Red Letter Days Voucher Review

Reviewed by Deborah Lowndes

We were lucky enough to be gifted a Red Letter Voucher for an overnight stay for two people in a castle. We eagerly awaited the voucher arrival by Royal Mail.

Voucher redemption.

Redeeming the voucher is a very straight forward process. Firstly have your voucher details to hand and go to the Red Letter Days website.  Click on ‘use voucher’ icon at the top of the screen. Follow the instructions on screen to book your experience. At this point you are able to see which castles are available and there locations. The website will navigate to the castle website so you can see what it has to offer and if it suits your particular requirements. It is worth reading the small print. If you are booking for a Saturday night then a surcharge generally applies. This is a very small surcharge. Some castles allow you to take a dog, again a small surcharge for this applies.

Available dates

For some of the castle experiences you are able to see (by the Red Letter Day website) if they have availability. If you cannot see the availability for the castle which you are interested In the contact number and email address as listed for you to directly enquire. We opted for an Overnight stay at Ruthin Castle. In order to check availability I telephoned the castle direct and asked the reception staff for availability and they confirmed there was space on our chosen date. At this point I proceeded to book by the Red Letter website for the date pencilled in with the Castle reception staff. The booking went through immediately and I received a confirmation email from both Red Letter and the castle direct..

One week or so after we realised we would not be free of the date of the booking. We contacted the hotel direct to see if we could amend the date to the following week. They advised this date was free. I asked the rebook for this date. They advised the change must be made requested by Red Letter Days. I therefore emailed Red Letter to advise and they immediately amended our booking and we received a confirmation email of the new booking date directly from Ruthin Castle. The confirmation detailed what was included within the overnight stay which was a room standard double room, evening meal and a full Welsh Breakfast.

Prior to arrival, Ruthin Castle send a welcome email which contained a link to the spa facilities allowing you the view treatments and experiences offered along with pricing details. This was great if you are planning to use these facilities as you could pre-book ahead of your stay in order to maximise upon your time at the Castle. The email also allowed you to make your restaurant reservation for your evening meal. The gym facilities were free of charge and the email link provided you with the opening times and use information relating to the gym, The email informed of the check in and out times.

Arriving at the Castle to check in

We arrived to check in at the check in time. It was straight forward and hassle free.

Our experience at the Castle

We found the overnight stay at the castle a magical, enchanting experience. It is a romantic getaway and a special treat for your loved one. Go surprise the one you love. The grounds at our chosen location were surreal you when you undress the curtains in the morning you would spot wild rabbits hopping around the lawn. Whilst wandering around the grounds you encountered an array of outstanding peacocks which do get close – such a wonderful experience. Ruthin Castle offered many terraces for soaking up the sun, having a relaxing treat and spending quality time with your thoughts. We were extremely lucky to have great weather whilst there so we made the most of this and on the afternoon of arrival we sat on one of the terraces and have a ice cream sundae wow it was delicious! On this terrace there was two teapees which offered a nice place to sit for shade. This terrace also had a bar and pizza oven where you were able to purchase pizzas. The seating area was decorated with plants and lavender which smelt divine. The grounds were very well maintained. Another seating terrace area has a band stand on offer and the final seating area is a patio area with lovely views of the castle from this area we spotted a peacock sitting on the castle roof.

The castle had a spa and gym next door. The spa had offers for romantic experiences such as the woodland twilight spa experience which included the use of a hot tub for three hours in the twinkling lights of the woodlands. My husband and I wandered to this area to experience the beauty of the surroundings.

Inside the castle the decor was exquisite and medieval. It was originally built in 1277 and offers loads of character. The restaurant dining room offers the experience of a medieval banqueting hall with the flags on full display. There is a high amount of detail wherever you turn. There were some beautiful indoor setting areas with elegant chair, plush velour etc.

Our package included an evening meal plus Welsh breakfast. For the evening meal you needed to pre book and the menu offered a wide selection plus the quality of the food did not disappoint.

Our room itself was lovely and again offered the correct decor, tall windows, heavy curtains, large patterned medieval wallpaper etc. for a castle of that age.

We thoroughly enjoyed our experience and we are determine your cast our net future in future to enjoy different things other than the normal nights away.

RRP: £189.99

For more information or to book this or another experience, please visit the Red Letter Days website here.

Rating: 5/5