“IT’S only November… is that too early to celebrate Christmas?”
That’s the question my partner and I are asking ourselves as we drive down the Wellingtonia tree-lined avenue that leads to Warner Leisure Hotels’ Studley Castle on this crisp autumn morning.
We’re here to experience their Winter Wonderland break — and by the time we walk up to the 20ft bauble-draped tree inside the hotel entrance, there’s a pang of regret after not packing a Christmas jumper.
Nestled in the Warwickshire countryside, the grand estate has taken on various guises in its 180-year history, since it began as the home of Francis Lyttelton Holyoake, High Sheriff of Warwickshire.
Later a college for women and a training base for the Women’s Land Army during both world wars, it was finally converted into a luxury hotel in 2019, in a multi-million-pound transformation by Warner.
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Studley Castle can accommodate up to 420 guests and its giant entertainment and restaurant venue, the Evesham, can, remarkably, seat every visitor.
That keeps the acts on stage busy. It is here where the festive tunes belt out in various forms. There’s a rock band, a soul and Motown outfit and enough Christmas crooners to get you singing along with a glass of fizz in your hand — weeks before you’ve even thought about buying any presents.
Acrobats and hula-hoop dancers dazzle in the gaps between the singers. At the rear of the room, a talented chap carves an ice sculpture of a polar bear, while elegant dancers in a sparkly outfits perform inside a giant snowglobe.
And the drinks are being poured like last orders are about to be called on Christmas Eve.
Dinner almost feels like an interruption but there’s great options including fresh fish cooked in front of your eyes on the grill. The ice-cream parlour would get an 80-year-old as excited as an eight-year-old.
Half board is included in the break — and there are two restaurants and several bars and lounges to enjoy. Studley Castle is one of those places that makes you feel warm and snuggly. There’s a hideaway room where you can curl up with that book you’ve been meaning to finish for months. Afternoon tea — and, yes, this one included Christmas cake — is served next door.
And the hidden gem is the cosy mini-cinema that seats 30. If you’re lucky, you might even get it all to yourselves, as we did.
Or perhaps that was just because it was showing Downton Abbey: The Movie at the time.
Dripping with history
This is a hotel where you can really unwind and you’ll soon forget about the outside world.
Explore the grounds by bike, take a stroll or make like the landed gentry of old and have a go at shooting or archery.
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But for the more adventurous types there’s cracking day trips within a 30-minute drive.
Firstly, we head to Stratford-upon-Avon — home to William Shakespeare and without barely a building that doesn’t have some kind of reference to the bard.
History drips from every corner of the town centre, and the walk alongside the River Avon is spectacular at this time of year as the low sun picks out the colours of the fading autumn leaves.
A quick trip up the road takes us past Warwick Castle — dating to 1068, and William the Conqueror — and on to Royal Leamington Spa, a beautiful town with stunning architecture and a great place to do some early Christmas shopping.
Speaking of spas, it’s time to head back for our treatments at the hotel’s Stables Spa.
If you’re in need of a treat — and who isn’t? — go for a facial treatment or massage. I felt ten years younger once they had worked a couple of knots out of my aching shoulders.
The spa is excellent, featuring a decent-sized pool as well as Jacuzzi, sauna and steam room — and with a fine view of the hotel’s grand entrance.
Rooms, in the original castle and newly built wings, are modern, cosy and very comfy — with all the treats you’d expect, from tea tray and free water to robes and smart TV.
When it eventually comes to checking out and checking back into reality, we both feel transformed by a long weekend away from it all.
As we drive away, we discuss putting the tree up before December for the first time. It seems it’s never too early to celebrate Christmas…
