Hotel Indigo Stratford upon Avon, Warwickshire

The Town: Stratford-upon-Avon is a magnet to visitors from around the world who make the pilgrimage to visit the birthplace of William Shakespeare. It is England’s national poet and the “Bard of Avon” that draws in the annual 3 million tourists a year to the town of Stratford – upon Avon and the Hotel Indigo shares its neighbourhood with many of the places associated with The Bard of Avon. You can visit the great man’s birthplace, the church in which he is buried or watch one of his thirty nine plays in the spectacular Royal Shakespeare Theatre, take part in a lesson in the actual school that he attended and visit many other buildings associated with the man widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world’s most outstanding dramatist.

“My definition of a good hotel is a place I’d stay at.”

Robert De Niro

The Hotel: Hotel Indigo Stratford Upon Avon: An iconic Stratford – upon – Avon landmark, the historic Falcon Hotel was first built as a town house in the 16th century. The beautiful half-timbered building was originally a single storey house, built around 1500. The second floor was added around 1645. The original property was a private house for 150 years, after it was built, before it became an Inn. This Tudor timber-frame & plaster building was first recorded as an inn c1655-61 which makes it the oldest continuously licensed premises in Stratford -upon Avon. The Royal Shakespeare Club even held its annual dinner on the premises from 1834, one hundred & ninety years ago, this year! The Falcon Hotel gained a grade II listing in 1951.

This Grade 2 listed historic building was painstakingly restored over two years, reopening its doors in January 2019 as the luxury Hotel Indigo, after a multi-million-pound major restoration project. The re-naming of the historic hotel faced some local opposition at first, with some townsfolk arguing that it showed disrespect to the town’s history. The Falcon`s name has been preserved by The Falcon Tearooms & at the front of the building, which has retained the Falcon name, and there is a wooden Falcon sign hung outside the hotel.

As a listed building, great care had to be taken with the structure & fittings of the interior & exterior of the building, and everything that could be preserved has been including many of the original oak beams which date back, over four hundred years! Those beams which were beyond repair were replaced with 18-year air dried European Oak. This decorative black & white half-timbered building now includes modern, stylish, contemporary bedrooms, the award winning The Woodman’s Restaurant, The Falcon Tearooms & Cocktail bar which provides Stratford – upon Avon with a unique central boutique hotel.

The Rooms: The 93 stylish guest rooms boast three strikingly beautiful room designs based on three themes, inspired by the history of the local neighbourhood, the Bard & Stratford’s history & heritage, which stretches back to medieval times. A combination of antique furniture pieces & modern fixtures using classic English materials such as wool & raw wood helps create contemporary spaces that celebrates the past with a modern twist.

I still enjoy travelling a lot. I mean, it amazes me that I still get excited in hotel rooms just to see what kind of shampoo they’ve left me.

Bill Bryson

The Tudor Rooms are located in the original 16th century structure with views of Shakespeare’s New Place across the street, his residential home in later life. It is in these rooms that you will find many original & unique architectural features, as well as the low beams, narrow staircases & sloping walls.

The Georgian Townhouse has been inspired by Shakespeare’s Theatre, the rooms combine a touch of luxury with homely charm & present a sophisticated and elegant look and feel.

The Contemporary Rooms are situated in the new wing. I stayed in one of these rooms, which offers a more sophisticated, smart, modern & elegant design drawing on the towns more recent 20th century past.

“I love checking out the minibar in a hotel room. It’s like opening a treasure chest.”

Ryan Reynolds

Of the 93 rooms, 76 are standard rooms, 12 are superior, there are 3 suites & I was pleased to note that two rooms are accessible. All rooms are equipped with Hypnos beds with luxury Egyptian cotton linen, spa-inspired bathrooms, Nespresso coffee machines, high speed Wi-Fi & a variety of channels on a 40” flat screen television plus IHG Connect, IHG’s seamless internet experience. My wife & I enjoyed a quiet & comfortable night’s sleep. During the warmer days & evenings guests can enjoy the beautiful private walled garden filled with herbs & the undercover outside BBQ area. Throughout the property, guests will find a carefully curated selection of contemporary artwork, murals and 3D artefacts inspired by Shakespeare.

Chilling out on the bed in your hotel room watching television, while wearing your own pyjamas, is sometimes the best part of a vacation.

Laura Marano

The Woodsman Restaurant: The hotel also includes an award winning restaurant; The Woodsman offers distinctive British fare, bringing the best of British seasonal ingredients to Stratford. The Restaurant which has its own entrance off Church Street celebrates great British food. Bringing a ‘field to fork’ philosophy to Stratford-upon-Avon, The Woodsman offers an exceptional dining experience with a focus on sustainability, seasonality & locally sourced produce.

A large wood-fired oven and charcoal grill is the focal point of the restaurant, where I was able to watch the chefs prepare the dishes. On the menu the evening I visited was Roast sirloin of Paddock farm grass fed Beef, Wood fired Cornish cod and Slow cooked & smoked celeriac, alongside the two dishes we chose. On the specials board was finest slow cooked Roe deer to share! Other specials I am told can include wild boar, muntjac or Hebridean lamb; all raised on farms with the highest standards of husbandry. Open fires, a good selection of real ales & an excellent wine list is certain to place The Woodsman at the top of most `foodie` award lists across the region.

The Food:

The Woodsman sharing platter for two: Wild venison scotch egg, Muntjac lollipops, cauliflower croquettes & Oxford sauce (Hot, Spicy & Fruity Table Sauce) The venison scotch egg had a crusty casing & was very tasty. The cauliflower croquettes were crisp, golden brown and had a rich, nutty flavour. The muntjac lollies were sweet, mild & very flavoursome.

Mains: Roast Bantam chicken & Slow roast Berkshire pork belly. Both meals served on a platter alongside roast potatoes, woodfired seasonal vegetables, cauliflower cheese, Yorkshire pudding & a boat of red wine gravy. Although my wife had ordered the pork belly, because the food had arrived on a platter, I must admit to trying some of her meal too! all of the food was beautifully cooked & presented to the table. There was so much food on our platter that we decided against ordering The Woodsman’s  “Dirty Mash” despite reading glowing reviews, as to how good it is!

Desserts:

Pistachio & white chocolate mousse; English Skyr yogurt, blood orange sorbet, pistachio cake & white chocolate aero

Basque style burnt cheesecake: Madagascan vanilla, Yorkshire rhubarb & rhubarb sorbet

Both of the desserts were stunning, the perfect conclusion to a wonderful meal.

The waiting staff at the reception, bar & restaurant were superb. Not only were they extremely professional & patient when we were contemplating the menu or had questions to ask of them, but they also engaged my wife & I in genuine conversation and offered suggestions on which wine to choose to complement our meal & even had the courtesy to laugh at my jokes!

We decided on a bottle of Argentinian Lo Haroldos, red being our wine of choice. Interest in Argentinian Malbec is at an all-time high at the moment and this bottle did not disappoint. Malbec has become synonymous with delivering the Argentinian soul straight to your glass. Vibrant red in colour, it presents smooth, ripe, succulent fresh aromas to the palate, when drinking. The label describes it as the perfect partner in which to dance the night away! My partner and I were not quite ready to do that, but I am quite sure there are many places in Stratford Upon Avon for those who wish to do so!

In amongst The Falcon’s historic wood panelling & crackling fireplaces, I was informed you will find an elegant afternoon tearoom. The Falcon Tea Room, the name a deliberate nod to the building’s past, as the iconic Falcon Hotel. By night, the space is transformed into a romantic & luxurious cocktail bar I was told!

After finishing our meal, we managed to pull ourselves up from our chairs and decided to go for a walk down to the serene and peaceful river Avon. Stratford Upon Avon is even more beautiful at night than it is during the day. Surprisingly, there were still several people walking about outside the Royal Shakespeare Theatre and along the riverbank, enjoying the swans, who were still searching for food from passing walkers and the beautiful twinkling of lights across the water made for a romantic end to our evening.

Breakfast:

Included a vast selection of items including toast, freshly baked pastries, breads, cereals, fruit & seasonal berries, sliced cured meats, fish & cheeses, yogurt, muffins, cereal bars & fruit juices. The full English Breakfast, Smoked Salmon, Eggs Benedict, Royale & Florentine, Crushed Avocado & Poached eggs were also available. as well as Vegan & Vegetarian Breakfasts. Tea & Coffee was served to our table as requested.

My wife was very pleased with her choice.

Eggs Royale: Poached eggs & smoked salmon on a toasted English muffin with hollandaise sauce

I would usually choose for the full English breakfast but on this occasion I opted for the much simpler fare, which was simply wonderful!

Brioche Roll: Bacon, Sausage & egg

We also enjoyed lashings of as much Hot Tea as we could handle which ensured it was a great way to start our day.

Exploring the town:

After breakfast we took a short walk to Shakespeare’s Schoolroom & Guildhall. I walked through the doors where William Shakespeare himself had walked as a child and young man to learn many of the things that made him the World’s greatest playwright. Inspiring!

Right outside the front door of The Hotel Indigo is the Shakespeare’s New Place, which was the great man’s family home from 1597 until he died in the house in 1616. The house was demolished in 1759 but a registered garden has been designed to commemorate the importance of the original site and allow visitors to make their own personal connection with Shakespeare. It is a peaceful place in which to sit and rest amongst the beautiful gardens.

I also visited Shakespeare`s Birthplace, which has been looked after by the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust for the last one hundred and seventy years! I must say the renovated building appears to be in very good condition considering it is reputed to have been built in the mid-16th century.

Hotel Indigo was the perfect base from which to explore and enjoy the history, culture, and entertainment that the town offers. It is just a couple on minutes’ walk from the Royal Shakespeare Theatre, and five minutes’ walk to the Holy Trinity Church, where the Bard is buried.

But Stratford Upon Avon is not just about Shakespeare, it is a market town with more than 800 years of history offering a wide variety of ancient buildings, leisure, entertainment and shopping experiences. Educational, Ghost and Fun walks, Cream Teas, the Big Ferris Wheel, Butterfly Farm, Boating on the river Avon, art galleries, museums, hire bicycles and many other activities to visit in and around the town.

A tropical rainforest in the centre of Stratford Upon Avon? Not quite, but the closest you can get to the tropical experience in Stratford is to visit the Stratford Butterfly Farm. When I walked into the flight area I was overwhelmed by the number of butterflies fluttering around me. A simply marvellous experience.

The best of Stratford-upon-Avon can’t be seen in a day so why not stay over in the town for a few days, which is exactly what I did by staying at the stunning Hotel Indigo, formerly the iconic The Falcon Inn.

My stay at Hotel Indigo was fantastic. The accommodation at The Indigo and meals in The Woodsman were first class and the waiting staff could not have done anything more to make our visit such a wonderful experience. If you are planning to visit Stratford Upon Avon, stay a couple of days and fully experience what the town has to offer by taking a break at Hotel Indigo. I simply loved it!

The hotel is located just 5 miles from M40 J15, A46/A429 exit and only 28 miles from Birmingham International & 92 miles from London Heathrow. Stratford upon Avon railway station is only 0.6miles from the hotel.

Hotel Indigo Stratford upon Avon

Chapel St, Stratford-upon-Avon CV37 6HA

Telephone: 0330 102 7244

Email: enquiries@stratford.hotelindigo.com

Disclosure: My visit was courtesy of Hotel Indigo Stratford -upon – Avon & Tanya Aspinwall <tanya@marketingaloud.co.uk

The views and comments expressed are as usual my own.