Out & About Winter 2018

LIFESTYLE

Park life Wokefield Park is a vast sprawling estate in Reading, which has recently had a facelift following a fire three years ago and GERALDINE GARDNER went along to see how it has been transformed

S et in 250 acres of parkland, De Vere Wokefield Estate has recently unveiled the results of a £20m restoration, following a fire that ripped through parts of the hotel in 2015. The transformed, historic Mansion House now offers 87 guest rooms, including 12 luxury suites and a new restaurant, 1560 Restaurant & Bar, and Whiskey Lounge. A further 289 bedrooms can be found in Wokefield Place and Wellington Lodge The grounds include an 18-hole PGA-standard golf course and outdoor activity course. There’s also a fully equipped gym and indoor 25m swimming pool available daily for guests to use. Guests will also find a boot room filled with colourful Hunter wellies, which can be borrowed for walks on the estate, as well as bikes for exploring the local area. We visited one evening in late October and I have to admit it’s not often you turn up at a hotel and find yourself walking through a Bollywood film set to get to reception, but that’s what happened when we checked in. Our room in the Mansion House was comfortable and clean, with decor in keeping with the style of the house. Although it was rather misty the day we were there, you could tell there were fantastic views across the park and it was difficult to remember we were only minutes from J11 of the M4. As you might expect with such a large hotel, there are various bars and dining options, but we ate in the 1560 Restaurant & Bar. The set menu is reasonably priced at £20 for two courses or £23 for three and provides a selection of standard favourites. We opted for the creamed garlic mushrooms and calamari to start followed by fish and chips and a steak, with cheese and bisuits for after.

The staff were friendly and helpful, and although the service was a little slow, we still felt the food was good value for money in such opulent surroundings. The hotel clearly caters for corporate groups – there was a large party of trainees from a national accountants when we there – but they are also keen to encourage golf enthusiasts (they offer a golf package) as well as families looking for somewhere to stay with easy access to London, Windsor and other local attractions. The rooms are reasonably priced, with dinner/ bed&breakfast offers, also including a tour round Bombay Sapphire Distillery starting from £169 per room, per night.

De Vere Wokefield Estate, Goodboys Lane, Reading, RG7 3AE 01182 077471 www.devere.co.uk/wokefield-estate/

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