Hotel du Vin & Bistro, Henley-on-Thames

It’s hard not to be impressed when
you’re staying in La Grande Dame — one of Hotel du Vin’s
three-storey suites at its Henley-on-Thames location. Here you can
comfortably lounge around downstairs in the living area with its
flatscreen TV, wander up to the next level and enjoy bathing in one
of two free-standing tubs or the must-try walk-in shower, then retire
upstairs to the bedroom to settle for a night of quiet slumber amidst
the crisp, white, Egyptian linen.

The renovation of the Brakspears
Brewery, with its classical Georgian facade — and encircling listed
buildings dating back to the 1700s — has been particularly
sympathetic to a site where brewing took place for almost 300 years
until 2004. And Hotel du Vin really has done the renovation justice.

On arrival, guests are welcomed by the
now familiar Hotel du Vin style. The deep indigo walls are hung with
an oversized oil painting of a wine bottle, while the original
iron safe and oak reception desk of the brewery are other features.

In keeping with Hotel du Vin’s theme,
each of the 43 bedrooms and suites is named after a celebrated wine
house and walls are painted in fresh hues of straw, olive and simple
white, offset against the dark exposed wooden beams, iron pillars and
polished oak furniture.

The hotel’s courtyard is an ideal
pre-evening drink venue, next to the classical 100-cover Bistro and a
short walk from the Champagne Bar and softly lit Snug, with its
low beams and generous, sink-in velvet sofas and armchairs.

In all, the service was impeccable —
the Bistro’s wine waiter deserves a mention — and the decor
classically modern, while the location is ideal for either a sleepy
summer getaway or a winter hideaway.