bath, giant plump bed and an apothecary of designer L'Occitane pamper miniatures, at The Arden Hotel.

A member of the Small Luxry Hotel collective, I didn't expect this to disappoint but the Arden wooed me and seduced me. So enamoured, I let it kiss on this first date and unashamedly I stayed the night. Calm decor in yellows and greys in the lobby, classic English hallways that are a labyrinth to rooms that are sanctuaries of a Midsummer Night's Dream.

At the Arden you are not a number, every room is named after a tree and I was personally escorted to my upgraded Mulberry room. A palette of apple and plum, enriched with brocades and velvets dressing crisp hotel white cotton, all overlooking the Avon River and serenaded to the sound of English countryside church bells.

Elsewhere in the hotel, sprial staircases and hidden doorways. Chesterfield tea lounges, breakfast overlooking the RSC.
A beautiful retreat, wonderful service, a true escape to the classic English countryside. I will be back to Stratford, and I will definitely be back to the Arden.

To sleep, perchance to dream.....

'Til next time, Pandora

Photos: Pandora Skies

The Arden Hotel, Waterside, Stratford-upon-Avon

www.theardenhotelstratford.com / www.slh.com