buyagift Luxury One Night Stay with Dinner and Fizz for Two Review
Reviewed by Nina Chester
My aunt once said, “it’s not what you have you remember, it’s what you do”, I think that these are very wise words, making memories with family friends and love ones is truly priceless and to be given the gift of doing, is in my opinion, one of the best gifts you can have.
In August this year after having a birthday booking cancelled, we were given the most amazing gift, from a friend it was a short break from a company called buyagift.co.uk. The website is a lot of fun to navigate around and is split into various columns to help you get to the right gift easily, at the moment in red with a tree next to it is Christmas, you can also click on tabs such as Experiences or choose by recipient, for couples or for children. And my favourite, the offers box.
So, what sort of gift can you buy? It’s almost you think of it and buyagift can make it happen, from high adrenaline flying lessons to the ultimate relaxing spa day, all at exceptionally good prices. You can use the filters to choose the gift type, number of people, region and most importantly, the price.
There are two ways to send the gift (or buy it for yourself) the code can be in-boxed to an email address or good old-fashioned post. To you or the intended recipient.
With free exchanges and a sixty-day refund policy and a customer services number based in the UK. I believe you can buy with confidence.
Our gift was a night away in a hotel of our choice. It included a three course evening meal with Prosecco and breakfast with well over a hundred locations to choose from. We decided to go to an area of the country that we aren’t overly familiar with and settled on Banbury, what a delight the Mercure Banbury Whately Hall Hotel truly is. With check in from 2pm we left home early and decided to visit a nearby National Trust property, taking in a Sunday lunch at a pub on the edge of the Cotswolds. We arrived at Whately Hall a little after 3pm and its location in the town centre next to the famous Banbury Cross could not have been better. The car park behind the hotel is large and for patrons only.
Once called the ‘The Three Tuns Inn’ a license is on record from 1677. The hotel has undergone refurbishment over the years and in the late 1960 seventy plus rooms were added to the rear.
Check in was so easy, being on a gift package I did have a little anxiety. Nothing could have been further from the reality. First of all, we were asked if we would like a room in the old part, or the more modern part of the building, we opted for a second-floor room in the original building. We felt that the receptionist listened to our wishes and chose the best room for us. We had beams and a view over the market square and could hear the church bells. With exceptionally comfortable bed and fantastic shower as well as everything you would expect from a three-star hotel our room was perfect. During check in we were asked what time we would like to dine and we chose 8 o’clock.
We unpacked our overnight bag, had a cup of tea and decided what to do as it was still early. The Odeon cinema is literally the next building to Whately Hall and using the free Wi-Fi it was easy to check show times. So, we went for a 5pm showing and were ‘back home’ just after seven. We took full advantage of the comfortable bar area before going to the dining room.
Our waitress Emma ensured we were seated at a table of our choice brought the three-course menu and asked if we would like the fizz then or later with our meal. We also had table water. We explained to Emma that one of us was a coeliac and therefore followed a strict gluten free diet, she told us that it wasn’t a problem, but she would inform chef. We weren’t made to feel that we were being a nuisance, as so often happens when we dine out.
The meals were hot and we were given the right amount of time between courses. When it came to a gluten free dessert usually it’s just ice-cream or if you’re lucky meringue and ice-cream, the choices are so limited. We told Emma to surprise us. She certainly did, the chef popped out to say that he had especially prepared a chocolate mousse. My partner shared a little and it was sublime. I don’t think we have ever had a better dining experience. This truly was the gift that kept on giving!
Full of food and wine we headed up the huge staircase to our room, for a great night’s sleep. Just a few hours later we were back down the stairs for breakfast. And what a breakfast. So much fresh food, lots of fruit, ham, cheese, croissants and pastries for a continental twist. Cereals and Full English. As it was a buffet style, mix and match was down to individual choice. Coffee and tea were brought to the table and dirty dishes removed immediately. We took our time and enjoyed the relaxed atmosphere, check out time wasn’t until 12 midday, so we didn’t feel at all rushed.
Opposite our room was the strangely named Fathers Dyneing Room. I asked one of the staff what this room is and how it gained its unusual name. She was very knowledgeable and found us a printed sheet giving a brief history of the Hall, I won’t spoil all the surprises but on the 2nd September 1687 (by coincidence the date of the aforementioned aunts birthday; although she would be at pains to point out not the same year!) King James the Second stayed in the room, this is a matter of fact not fanciful speculation. There is of course the obligatory ghost walking the corridors, but I am pleased to report he didn’t disturb a perfect night’s sleep for these two guests.
We checked out and explored Banbury before going on to do some Christmas shopping at the nearby Bicester designer Village. All I brought was a candle for our table deciding that this year instead of so much unnecessary stuff my nearest and dearest are going to receive vouchers from buyagift. So that they may have the same joy in the New Year that we had last weekend.
Rating: 5/5
RRP: £139
For more information or to buy this gift experience visit www.buyagift.co.uk.
