‘Oh my god, OH MY GOD! OOOOOH MY GOOOOOD!’

I was probably just a teeny-weeny excited when I was jumping up and down on the bed and running around looking at the exquisite and luxury features of the room I had just entered. My tie was flapping up and down and my shoes skidded on the laminate flooring.

I was very impressed. So, impressed that I declared immediately that I was going to live here forever.

 

 

So where was I?

I was actually back in Kingston Upon Thames, five months after my last visit there when I attended the Traverse Conference. Thanks to Kingston First, they picked me as their blog winner for the best blog post about Kingston.

See More: How Kingston Upon Thames Shaped The World

So what was the prize?

A night’s stay at Warren House. 

 

 

So, once I caught the 22 minute journey from Tooting, changing at Wimbledon one Saturday morning in August, I arrived at Kingston Upon Thames Rail Station, only to jump on the bus to Warren Road near Richmond Park. Just a few minutes walk down the road, you’ll come across this gorgeous Victorian Mansion of a house!

 

 

You could see it was luxury personified and I could certainly say so as the very friendly staff kept referring to me as ‘sir’ or ‘Mr Rex.’ My attempts to get them to call me ‘Edward’ at least didn’t meet much success but I’m sure for one night, I can feel more important than I usually feel that I am!

Checking in was fast and efficient, offering to take my bags up to my room from the smartly laid out reception. But it was the walk up the grand staircase that truly made me think what a good time I was going to have here.

 

 

Opening the door of my room, the first thing that struck me was how MASSIVE the room was! You could even swing a Richmond Park red deer by the tail here and not turn anything over!

 

 

So you can see why I was jumping up and down on the bed!

So what features did I love about the room?

 

• The view of Warren House’s beautiful garden

 

 

 

• The coffee espresso machine that truly did put an extra spring in your step

• The wooden fan from the ceiling

• The very clean bathroom offering thick fluffy towels and similar bathrobes

 

 

• A large TV full of the most popular channels of your choosing
• The slanted ceilings of the roof adding a charm to the room
• And how British this room was!

 

With a quick refresh, I sauntered down, feeling like a royal Prince to the stately dining room to try the classic and staple custom in British culture:

Cream Tea. 

 

 

Of course, I was very pleased to discover that the scones were given to me warm, fresh from baking, and served with cream and jam all in their little itty bitty jars. You could say that I was like the cat that got the cream! Biting into the cream teas, I do have to say that it was one of the best cream teas I’ve tasted.

 

 

But it was the service that made it all worth it. Courteous, the staff made this British custom a quintessential affair, offering you a selection of teas that harked back to Britain’s empirical days in the tea trade. I went for the Egyptian Mint Tea only to be very surprised with a very modern contraption that had me discovering like a curious schoolboy. This was the tea timer:

 

 

Even the teapot that came was interesting to watch. Who knew the filtering process could be so interesting?

 

After the cream tea, I thought to check out the market town of Kingston Upon Thames itself and explore the ancient markets within and, also, finally find the Coronation Stone (where Anglo-Saxon kings were crowned upon)!

 

 

However, you couldn’t keep me away from Warren House for long. I started dreaming about relaxing, which was so desperately needed for me after a hectic week at work, and I knew that Warren House could give me that.

First of all, a stroll around the garden full of hidden gems and outdoor parlour games definitely sets you in the mood for a British Summer Afternoon experience:

 

 

But if you’re look for that extreme relaxation, you’re probably best off chilling in their indoor heated swimming pool. Wait? Did I just say swimming pool? Here’s a totally NOT vain picture to demonstrate:

 

 

There’s even a gym and a sauna to take advantage of! Can you see why I kind of wanted to stay here and make this place my own?

Later on that evening, after a bite to eat, I simply chilled out on the terrace appreciating the quietness of Richmond Park close by and definitely not missing the sounds of central London. The bar staff helped to create the ambience with table service outside to ensure your drink is kept adequately topped up.

So, how did I experience the night in my bed?

It was sooooo soft! I felt like I was floating in air! I slept so soundly that I actually slept through my alarm! And as I’m usually an early riser to jump out of bed singing and dancing, I actually didn’t want to get out. I was literally grumpy, which is a very rare thing for me! Just leave me in bed and let me lounge away!

But as I had an activity to undertake that day that involved sailing the Turks’ Cruise up the River Thames, I wanted to get some hearty grub in me for breakfast.

Enter the dining room!

To make or break a hotel experience, it’s always about the breakfast. So, I was a little hesitant to find the breakfast is a buffet spread rather than table service. However, I needn’t have worried, the full English breakfast selection was kept warm and fresh. And guess what? They even served Black Pudding, my favourite!!!

 

 

You can see I was truly excited! With toast, tea, cereal, fruit salad and yogurt (yes, I like to eat), I was well and truly satisfied!

 

So it was with a very long sad look that I looked back at Warren House when I checked out. Could my hotel experience elsewhere be ruined now thanks to the high standard Warren House has set?

Maybe I’ll just return again. That sounds a far much better idea.

Now where’s that booking form?

 

Warren House Information

 

Website: http://www.warrenhouse.com

E-mail: info@warrenhouse.com

Tel no: +44 (0)20 8547 1777

Address: 

Warren House
Warren Road
Kingston-upon-Thames
Surrey KT2 7HY