The big three-oh.
ADVENTURES #10: RHINEFIELD HOUSE HOTEL
For some people, birthdays are just another day, but when you have a joyful heart, as Lottie does, they are always an exciting time. This is made doubly so when said birthday is a significant milestone - the big three-oh. We often do something nice by way of a trip for our birthdays, and nowhere is more visited by us than the New Forest. It's a place that we both have a fondness for and a place we never tire of, and, if we ever manage to retire, it'd certainly be one of our ideal places to spend our twilight years. We're not quite decrepit yet though (although I'm slightly further along than Lottie), and so the New Forest is just a holiday destination for the time being. In the run up to the big day, we toyed with various ideas of where to go and where to stay, but we eventually settled on a hotel tucked away amongst the woods on the outskirts of Brockenhurst, this being Rhinefield House. Certainly not the cheapest of places to stay, but definitely worthy of a thirtieth birthday treat, and one we were both very excited to enjoy. Lottie’s birthday is on the 8th of February, and as luck would have it, it fell on a Saturday this year. Working in a school means that while I have a very generous allotment of holidays, there is absolutely no leeway with the dates however, but I worked some overtime back in September and as such was owed a day, a day which I hadn’t yet used - this seemed like the best time, and made an ordinary weekend that much sweeter by turning it into a 3-dayer. Anyway, because of this, we were able to set out on the Friday long before I usually finish work, and meant that we could make the most of things, and that we could wake up in the hotel on Lottie’s birthday.
Friday 7th February:
After a bit of a slow start, we got to packing, and hit the road, driving westward towards the New Forest. Our check in was 3pm, so we needed to kill a little bit of time before arriving. As mentioned, we’ve been around the area many times, and have explored quite a few of the towns there, so we thought that we’d try and visit somewhere new, and opted for Christchurch, which borders the New Forest on the eastern edge of Dorset. The weather was suitably English as we set out (grey, wet, and very cold), and remained that way for almost the entire weekend. This meant that when we arrived in Christchurch, we were not naturally in exploration mode. We exited the car to icy temperatures and a sharp spittle of rain with little hope in our hearts for a particularly enjoyable time, and as we walked around the Civic Centre car park our hopes were little improved. The closer we got to the centre of town though, there seemed to be some interest, and crossing the bridges from the eastern side, we were impressed by the lovely waterside houses. Our wandering had us passing the ruins of the Norman Keep, and the Priory, but we decided to investigate those on our loop back, wanting to see what the high-street was like. I’d say pretty average, slightly on the dead side with a few nice bits, but overall pretty bare. The people swilling vodka in the street diminished the vibe a little, but it was bloody cold, so who can blame them. After a brief look in a few charity shops (as that’s pretty much all there is), we walked back and headed for the Priory grounds, exploring the church, walking along the river towards the Covent Walk, Norman House, and the aforementioned ruins of the Norman Keep. These are all worth a look, but with the weather as it was, we found ourselves rather being elsewhere. Time was running away from us anyway, and although we hadn’t explored the beaches or anything else about Christchurch, we departed after our brief jaunt.
With our check-in time looming, we hurried back to the car and set off back towards the New Forest, stopping off at a supermarket for some snacks and treats along the way, making much use of the birthday excuse to warrant the purchasing of the more expensive items. Once we were heaving with delicious foodstuffs, we resumed our journey, weaving through the woodland roads and approaching the picturesque 1887 manor house. Driving through the grounds, we found a spot to park up, and after lugging our bags to the entrance, we were greeted by Tom, the doorman, who led us through to the reception. After checking in, and being aided with our bags, we were led to our room for our stay, which was the Keyhaven room. After being handed the key, we dropped our belongings down and began the ritualistic exploration - finding the free stuff, testing the shower, rating the comfort of the mattress, seeing what channels are available on the telly… These customs were paused initially however, as a little birthday treat was waiting for Lottie. On the (massive) bed sat an enveloped birthday card tied to a birthday balloon, on the mirror opposite was a birthday banner, and amongst the various bits and pieces were a box of biscuits and a couple of cocktails. Any one of these would of course be appreciated, but the hand written card was the best of all, and made Lottie’s day.
After acquainting ourselves with the room and settling in for a bit, we decided to have a bit of a nose about the rest of the hotel, checking out the various lounges, the bar, the restaurants, and dining areas, as well as the spa. We took our swimming stuff with us on our exploration, planning on ending with a bit of a relax in the pool, but as we headed that way, we passed the famed Alhambra room, which is said to be a partial replica of its namesake in Granada. When booking our meal ahead, we had initially wanted to dine there, but it is usually reserved for large parties. We thought we’d take our chance to see it before it opened however, and as we did, we noticed that all the tables were separated. Lottie checked with the staff and found out that due to the number of guests, they were opening it up for booking, which is apparently a rarity, and as we were the first to ask, we had the choice of tables. Happily we adjusted our booking, and made off towards the spa, excited for our meal later in the day. Adjusting our booking to the Alhambra, also meant that we could have our breakfast in the Armada room, which meant that we got to experience both!
Much like our stay in Wickwoods, one of Rhinefield’s chief attractions is its spa (we didn’t get any photos, but its as lavish as the rest of the place), and while we couldn’t quite bring ourselves to pay for any treatments, we happily made the most of the pool, hot tub, steam room, and sauna. The inside pool (being the only one available when we went) is quite small, but certainly enough for a relaxing swim, and definitely so if there are just one or two people around. All was very enjoyable, but I managed to seal my belongings in one of the lockers and had to be rescued by the very kind woman in the spa section - Lottie had no such issue, and I can only assume that I buggered it up somehow. After making use of the facilities, discovering that I can’t keep a four digit number in my head, and having worked up our appetites a little, we returned to our room to relax a while before getting ready for our meal - which was only enhanced by Come Dine with Me and Dinner Date being on the telly. After a long hot shower and a quick change into something a little smarter, we departed our room and walked through the bar towards the Alhambra restaurant. When we arrived we were the first to sit down, but after a while a few more couples were seated, and the atmosphere came alive. We were served delicious bread and salted butter while we waited for our food, and we enjoyed the beautiful surroundings while we ate. Lottie had a mushroom risotto for main, and I had pork belly, both of which were delicious and well presented. After we had finished, the waitress brought out a little birthday surprise for Lottie, which was the chocolate brownie she had been eyeing up on the menu, with a message in chocolate across the plate (I scraped that off and ate it - delicious).
After our meal, we retired to the bar for a drink and to soak up the atmosphere - which, at least while we were there, was one of calm. I had already sampled the beer during our meal, so by way of a night cap I went for a big glass of amaretto, and Lottie, good as ever, went for a glass of water. As we chatted and people watched, a drowsiness came over us, and we finally retired to our room to vegetate after the meal, very satisfied, and very relaxed.
Saturday 8th February:
The day that Lottie had been talking about for the past few months finally arrived, and we woke suitably early to make the most of it. Our room was furnished with a little coffee machine and the usual hot drink supplies, and although a heap of gifts were vying for Lottie’s attention on the table at the far end of the room, we enjoyed a nice drink before the unwrapping. Once the gifts were liberated from their paper wrappings, and some tidying up had taken place, we decided to make use of the facilities again, opting for a nice swim and a slight cook in the hot tub. We went with our gowns and pre dressed in our swimming gear this time, so I happily avoided the shame of having to ask for locker-aid, and after again acquiring an appetite, we returned to our room to change, clear up, pack our things, and generally get ready for the day. Once everything was sorted, we departed for the Armada room, within which breakfast was being served - a very grand place to start the day.
After being seated, we looked over the menu and our bellies sung with joy. There was pretty much everything one would want to start the day, with pastries, cooked breakfasts, cereals, and everything in between, and as we surveyed the menu, we began to wonder how the selection process would work. There was no buffet, so the idea of pigging out seemed less likely, but to our delight, pigging out was indeed an option. Upon sitting down we were offered a smoothie, coffee, tea, and water, and along with our cooked breakfasts, we had toast, croissants, muffins, and a fruit salad. More could have been ordered, but that was all plenty (and delicious). We over ran our check out time a little while breakfasting, but were kindly allowed to take our time, and after washing our food down with another round of hot drinks, we ambled back to the room and ferried our bags back to the car before checking out properly. Before driving off however, we decided to take a leisurely explore around grounds, both to be nosy and to walk off our breakfast.
Rhinefields boasts acres of land, but we only saw what was close to hand, that being the well tended gardens, full of features, fountains, statues, and a maze. I can only imagine how stunning it all looks at the height of summer, but even in the grey drizzle and mist that hung in the air during the weekend, it looked ethereally beautiful. After lots of photo taking (Lottie is getting more into the hobby, so revelled in the opportunity to photograph such a place), we made for the car and shivered off the rain. This dampness reprieve was only temporary however, as we quickly found another spot to park up and to explore, this being Blackwater Woods, which is just a few minutes from the hotel. We initially stopped there in order to photograph some passing horses, but decided on a bit of a walk through the woods too - especially as the rain was less intrusive under the canopy of leaves. Again, we made the most of our walk to talk about photography, and as we circled back to the car, we decided to make one more stop along the way before heading home. We had visited Beaulieu before a few years ago, but thought it would be a nice place to pop to on the return journey. There we explored a few of the shops, buying some eucalyptus from a lovely florist, some chocolate from a lovely chocolatier, and some hot drinks for the drive from a lovely tea room. All lovely, and as quaint as you can imagine. Just as we were leaving the car park we lamented the lack of horses, as last time the village was full of them, but on our way out, a little gathering of the chaps set about creating a road block (one was closing its eyes and apparently smiling - they knew what they were doing), so we jumped out of the car for a few more snaps before finally heading home.
Upon returning, we were off out again for a family gathering at a local pub, and the day after, we did a spot of shopping and another meal out… we had very happy stomachs come Monday, but slightly sore wallets. Reflecting on the weekend, other than the luxury of the setting, the fun in exploration, and the joy of the food and birthday festivities, our overriding thoughts were that of the staff at the Rhinefield House Hotel. Often enough you’re met with amicable staff in places such as this, but never before have we had the pleasure of meeting so many lovely people. From the doorman and receptionists, to the waiters and waitresses, the barkeepers, housekeepers, and spa therapists - absolutely everyone was kind and helpful to a fault, and it made our stay all the more memorable. Here’s to Jerry and his colleagues - if you see this, thank you for your kindness!
So there we go, Lottie joins the ranks of the thirty-year-olds, and now, other than recent babies, only one person we jointly know is still in their twenties… perhaps we should shun them? Lottie has taken it in her stride, but some people are enormously troubled by the passing of certain milestones… I had already lost the majority of my hair and the rest was greying before I hit 30 myself, so having my age catch up to the state of my head was somewhat of a relief! What do you do for your big birthdays? Something like this, as I say, suits us down to the ground.
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Some terrific photos here. Big LoTR vibes in the shots from the woods.