Staycation with a Royal Past

Last weekend we left our familiar neighbourhood for the Borough of Richmond upon Thames. It was our next staycation and we checked into The Mitre Hotel which has a linked historical past to the Hampton Court Palace across the street. The hotel was built in 1665 at the direction of King Charles II as a ‘hostel for visitors to the Palace’. So along we went for another adventure.

We had been at The Mitre Hotel a couple of months back for Mum’s birthday – just as we were first allowed to dine outside with the easing of the lockdown. And it was also the first time in a long while that the 5 Poos + 1 Mutt gang have been together.

The hotel had organised a private boat ride on the River Thames for us.

But we were not allowed to stay at the hotel then. With the reopening since mid-May, this was on our list of places to get away for a change of scenery. And so we returned to this historical hotel.

As we entered the Lobby Lounge, it was as if we had walked into someone’s home.

We were given a quick tour of the hotel before checking into our room.

There was the Library – I had a quick browse.

And we were shown the stunning Lounge with the beautiful de Gournay wallpaper.

We couldn’t wait to get to our room to see what was in store for us. There were a total of 36 bedrooms, and each of them have names, all in some way significant to the history or the location of the hotel. We had the Christopher Wren room.

Sir Christopher Wren (1632 – 1723) was one of the most highly acclaimed English architects in history, as well as an anatomist, astronomer, geometer, and mathematician-physicist. As we were out walking to the nearby greens, we saw that he lived in one of the townhouses nearby.

Our room had a four poster bed (yay!), with views of the River Thames and looked out to Hampton Court Palace.

They had prepared a bed for us, with a lion rope toy – a nod to royalty.

Thank you. But you know we prefer to sleep on the comfy beds.

And of course that all-essential bath tub!

And just in case anyone knocked! LOL!

And to think that we were so close to sniffing out all the history here and all that happened in the Palace across the street. It was Henry VIII’s favourite royal residence.

We could walk on the grounds but not the formal gardens and not the palace itself.

On our staycation agenda was finally having lunch with Tammy and Bruno again! We haven’t seen each other since the beginning of the first lockdown.

We were allowed to dine with our hoomans on the 1665 Terrace.

There was unexpected entertainment from the river!

To top it off, we met up with Anne and Skylar in the evening. We too haven’t seen them since early December, so it was another post lockdown get together.

And it wasn’t just old friends that we met. New ones too! Rafferty is an Instagram friend, who happens to be the brother of our friend Dakota!

We had a run around the green field nearby. George loved playing with Rafferty.

So it was a staycation with a royal past, it was one of meeting up with friends old and new – celebrating our new “freedom” and another day closer to “normality” – whatever that is!

May’s comment: Set on the banks of the River Thames opposite Hampton Court Palace, The Mitre Hotel has a rich history as a place to stay dating back as far as Charles II in 1665.

Following a complete transformation, the new Mitre is a sophisticated and relaxed luxury boutique hotel with two restaurants & bars, unique events space, a riverside terrace, vintage food truck, private boat launch and 36 individually-designed bedrooms and suites.

A key feature of the new Mitre Hotel is the stunning interiors from designer Nicola Harding. And one of the reasons why we chose to stay here. The design combines quirky British sensibility with elegant authentic luxury blending the old with the new, the refined with the comfortable, and the local with the worldly.

The Lounge where one can sit and have drinks is distinguished by a de Gournay hand-painted wallpaper.

The Minstrel Library with it’s volumes of books and a working juke box!

Well behaved dogs are welcomed at The Mitre.  They have 9 dog-friendly rooms mostly on the Ground Floor with outside terrace access. 

There is a £20 per night charge per dog. A maximum of 2 dogs per room. They provide a dog welcome pack on arrival. No dogs can be left in the room unattended. 

You can dine with your dog in the Coppernose restaurant for breakfast, lunch, and dinner as well as on the 1665 Terrace, but not in the Brasserie. 

There are great walks for you and your dog(s) from the front door of the hotel including The River Path and nearby Bushy Park.

The Mitre is on Hampton Court Road, East Molesey, Surrey KT8 9BN

And yes, we had a lovely staycation altogether. I had debated if I would bring George, but on the insistence of Anne, I did.

This is #notgifted. Purely our choice of hotel and our recommendation.