I often write about Happy Places in faraway lands, forgetting that happiness is sometimes just around the corner...
It takes about as long to drive to the Runnymede as it would take to get to Heathrow to fly somewhere exotic. But the vacation starts when the driving ends at the Runnymede... As soon as you arrive at the resort, you are greeted by friendly staff and a horde of rubber duckies. It is a recurring theme throughout the hotel and one that is completely relevant to my interests, I hasten to add. We spent 48 hours there and felt like we were somehow cheating the Universe by having what seemed to be a full on Summer break so near home. It was a great decompression chamber in between the South of France and London.
We didn't spend much time in the room as the weather was lovely and warm, but it was functional and roomy enough for our little family. Mini even had her own little nook equipped with a TV. Not bad at all. The furnishings are quite neutral, bordering on business-like which isn't really to my taste, but it does the job, and as I said before, there is so much to do outside that it doesn't actually matter so much.
What did we do then, instead of chilling in our room? Well... We hired an Electric Riverboat and went on a two-hour cruise up and down the Thames at sunset, which was all sorts of wonderful. We made friends with some ducks and geese and generally enjoyed being on the water. We spent some time by the pool, which is quite large for a London-adjacent hotel, we ate, we drank and we strolled along the river banks.
When we checked out, relaxed and happy, we were already planning our return as soon as the sun starts shining again over England.
Mademoiselle Robot was a guest of the Runnymede On Thames
Rooms start at £115 on a B&B basis.
