katsby

Hi Fodorites!

So DH and I have narrowed our 2-3 day road trip to 2 choices: either the Cotswolds or the East Sussex area.

May I have your recommendations for B&Bs and towns to stay in/visit in these areas?

From past threads, Burford and Stanton seem to get a lot of votes to use as a base. Any other suggestions? Any B&Bs you would recommend? We're not looking for anything fancy, and good food is always a plus. We'll have a car so we'll need parking.

For Cotswolds, we plan to hit Oxford (Christ Church), Blenheim, Gloucester maybe? We like history, walks, churches. Maybe not too many castles for this trip.

For East Sussex, we plan to go to Chartwell, Canterbury, Hever and/or Bodian. We're hoping for a base near Chartwell as we think we'll be arriving late afternoon already from London, and don't relish driving around at night looking for our B&B. Again, any recommendations for B&Bs in this area?

Many thanks again!

kat

janisj

Two quick comments:

About the driving around at night bit . . . Unless you are traveling in the dead of winter that shouldn't be an issue. If traveling in the spring/ summer it will be daylight until quite late.

And - who gat is your budget?

nini

We stayed at Sissinghurst in the B&B managed by residents for The National Trust. It was very nice with good breakfast, has an elevator, and they even did our laundry at no extra charge. A half mile down the road is the pub, Three Chimneys that dates back to 1420. We ate there both nights--great food and wonderful atmosphere.

annhig

I used to live near Chartwell, so I've never actually stayed in a B&B near there, but good places to look would be Westerham or Chiddingstone in the north of the area you're looking at, and Sissinghurst in the south [in fact, i remember a thread by someone who stayed on the Sissinghurst estate and loved it] .

in fact there are numerous little towns - Hawkhurst, Staplehurst, Cranbrook, Northiam, and Benenden - would all be nice little places to stay in.

if you want somewhere bigger you could look at Sevenoaks or Tunbridge Wells. [NOT Tonbridge].

vickiebypass

I stayed at Sissinghurst Castle Farm and loved it! Perfect location, right next to the famous gardens; although you can't walk through the gardens at night, you can walk around them on public footpaths, past the moat, through fields, etc. The farmhouse's gardens are very relaxing too. Here's a link to my trip report.

http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...ns-in-kent.cfm

annhig

thanks, vicki - I was hoping that you would chime in before I had to come and find you!

katsby

thanks everyone!

Janis - not sure what going rates are for b&bs, but i suppose around 150-200usd/night?

Thanks for all the recommendations near Chartwell! Will research on the towns now.

jamikins

We stayed at the Lamb Inn in Burford and would recommend it!

janisj

jeeze - just saw the typo in my post . . . But you seemed to get what I meant

That is a fairly generous budget. $200 is about £120 which won't get you into the poshest places but will give you lots of options.

If you could get into Sissinghurst that would be my choice (I've wanted to book there ever since vickie posted about it last year). It is above your budget -- but would be an amazing place to stay.

annhig

a decent B&B should really be no more than £100 /night and hopefully less.

janisj

Yes - there are lots of B&Bs under £100 . . . But I'm amazed at how many have broken the £100 ceiling. I'm organizing a trip for May for 4 ladies (I know, I know - glutton for punishment ) and searching for places near Thirsk, near Alnwick and in the Cotswolds I was shocked at how many are £120-£175 double.

Since I needed two twin rooms - the vast majority of cheaper/small 2 and 3 room B&Bs aren't an option.

annhig

jj - I have no idea how these B&Bs justify their prices. They are doing no more than providing a room and breakfast. they typically have very low overheads as they are often part of the family home, and even the most lavish breakfast can't cost that much to produce. Rarely do they employ any staff outside the family.

IME very often a nice 3 star hotel can be cheaper!

janisj

I know I know . . . I've stayed in probably 100+ UK B&Bs over the years -- mostly in England and I've never seen anything like this.

I did find several in the £80-ish range but they invariably either had just 1 twin room or none at all. But the ones I did book are all very nice - the cheapest was in Alnwick @ £90 for one room and £95 for the 2nd room.

annhig

well done, JJ - I womder why Alnwick is so expensive?

no wonder people like to go abroad - it's cheaper AND the weather's better.

janisj

Between the castle/Harry Potter connections and the Garden, Alnwick has become very popular. Apparently the Garden is now the largest single tourist attraction in Northumberland.

maitaitom

York House in Tetbury and Bramley House in Chipping Campden were both terrific, as was Hill House in Bath should you go there (Chapters eight though sixteen as more info on all three).

http://travelswithmaitaitom.com/Tom_...land_2013.html

katsby

Thank you for all the suggestions (and the brief discussion on B&Bs ). I know there are pros and cons to B&Bs vs 3 star hotels. May I know each of your personal preferences (B&B or 3 star hotel) and why? Seems like they are more or less the same price range. Is the B&B experience (home-style breakfast, personal touch etc etc) that much of a big deal?

annhig

Is the B&B experience (home-style breakfast, personal touch etc etc) that much of a big deal?>>

IMO yes. It is one of the best ways in which you can get to meet some local people and they are usually very helpful in passing on their local knowledge too. On our recent trip to OZ and NZ, by far the most successful accommodations were the B&Bs, because of the fun we had meeting the owners and other guests. OK it's 10,000 miles away but essentially the same tradition. maitaitom would say the same I think - his B&B stays seem to have been very enjoyable.

And you'll note that janisj, who travels a lot, has been hunting down B&Bs for her next stay in the chilly north.

Do give it a try at least once on your stay in the UK.

PS - i found this one relatively near Chartwell - about a 20 minute drive. I have never stayed there but it looks nice and it's pretty close to Sevenoaks town centre which will give you somewhere to walk in the evening, plus some nice restaurants. also Sevenaoks is a pretty good place to be for getting around the South East as it's on the A25 and the A21. Not the prettiest place, but you can't have everything.

http://www.austenscottage.co.uk/

jamikins

Given the option I will choose a b&b every time. We like interacting with the guests and owners and like the coziness of the atmosphere much better than a hotel. Also love the excellent breakfasts most serve!

Mimar

B&B in Britain covers a range, from one bedroom in a private house to what I would call a guesthouse. The latter would have a number of rooms and a public lounge, but the proprietors live in and have some private space. Sometimes it's hard to tell which is which. We like having more travelers with whom to interact.

We stayed in one place in Grasmere, which had 5 or 6 rooms, no public lounge. Off-limits to the guests were a large living room facing the lake and a largish furnished garden. Made us feel like second class citizens.