As is now the custom, we celebrated Mrs. No Names latest milestone with a couple of ‘activities’ based around a long weekend, starting on the Friday before the event and finishing on the Tuesday and Wednesday of the birthday itself.
We finally managed to meet up with our friends from Essex for a lovely lunch at the Barn Brasserie in Great Tey. It was our second visit – the first was an aborted attempt to meet the same couple, and we decided to visit anyway after the others had to cry off with illness. Both visits were delightful and it was lovely to catch up with our friends at last, virtually a year since out last meeting. We took the opportunity to extend the lunch and have an overnight stay in Colchester at the Greyfriars Hotel, not least because it was a relatively new hotel, at least to us (apparently it opened in 2015, time does indeed fly). Very pleasant, perfectly situated and, although we only had a snack in the evening, the breakfast was first class and all the staff were very accommodating. Looked to be a very affecting conversion of a lovely old building.
On the following Tuesday we duly set off for our overnighter to Hintlesham Hall – on arrival, we found the helicopter suitably ensconced on its pad but resisted the temptation to tell all that it was our personal mode of arrival!. Checked in to our Junior Suite, which was lovely (see pictures) and then moseyed on down to the bar for prosecco and espresso martinis. We had last visited the Hall circa twenty years ago and I can safely report that I remember virtually none of it. It appears to be as grand as before but has certainly undergone a significant refurbishment. We did however, in fairness, both remember the Library Room, complete with a range of ‘after dinner’ games still encased in the ornate bookcases of the old Tudor building.
We had a dinner, B&B package and the food was as good, if not better than we had remembered. The reader will of course be bored rigid by the detail; I can only apologise and plead in my defence that the minutia is included purely as reference for those who might consider a similar sojourn to the venue. Additionally, it is not often that we have meals that are as well cooked and presented; we both went slightly out of left field, with quail and teriyaki beef both featuring on ‘the menu’. Take it as a plebeian recommendation from the senior incognisant!
Following breakfast the next morning, we took a look around the grounds (the rear of the building showcases more overt examples of its Tudor heritage) and then took a very short trip to Hintlesham Barns, where a couple of birthday purchases were duly made. Another lovely relaxed break that felt significantly longer than the twenty four hours that were actually spent away from home….