The Brew House Hotel

Out and about: we went up to Lamberhurst Vineyard. A lovely little village, even in the middle of winter. A lovely wintry walk around the vineyards – fantastic views – then back to the shop for some tastings. We tasted eight wines and you absolutely have to taste the divine Nectar dessert wine – just like elderflower cordial and not like any other dessert wine I've ever tasted.
To the east of TW, there's some magnificent countryside and some gorgeous villages: Lamberhurst, Cranbrook, Goudhurst. In addition, Bewl Water is a great spot for a walk.

Eating out: The hotel's restaurant serves up wonderful English fare. The wine list is compact but decent and the service is relaxed to say the least. But if you're staying upstairs, who cares?
Less than a two-minute walk away, at the end of the Pantiles, is Woods Restaurant & Bar. Styled like a Browns, the delicious food was local as was the wine. The service was discreet and the bill more than acceptable.

We were told that Signor Franco was the place to eat in Tunbridge Wells. We followed advice but were rather disappointed. It's up a staircase bedecked with signed photos of film stars, we were impressed they'd all been there. It had good points in that it appeared to be run and staffed by a team that have probably been together for 30 or 40 years but the food was pretty average, whereas the prices weren't. Our white wine was barely chilled, but the room we were sitting in was! The dinner we had in the restaurant at The Brew House Hotel was one of the best meals I've had in years. Stay in, don't go out!

The hotel made it the perfect anniversary. Room 205 is lovely – very large with a gorgeous bathroom and wet room rainfall shower. The staff were super-friendly, the barman knew his wines, and the food in the restaurant was very good. We had a lovely meal at Brasserie Blanc and heard good things about the Hotel Du Vin bistro (you need to book). Thoroughly recommend the Chink In Your Armour massage at the Royal Day Spa which is a few minutes' walk away.

Not so much a hidden gem as it is a very highly rated restaurant, but we booked a table at Thackeray's Restaurant at the London Road (+44 (0)1892 511921) on a Friday night and couldn't believe the value for money. The restaurant itself is very charming, set in the oldest house in Tunbridge, tastefully renovated, with plenty of waiting staff on hand to look after you. Given that the food is near Michelin-star quality (it held a Michelin star for 3 years till 2006) we had three courses, wine (my partner had a cocktail), coffee and petits fours and the bill came to less than £100 including a tip. We were eating from the Market Menu (a slimmed-down version of the full menu, still including the likes of lobster lasagne and steak though). We actually chose desserts from the main menu instead of the Market Menu but they didn't charge us extra. Can't recommend it enough.

If you get the chance, definitely have a meal in the hotel restaurant – the food and service are amazing! There are a wealth of shops and restaurants within an easy 5–10 minutes walk of the hotel. Bear in mind that Saturday lunchtimes get really busy and all the restaurants we tried to get into were all queueing out the door at 1pm. A gastro-pub not to be missed is the Black Pig, which is near the station. It's a really comfortable and welcoming bar, with a fantastic menu that includes all-local produce. The wine list is also extensive and the staff are more than happy to help advise you on the right choice. A three-course meal with wine was about £40 a head, but is was most definitely worth it!