The Cholmeley Arms

Lovely rooms. Excellent breakfast. Well worth the money even did gluten free sausage 😋

Driving back to the north after finishing a few business meetings in London. As a fussy sleeper, I have a high expectations of the quality of the quilt, linings, cleanliness of the room, etc. Would have normally stayed in a Bonvoy's, but there wasn't much availability for last-minute booking on a Friday afternoon. So with many "strict filters" in place and recommendations from many of the extraordinary reviews, this hidden gem was the "chosen one" for a night to chill and carry on driving the next day. Turned out it was such a surprise - in a fantastic way. The staffs were very warm and welcoming, the pub/restaurant area was cozy with two real fireplaces. The room was spacious and clean, they use high-quality linings and there is a rain shower head over the bath with high water pressure. The TV could be larger to fit the high ceiling, but I'm not complaining as there is much more to enjoy around the place than watching TV. There was a patio area with a garden table and chairs outside the room facing a peaceful lawn area. I could imagine sitting there enjoying a glass of wine on a sunny afternoon. It was one of the most difficult decisions to select a meal that night - the choices on the dinner menu all look mouth-watering. The chef has been in the catering business for a lifetime and clearly can create food matching Michelin's flavor but also fulfill the quantified requirement to satisfy long-distance travelers and of course, the local guests - The food was really enjoyable. The staffs were also well trained in dietary requirements like gluten-free and keto. I am not done with the compliment on food yet. If you were booking a hotel and saw the notice of "breakfast included" - what is your expectation of what is available? The best scenario I could imagine was a buffet selection of different cereals, fruit yogurts, charcuterie, continental breakfast, and English breakfast... the actual breakfast options is so much better than you can imagine. I can only hope that Adam who is taking this over can maintain the range and quality of what we experienced. As we hope this will be my regular visit on the way back from London to Scotland.