When Mercure Hotels UK contacted me a couple of months ago and asked whether I would like to visit one of their hotels anywhere in the UK, obviously I didn’t hesitate long, and quickly picked the gorgeous Mercure Hotel Shrewsbury Albrighton as my destination of choice. Located a 2.5 hour train ride north west from London, the 4-star hotel is surrounded by green, endless fields, clear, fresh air and singing birds (as well as, in our case last weekend: thick fog).
The interior reminds one of an old British castle – the tea room is packed with cosy upholstered sofas which seem to have survived a few decades, the ceilings are high and the wooden furniture in the restaurant is beautiful. Mercure Hotel Shrewsbury Albrighton serves three kinds of afternoon tea, both for hotel guests and visitors who wish to come just to enjoy the tea. We went for the deluxe version (of course) with prosecco, sandwiches, berries, scones and cakes. What a delicious treat!
Later in the day we explored the hotel’s huge spa and fitness facilities and were well impressed: A manicure and pedicure station, massage rooms and relaxation areas, a dance room, two machine and weight rooms as well as a swimming pool, several saunas and a jacuzzi invite the guests to sweat and move, and to treat themselves after.
We ended our day with a three-course dinner in the hotel restaurant, which could not have been any more delicious! There was soup, there was grilled salmon (respectively rump steak), there were crunchy fries, baby potatoes, salad and grilled vegetables, and there was sticky toffee pudding with vanilla ice cream – all just perfect!
We woke up early the next morning to do some lanes in the pool to make space for the extensive breakfast buffet before heading back to Shrewsbury town. There were both typical English breakfast choices as well as more continental specialties, such as mini croissants and pain au chocolat, muesli, cheese varieties, fresh fruit and juices.
The town centre of Shrewsbury is a 10-minute car ride away, and since we only had an hour to spend in town, I couldn’t help but wishing there was more time to explore the few cute cafés and pretty old houses, the castles, churches and Shrewsbury’s library, which all looked like there are so many stories to be told about the place! We did, however, manage to squeeze in a quick coffee break at The Shrewsbury Coffeehouse, and then headed back towards the train station, very happy about this short, but perfect weekend getaway to Shrewsbury town!
Love,
Lea Lou
This article has been created in friendly collaboration with Mercure Hotels UK.
