Review: Bel & The Dragon Inn, Churt – a family-friendly hotel in Surrey
I’m a big fan of weekend getaways. They are perfect for recharging batteries and injecting a bit of adventure into that short 48 hours between the working weeks. So it was with much excitement that we set off on our first mini-break of 2017. Our destination? The Surrey Hills thanks to an invitation to come for a family break at Bel & The Dragon in Churt.
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“Bel & The Dragon is a collection of characterful country inns in the south of England, each bursting with its own personality and quirks and perfectly set up for a short break with the family.”
Before I go any further, I have a confession. There’s always a tiny bit of dread in my heart at the thought of staying in a hotel with kids. I love it when it’s just Mr Tin Box and I. But it’s very difficult to recreate the luxury of our pre-children mini-breaks when staying in the same room as two small people. They don’t cope well in small spaces, are fussy about meal times and get uppity if you disturb them after bedtime. The result is that none of us really relax.
Well, this certainly wasn’t the case at Bel & The Dragon.
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Our stay at Bel & The Dragon in Churt
It was quite literally freezing when we arrived in Surrey. It was late in the afternoon yet the trees were still clinging onto a white lining of frost from the night before and icicles hung from the roofs of buildings we passed on our drive through the Surrey Hills. In stark contrast, we received the warmest of welcomes when we stepped through the door of Bel & The Dragon.
Mr Tin Box had been working in London and I had travelled up from the West Country with the girls. I arrived first and decided to stretch our travel weary legs in The Sculpture Park across the road.
After 45 minutes of appreciating a variety of wonderful artworks, we were chilled to the core.
Checking in
Bel & The Dragon’s General Manager, Mike, read the situation well (our bright red and runny noses were a bit of a give away) and showed us through to the bar to warm up with delicious hot chocolates. This is where we had our first taster of Bel & The Dragon’s family-friendly set up.
The beautifully decorated country house-style bar area has several shelves stacked with children’s books as well as classic reads.
The girls loved helping themselves to these books, which were also available in the restaurant, throughout our stay.
Our family suite at Bel & The Dragon
When we were completely thawed from our walk it was time to look at our family suite. We were staying in the Wentworth Room in the Cottage alongside the main inn.
There’s several rooms in this large converted house, all sharing an entrance and communal tea and coffee making area. As well as hot drinks you can also help yourself to two decanters of whisky – Mr Tin Box was in heaven!
Our suite was a great size with a king-sized bed, sofa, arm chair and still plenty of room for Tin Box Tot and Baby to play on the floor. That’s not to mention an enclosed garden, to which we had exclusive access.
Off the main living area was a snug bunk room for the girls and a large bathroom with a roll top bath and large, rainfall shower. I was incredibly excited to see the bath and made sure I found the time for a relaxing dip during our weekend. Bliss!
Other lovely touches in the room, were the vintage children books (I remembered some of them from my own childhood), the 100% natural Bramble toiletries and a complementary bottle of Sipsmith Sloe Gin.
Dining with children at Bel & The Dragon
The restaurant in the inn offers an A La Carte menu of dishes for parents and children made with local produce. We dined there on our first evening.
Dinner
Service starts at 6pm, which is a bit late for our ravenous four-year-old and 20-month-old. However, Bel & The Dragon have the children’s dinner entertainment covered.
Not only were there books and colouring sheets, the girls were also given chalks so they could draw straight onto our black table. It is a simple yet brilliant idea and kept them entertained before, during and after our dinner.
Tin Box Tot and Baby ate macaroni cheese followed by ice-cream while Mr Tin Box and I treated ourselves to a full three course meal from the January menu.
It was all fantastic but I can highly recommend the Scottish Mussels and Caramelised Lemon Tart.
Breakfast
Breakfast is included in your stay at Bel & The Dragon and is also served in the restaurant. There’s a choice of cereals, toast that you can make using a fresh loaf, yogurts, juices and cooked meals.
Apart from the variety of child-friendly cereals being a bit limited, we had plenty of options for hot food and everything came in sizeable portions. I would have had to stay several nights to try all of the breakfast dishes that caught my eye.
The girls particularly enjoyed sharing a huge bacon sandwich one morning and then blueberry pancakes with crispy bacon the next. It was ideal fuel for our days out in the area.
Family days out nearby
Here’s some recommended things to do with children in Surrey close to the Bel & Dragon:
- RHS Wisley – world-class gardens with plenty of space for children to explore.
- Alice Holt Forest – a stunning Forestry Commission forest. You can hire bikes, follow adventure trails and Go Ape in there tree tops.
- Poleden Lacey – an Edwardian house and estate run by the National Trust. There’s a woodland play area, bird hide and outdoor theatre.
Our Bel & The Dragon review
We were so impressed with Bel & The Dragon’s family-friendly approach and how they manage to achieve this in luxurious surroundings. They understand that happy kids make for happy parents, and vice versa.
We left feeling we’d had a great family mini-break and more than a glimpse of our pre-children hotel stays.
Disclosure: we were invited guests of Bel & The Dragon for the purposes of an honest review. All views are my own and those of my family.
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Linking up with the brand new family travel linky by Wandermust Family #FearlessFamTrav
Oh wow it looks idyllic – I LOVE that the bar/lounge serves lovely hot chocolates and has a selection of children’s books. You can’t ask for a warmer welcome than that can you? Sounds like they’ve nailed family friendly to me!
We were freezing, so we couldn’t have gotten a warmer welcome!
It looks fantastic.
somewhere to add to the list
david F recently posted…The Hidden Costs of Cruising
Oh Claire what a treat! The interior design of the living rooms in the bar area and your family room is so cosy and welcoming. The mussels and puddings look seriously yummy too!
Oh, those mussels. Yum! It was so cosy. We had a lovely weekend
What a lovely place to stay, so cosy, I love the decor and the room with the bunks for the kids and the food looks fab. Its a lucky find when you find somewhere family friendly that you would visit even without kids! Thanks for sharing #fearlessfamtrav
Wherejogoes recently posted…WHY YOUR CHILD NEEDS A BLUE PETER BADGE
Yes, we’d love to go back for an grownups weekend 🙂
This looks like such a cozy hotel. I love it when places are so friendly and accommodating for children. It makes traveling with young kids so much easier. #fearlessfamtrav
Allison recently posted…Travel Outtakes: When Things Go Wrong
Absolutely. It kids/parents are happy then so is everyone else 🙂
This looks so lovely! And that bath..! It is lovely when you find a little gem of a place that is also child friendly ! ..And the nearby butterfly event- my eldest would adore this ! #MondayEscapes xx
Katy recently posted…January 2017 Round Up
I can’t lie, the bath was brilliant. It ws such a lovely place for a short break. I must write about the butterfly event soon too.
Back again from #fearlessfamtrav – this place looks even better on second read
Wandermust mummy recently posted…Our baby travel outtakes & the lessons we’ve learnt
LOL! You couldn’t stay away 😉
What a beautifully cosy place it seems to stay in, and the food looks incredible. I understand what you say about staying in hotels with kids through we outgrew staying in them with our family a long time ago! This would be a great bolthole for dh and I to recharge and spend some quality time together though. If only…! #mondayescapes
Tania @ Larger Family Life recently posted…Our Big Family Stay at Bluestone Wales
It would be lovely for a couple’s retreat. I might have to persuade Mr Tin Box to take me back there…although I don’t think it would take much!
If I am ever near there or need to be I definitely want to stay there. It looks just like the sort of place we would all love. #MondayEscapes
It was lovely Karen. I can highly recommend it. I think your girls would love exploring The Sculpture Park too.
Looks like an incredible place to stay that the whole family loves. It’s great to read about places like these that give any stay a personalized touch!
Brooke of Passport Couture recently posted…Comment on Chinese New Year 2017 Inspiration by brooklyntvlasich
They were so welcoming and definitely very well suited to families with young kids like ours. A real find!
This looks positively cozy and quaint and perfect for a winter escape. We love going away for weekends in the winter and re-charging, getting away from it all, and best when it’s a hotel you’re excited to come home to. #mondayescapes
You’re right, it was perfect for a winer short break. I can imagine with a bit more time in the evening we would be snuggled up by the inn’s fires.
Oh it looks so gorgeous, this is just my style, I love the mix of furniture and styles its so beautiful x
Sarah Christie recently posted…A Sunday Walk And Enjoying Family Time, Shopping And Football
It was beautifully done Sarah. Our room was in a separate cottage but it complemented the main inn. I could have taken a few arm chairs home with me!
The enclosed garden and rainfall shower have me itching to visit! I’m glad to hear that this place worked out well for traveling with your kids. It looks lovely!
It was a great place to stay with kids. The rainfall shower was nearly as good as the bath 🙂
oh this looks just fabulous for a weekend away, love the decor and the food looks delicious. So great when you find somewhere luxurious that you can happily take the kids along too. #Mondayescapes
Coral-Way too much luggage recently posted…If you go down to the woods today…
Yes, that’s what made it special. It felt very much like a grownup place to stay but the kids was so welcome
This looks like an amazing place to stay with kids Claire. I love all the family friendly features like colouring books. The hot chocolates look like just the thing to help you thaw out too! #mondayescapes
There were so many family friendly features but none of them were ‘in your face’. It felt like a real grown up weekend but with all the child-friendly essentials we needed with young kids
What a perfect looking get a way and ideal with a young family too #MondayEscapes
Fiona Cambouropoulos recently posted…Keeping chickens safe from the European bird flu.
Yes, we are made to feel so welcome with the little ones. They loved it too.
That sounds like a perfect place for a weekend getaway! Your pictures really do it justice. The enclosed garden sounds perfect with two little ones! #MondayEscapes
Yes, it was too cold to use it but it would have been ideal for allowing them to have a run around before breakfast and dinner
It looks like such a lovely place to stay and I think I would have loved a little browse through the kiddie books too. The food looks so good!
Notmyyearoff recently posted…Chinese New Year and the Terracotta Army
Those books were fascinating…some for all the wrong reasons. Kids books are much more fluffy these days 🙂
very cosy:) #mondayescapes
Tanja (the Red phone box travels) recently posted…My English memories: Bury St Edmunds
It really was!
I’ve been looking forward to reading about this after seeing the gorgeous posts on social media. It sounds as though they’ve thought of lots of ways to make the hotel stay fun for kids as well as relaxing. #MondayEscapes
They’ve done such a great job, but then again, the team running it have families too, so they know what to do to make it a great experience
Looks beautiful and the food looks really yum. Love the milkshake pic! #mondayescapes
I am looking forward to being back in the UK so we can do more of these getaways
Wandermust Family recently posted…The best link-ups for travel bloggers
That hot chocolate was delicious. I may have snuck a sip 🙂
What a gorgeous place Claire, reminds me of a place we found in Norfolk. It’s magic when you stumble on a hotel that does great food, stylish interiors and is still enjoyable with little ones isn’t it! Love your photos.
Penny Alexander recently posted…Overcoming fear of the deep with a Kayak Safari at Mark Warner Levante Resort
It was great with the kids and I think older ones would enjoy it too. The atmosphere was perfect for families 🙂