Coworth Park
Best for
Outdoorsy over-fours, although all ages are welcome.
Recommended rooms
Set apart from the main Mansion, the Cottage rooms offer a bit more privacy, although most Mansion House and Stables Block rooms easily accommodate free extra beds or cots. Larger families can book the three-bedroom private Dower House.
Crèche
The Coworth Park Kids’ Club is free for children under two (who must be accompanied by a parent or babysitter) and those aged 12 or over; the cost is £15 a day for children 2–12. The club's open Friday to Sunday during term time and every day in the school holidays (10am–1pm and 2pm–5pm). Staff are all checked, trained and experienced and the club play area is divided into a dedicated zone for four- to seven-year-olds and a ‘Chill Den’ upstairs for older children.
Activities
For under-8s, indoors there’s a Wii, a library, TV and DVD selection, plenty of Lego, a dolls’ house and train set, and several play areas, including a crafts room and a kitchen. Outside, there’s a sandpit, basketball and a playhouse (oh, and 240 acres to run around in). The Chill Den has a Wii and Xbox, 3DTV, air hockey, table tennis, pool and football tables. There’s a packed calendar of art classes, nature trails, treasure hunts, tea parties, t-shirt making classes, sports days, dress-up and the ilk. Add to that all the outdoor activities on tap at Coworth (football, croquet, riding, biking, tennis), and it’s unlikely you’ll need to take advantage of the hotel’s proximity to Thorpe Park (www.thorpepark.com) and Legoland (www.legoland.co.uk).
Swimming pool
The spa’s indoor pool is unsupervised, but has a shallow end, and inflatables/armbands are available to borrow.
Meals
The children’s menu (served at the Barn and at Restaurant Coworth Park) features locally sourced treats, such as home-made chicken nuggets and peas, Coworth Park beefburgers and macaroni cheese. Highchairs are available, packed lunches can be provided, and staff are more than happy to heat baby food or milk. Family dining times are from 6–7:30pm for under-8s at Restaurant Coworth Park and the Spatisserie welcomes little Smiths from 9–11am and 5–6:30pm daily.
Babysitting
Local nannies can be summoned at 72 hours’ notice, from £50 for four hours (£10 for each additional hour; allow 72 hours’ notice). Prices rise, depending on number of children and lateness of the hour.
No need to pack
Anything can be provided if you give enough notice. Children attending the Kids’ Club can buy special T-shirts and bags, so there’s no need to worry about clothes being ravaged in the course of an especially messy activity. Baby monitors are available.
Also
Few hotels boast their own on-site kids’ concierge – Coworth Park is one of them. Parents should note that children over 14 years of age are charged £50 per night for an extra bed (rate includes breakfast).
