Mr & Mrs Smith

Great for lunch or dinner, Crown & Sandys gastropub (+44 (0)1905 620252) on Ombersley village’s main road is a 10-minute drive from the hotel. The eatery was recently renovated and serves up classic pub fare. Hadley Bowling Green Inn (+44 (0)1905 620294) on Hadley Heath dates back to the 16th-century. Today, this traditional country pub is known for its imaginative food that champions local ingredients and produce. If you fancy going bowling while you’re here, this green is the oldest in the British Isles. The award-winning The Chequers at Cutnall Green (+44 (0)1299 851292) is a 25-minute drive from the hotel and the kind of pub you can spend hours hunting for in big cities: privately owned, traditional and friendly, with stylish wooden interiors in the main restaurant and fantastic food. If you’re after a Michelin-starred dining experience, head to Le Bécasse (+44 (0)1584 872325) at 17 Corve Street in Ludlow, a 50-minute drive from the hotel. Alan Murchison’s moreish mains, such as duck breast and foie gras ballotine with caramelised chicory, gingerbread, carrot, orange and vanilla purée are more than worth the journey.

Unwind at the hotel’s Aquae Sulis spa, which offers a wide range of holistic and therapeutic treatments and massages (including treatments for expectant mums). There is a hydrotherapy pool and separate adult area, known as the quiet zone, where off-duty parents can escape. Daredevils should try mountain boarding (an extreme sport derived from snowboarding) with the Out to Grass Mountain Board Centre (+44 (0)1886 880099) at Woodend Farm. They offer free instruction for beginners (children must be at least 8); there are different tracks for different levels of experience and all the equipment is available for hire. To get up close and personal with a lion without leaving the UK, head to the West Midland Safari and Leisure Park (+44 (0)1299 402114) which has miles of safari trails, elephants, rhinos, wild dogs and others and 30 rides in its theme park. To explore the great outdoors, horse ride or cycle through the Malvern Hills (see www.bump.org.uk for local cycling trails), gather some fishing kit and escape early to one of the many angling spots in the area or take one of the walking trails leading you as far as the Cotswolds. Visit Whitley Court and its impressive gardens – this spectacular ruin was once one of the most famous estates in the country, with rooms recently restored. Shakespeare country, Stratford upon Avon, is within reasonable driving distance - book ahead to watch some thesps thesping.

April Foodies will love the British Asparagus Festival, which begins on 23rd April and is celebrated for two months.