Tuesday 30 October 2018

TRAVEL: The Ultimate Time Together at The Dower House Hotel in Woodhall Spa with buyagift

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When you become a parent your whole life changes and something that used to be plentiful but is now a rarity is the quality time you can spend with your partner. Babies, toddlers and children all require a lot of time, attention and love that fills your time, house and heart, which makes finding time for date night or one-on-one time with your partner very challenging. Since giving birth to Isabella in 2015 my husband and I had only enjoyed one night away together and I had only left Isabella overnight twice (once was to have Poppy!). However, now that they are old enough to be looked after by their doting Grandparents we thought we'd make the most of the opportunity to enjoy a rare night away together.

Buyagift have a whole host of experiences, days out, spa treatments and nights away, all of which come in a voucher form making them the ideal gift for Christmas. Their range of Smartbox gifts are such an innovative concept within the gifting world because you can choose a Smartbox for your loved ones/friends and then it gives them the freedom to choose from often hundreds of experiences. It's the gift that is perfectly tailored for what they enjoy the most and with prices starting at £24.99, they are a reasonable gift option too. 
The Ultimate Time Together Smartbox from buyagift is £129.99 and comes with 990 experiences for two that can be chosen by the recipient. These range from spa days with lunch to zombie experiences and nights away. On their website it is easy to search which experiences are nearest to you or when you receive the gift box a booklet is included which feature a range of the experiences to choose from. When I saw that The Dower House in Woodhall Spa, Lincolnshire was on the list of 990 experiences to choose from I knew that was where we had to enjoy a child-free night away because it is where we got married! Four years ago we said our vows there before heading to the tipi for the wedding reception, so it was extra special for us to return all these years later.

If you've not had the pleasure of visiting Woodhall Spa before then you'll find it is a cute little town with a small high street lined with independent shops, cafes and restaurants. The Dower House is set just behind the high street, within a patch of woodland and alongside the infamous Kinema in the Woods. It's the perfect peaceful location for a weekend away and you can easily go for a wander around Woodhall Spa from the hotel. The Dower House Hotel has rooms spread across two buildings, the main building which also houses the restaurant, bar and function rooms and then the lodge which is a short walk across their stunning gardens. We stayed in the main building (room 5 for anyone wandering) and were pleasantly surprised to see that not much had changed since we got married. When you walk into the reception/bar area you are faced with a roaring fire at this time of year, as well as a wide array of drinks behind the bar and friendly service from the staff. 


When you stay at The Dower House as part of the Ultimate Time Together Smartbox from buyagift you get the overnight stay for two, as well as a single course dinner and breakfast in the morning. Everything you need to enjoy a relaxing break away! When you arrive you'll be asked to book a time for dinner and then shown to your room for you to unpack and relax. At dinner we were given the buyagift menu, which is limited compared to their full menu but has an array of meat, fish and vegetarian options. We could browse it in front of the fire in the bar with a drink and then were shown through to our table nearer to when our food was ready. This was a really nice way to start the evening and the fire was very welcome as it was hailing outside. I chose the Pea and Mint Risotto, while my husband chose the Haddock, Chips and Mushy Peas. Both meals were very generous sizes (we ordered a side of garlic bread and didn't have any space for pudding, especially as there is a fresh roll and butter on the table when you sit down), so we didn't feel the need to order another course. However, you are more than welcome to order a starter and/or a dessert to add onto the main course provided within the voucher, which is then charged to your room.

I had one of the best nights sleep I've had since becoming a parent. The room was quiet, warm and the bed was very comfortable, so with no children waking us up at 5am like normal we managed to sleep until 7am. Well and truly a lie-in in our books! At the weekend breakfast is served between 8am and 9.30am, so we were down by around 8.15am to enjoy both a cooked and continental breakfast. They had cereals, fruit, croissants, pastries, yogurts and fruit juices set out on the table for you to help yourself, while they took your cooked breakfast, toast and tea/coffee order at your table. The breakfast was delicious, though I have to say personally I would have liked to have been able to help myself to toast. It came out of the kitchen quite a while before the cooked breakfast did, which is fine if you are enjoying it with any of the jams provided, however I wanted to eat it with my breakfast at which point it was cold. As the hotel isn't that big I presume they opt for 'cooked to order' rather than a hot buffet to reduce waste. 
Overall, we were so impressed with our stay at The Dower House and it was nice to have a trip down memory lane. We reminisced a lot about our wedding there and when we came to look around the hotel prior to booking the wedding. The accommodation was lovely, staff friendly and to enjoy a night away for two with breakfast and dinner all for £129.99 with the Ultimate Time Together Smartbox from buyagift is a very affordable option. It would make the perfect gift for couples this Christmas or even for friends that want a child-free catch up.


Where would you want to go with either a partner or friend for a relaxing night away?


Feel free to leave a comment - I love reading every single one :)


Helen x

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19 comments

  1. That looks like an excellent value short break - and quite a charming place. I like buyagift for the flexibility it offers in gifting.

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  2. Gosh well that looks just lovely! As a parent too, I can fully appreciate how amazing that must have been to have a night away just the two of you xx

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  3. A night away like this would be a real treat. We travel quite often, but always with the kids in tow - not quite the same!! :-)

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  4. What an absolutely wonderful looking place to spend some time. It seems like it would be a nice place to spend a romantic getaway! I would love to have everything all done for me one night and all I have to think about is how I want to relax.

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  5. What a beautiful place and lovely to spend some time together. It's hard when you're parents to get the balance right and find this time x

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  6. This spa is such a good choice for the buyagift. I've had one of these before and done a similar trip and it was so nice x

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  7. What a brilliant idea from but a gift - this would be my perfect Christmas present

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  8. What a gorgeous place! I’d love to take Scott somewhere here for a little romantic getaway x

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  9. Love a good short break away and if there is a spa their too even better. this would make an ideal gift xx

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  10. That sounds like bliss. My hubby and I haven't had a night away in over 5vyears and I really do think we could do with it. But our son has never been away from us for a night so we're going to have to try something in the new year. And how lovely to be able to return to where you got married!

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  11. The Dower House sounds so good and that price is amazing. Loving the fish and chips to0x glad you have a lovely time

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  12. THat stained glass window!!! OMG love it. Looks such a lovely place

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  13. This sounds an amazing place to stay, the food looks so good! It's lovely it is where you got married too. I didn't realise Buyagift did hotel stays too, I've only bought experiences from it before.

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  14. The Dower looks really lovely. The place looks so relaxing, you would really get to spend quality time with your partner.

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  15. The idea of giving an experience like this to someone really appeals to me, even more now I've read what lovely time you had. The hotel looks like the perfect place to spend some time together

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  16. Now that is my kind of gift. Instead of materialistic things, such experiences always refresh your mind and soul. You chose a great place to visit and you had a sentimental attachment to it as well. How amazing!

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  17. I really love the old traditional English vibe the house has! It setting off all these stories in my head! It looks like a lovely place to get away and get some down time!

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  18. These do make for great Christmas gifts - that place also has a really nice classic vibe to it. Looks very picturesque :) xx

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