Who doesn’t love Windsor, every time I go I make a pit stop by the real estate to check out property prices haha.
Last Friday we held our June FAM trip with Meet Beyond London, discovering all that Windsor has to offer and I am certain our members fell in love with this historical city just as much as I am.
Our FAM commenced with the super quick 45-minute train from London Waterloo straight into Windsor and Eton Riverside station, just a short walk away from our hotel for the evening which was The Castle Hotel – M Gallery by Sofitel.
The Castle Hotel and its humble beginnings can be traced all the way back to 1528, it is steeped in (as you can imagine) so much history and its location (a stone through from Windsor Castle and directly opposite Sir Christopher Wren’s Windsor Guildhall) is about as quintessentially English as you can get.
The property has 108 beautifully appointed bedrooms (five of which are suites) and each equally as perfect in design. The rooms have thick contemporary finishes but in line with the property’s steep history.
As with all of our, FAM’s the meeting and event spaces are what we are all about and this property boasts 11 events space in total. The largest to the 11, the Windsor & Georgian Suite can host up to 400 guests and the remaining 10 rooms can host a range of meeting and events with the smallest (The Hampton with a capacity of four boardroom) and The Sandringham, the second largest after the Windsor & Georgian Suite (which can host up to 30 boardroom). You can read more about their capacities here.
Once we had checked into The Castle Hotel and checked out our rooms, we made the short journey to The Oakley Court, the second property on our FAM trip, where we had a tour of all the bedrooms, meeting and event spaces and were lucky enough to have afternoon tea which was fab.
The Oakley Court is not only the setting for many a movie, it is an award-winning gothic style mansion that also prides itself on accommodating The Queen AND having its very own polo team. The properties 118 bedrooms and four meeting rooms make it an ideal place for conferences and retreats outside of London in a venue that is as relaxing as it is functional with some very very reasonable DRR’s. You can find out more about The Oakley Court here.
After our tour and afternoon tea, it was back to The Castle Hotel for a full tour and a private dinner which was stunning. The food and wine were gorgeous and we enjoyed every morsel. As per usual, it was back to the bar for a nightcap before bed ready for a semi-early (we aren’t that mean) start!
Next morning we met for a long leisurely breakfast (those Cumberland sausages were amazing!!) before meeting at 9.45 am for a tour of Windsor with our very own guide Tony Howe who runs Visions of History. Tony is a registered tour guide (holding a Blue Badge awarded by the Institue of Tourist Guiding) for Windsor and surrounds and will take your groups on their own private tour of not only Windsor but the castle which we loved. We learnt so much about the history of Windsor castle in that hour, it felt like such a privilege.
After the tour, we went to our third property on the site visit, the Christopher Wren Hotel & Spa, just a five-minute walk from the castle where we toured the meeting and event spaces and sat down for a lovely lunch in The Brasserie. The Brasserie offers upscale dining in a wonderfully scenic setting. Views over The Thames coupled with stunning food would make it a great option for your delegates.
In terms of meeting and event spaces, there are eight in total. Coupled with the properties 133 suites and apartments, this would also make an excellent central location for your conferences and retreats.
To be honest, seeing three properties in one FAM maximises our members’ exposure to the area and whilst we loved showcasing all that Windsor has to offer, it makes it tough to choose a favourite out of the tree!
We loved our FAM to Windsor and as always, thoroughly enjoy and appreciate partnering with Meet Beyond London on these events. For more information on any of the properties or about Tony, our private tour guide – you can reach out to Jane here.
