Situated in Shakespeare’s birthplace in the heart of historic Stratford Upon Avon, The Arden Hotel is an ideal base from which to explore this beautiful part of England. Luxurious Magazine’s Sabi Phagura packed her bags and checked into this charming boutique hotel to find out.

Drive into most city centres, and you’ll be hard-pressed to find decent parking. Therefore, you’re pretty much stressed from the onset of your day. So imagine my delight to find that The Arden Hotel is located slap bang in the middle of the town centre opposite the world-renowned Shakespeare Company (the hotel is part of its estate). Even better, it offers parking and electric vehicle charging points.

The Rooms
The Arden Hotel certainly lives up to its boutique description. It’s incredibly elegant and the lobby area oh-so inviting just willing guests to go and explore. Imagine neutral hues with splashes of teal, gold and magenta running throughout. With a swift check-in process, I was inside my room for the night, one of 45 bedrooms which are all named after trees.

There is a warren of corridors inside the building, so orientating yourself is a mindful exercise. But everything is well signposted, and to be honest, I enjoyed reading the various room names in a kind of educational way before reaching mine.

The wide range of room options are individually designed with a contemporary light and airy feel to them.

Exploring my well-proportioned one was a joy with a king-size bed, space dedicated to a bureau, a seating area with a sofa and a couple of armchairs and still plenty of room left for me to do my early morning yoga practice. The window afforded me views of the well-manicured Tudor knot garden within the hotel grounds.

The bathroom housed a bathtub, a separate walk-in shower and plenty of TEMPLESPA goodies to have a luxury pamper session.

The Food
Boasting 2 AA Rosettes, The Arden Hotel’s No. 44 restaurant on The Waterside makes for one of the excellent choices to dine in the town.

The restaurant can be accessed independently through the all-weather terrace and makes for a unique social hangout space throughout the day for those looking for a pre-theatre drink or a bite to eat throughout the day. The hotel also has cosy afternoon tea rooms and private dining options.

No. 44 offers a relaxed dining experience menu from its chic and sophisticated space. The menu is contemporary, with breakfast, lunch, dinner, and pre-theatre dinner options.

While it was tempting to have afternoon tea (I have a penchant for cake), I decided it was best to wait for dinner. The menu is small but has enough options (vegan, vegetarian, pescatarian) to cater to guests’ requirements. They can also learn the origin of the food from it.

For example, their fish is sourced from Devon and Cornwall and delivered daily. The meat, meanwhile, is sourced from a local Warwickshire butcher. The beef is grass-fed and matured for 35 days.

I can’t pass on scallops when they are on a menu, so I kicked off my mini feast with them. Well-seasoned and with a light golden crust, the scallops went down a treat with the pickled mushrooms and mooli. But they are never enough. I could eat a plate of those alone.

Sticking with the fish theme, my main choice consisted of roasted halibut accompanied by butternut squash, peanuts and curry sauce. I balanced my meal with sweet potato fries with parmesan and truffle oil and a bowl of mixed salad.

Granted, I felt I had over-ordered a tad bit more than I normally would eat, but with no rush to vacate my table, I savoured the flavours. The sweet potato fries were exceptionally good. I didn’t feel the need to dive into dessert despite craving it earlier.

There is an extensive wine menu for drinkers at the Arden Hotel and a good selection of non-alcoholic beverages for those wishing to abstain. When the sun is shining, guests and visitors can enjoy a drink from The Garden Bar. The all-weather Terrace Suite is an elite chill-out zone that provides further space for people to go and hang out.

Opened from morning coffee through to late-night drinks, its walls are adorned with evocative shots of famous performances from the Royal Shakespeare Company archives. It’s a sumptuous place from where to contemplate the way all things theatre have a way of doing.

The Arden Hotel – Where and How?

The Arden Hotel is located in Waterside, Stratford Upon Avon, Warwickshire, CV37 6BA. For more information and room rates, visit www.theardenhotelstratford.com.