With Christmas nearly upon us and already feeling fractious and frazzled it was time to take a break and recharge our batteries. Where better than plush, a brand new concept in boutique hotels set in two acres of beautifully laid out gardens and grounds, surrounded by the rolling hills of North Somerset at Redhill. The hotel has been sympathetically restored and converted having once been a large private house. All 8 rooms are sumptuously furnished in different styles and colours, each one being unique. However, to begin at the beginning….
The night was dark and cold with a mist coming off the hills and we were glad when we found the turning off the A38 and drew up to a pair of imposing wooden gates. After pressing the buzzer, a voice with a charming Scottish lilt, invited us in and we drove down into the large car park. Collecting our bags we walked through the gardens to the front of the hotel and the reception. Greg and Vivienne Vaughton welcomed us most warmly and showed us into the comfortable lounge where large cappuccinos were offered to warm us up after the journey. The lounge has some very unusual furniture, a large and well-upholstered semi-circular sofa seating at least eight people and in the corner a tall Egyptian style cabinet which apparently began its life as a TV cabinet in the dim and distant past before flat screens were a twinkle in the eye of an engineer, but had now been converted to a very practical piece that holds the hotel’s stock of fine glassware. plush Hotel is a completely new venture which Greg and Vivienne joined in early autumn and they explained that the conversion of the building had been completed to the highest standard and alongside it they too wanted to provide the best possible service to their guests. It was really refreshing to find two people so enthusiastic about their work and taking such a pride in the end result.
We had chosen Room 2 which overlooks the garden waterfall and as we were interested they very kindly showed us over the other rooms and how magnificent they are. All of them are designed around diverse colours and themes, featuring unusual pieces of furniture and art work. The choice of fabrics is amazing and I fell in love with an organza curtain arrangement that will shortly be gracing my own dining room so I hope that plush haven’t taken out a patent. Room 4 has an elegant wooden four poster bed (think anniversaries and weddings!) and beautiful views over the countryside to the lights of Weston-super-Mare, whilst room 6 boasts a commodious king size bed with adjoining balcony and views of the garden and countryside beyond. There are two rooms on the ground floor, one with a king bed, wet room and disabled facilities.
The hotel is fully licensed and we decided to take advantage of their excellent stock of wines, many of them from the New World chosen especially by Greg as he hails from South Australia and therefore has superior inside knowledge. Nearer home, plush also stocks local Butcombe beer and their mineral water is from Cheddar. We decided on an excellent bottle of Jacobs Creek sparkling to take upstairs as an aperitif before dinner and were given the very necessary ice-bucket and flute glasses. If you wish to have flowers, chocolates and champagne or any other special touch in your room on arrival this can all be arranged, so romantics out there please take note!
Our room was furnished in rich plum and burgundy and has a wonderful soft velvety bedspread. The en-suite bathroom was large and airy with a free-standing claw foot bath, double sink and power shower. My husband road tested the shower with gusto and pronounced it the only power shower he’d ever taken that lived up to its name drenching him with a powerful jet of water rather than an intermittent drizzle that never reached his feet. I decided to make free with the complimentary range of toiletries by Temple Spa whose cosmetics are designed to make bathing a relaxing and calming experience. I filled the deep bath with scented bubbles whilst at the same time filling myself with a glass of bubbly ~ how decadent is that for a Monday night? Apparently there are plans to make available full Spa treatments that you can do yourself in your room and I thought this would be a delightful idea.
All rooms have internet connections as well as Wi Fi access in the grounds but the thing I couldn’t drag my husband away from was the 20" LCD flat screen TV. Each room has one of these so you need never miss your favourite programme. Eventually he agreed it was time for dinner and as the hotel doesn’t have an in-house restaurant we decided to sample what the local Pub had to offer. Greg gave us a good recommendation and best of all told us that one of the hotel services was a chauffeur there and back! The hotel owns a very smart luxury leather interior Chevrolet people carrier so we were ferried to the Pub in style and Greg agreed to return some two hours later.
We got back to the hotel, it has to be said, overfed and slightly tipsy and gratefully fell into our comfortable bed. Vivienne had told us that they have a resident owl in the grounds, as well as a few pheasant, but if he called we didn’t hear, so deep and undisturbed was our slumber.
Another of plush’s surprises is a luxury indoor swimming pool in the grounds, this was a must to visit and I promised myself that despite the night’s activities I would have a swim before breakfast. plush serve an excellent continental breakfast offering fruit and cereal, together with toast, croissants and a selection of delicious jams and honey, all set out attractively to help yourself. There was even a corner for marmite lovers! The breakfast room is light and airy and looks out onto the garden.
We had a marvellous time and left feeling rejuvenated and revitalised ready to face the onslaught of the next four or five weeks. Their service was impeccable, and both Vivienne and Greg are so attentive and seem to anticipate their guests’ every need.
plush Hotel is close to Bristol International Airport and the perfect place to indulge yourself and stay before or after jetting off somewhere glamorous at an early hour, or as the gateway to exploring the West Country, Bristol and Bath. In summer the grounds would be great for a special outdoor party and have plenty of space to accommodate a marquee. Or just do as we did, take time out from today’s frenetic pace of life and treat yourself to one hundred percent of peace and relaxation courtesy of plush. A Fabulous Place to Stay!!
Jacquie Vowels
www.plushhotel.co.uk