Down Hall Country House - Essex

Dogs of Down Hall
Written by @LV_poms

Situated just a 15-minute drive from Stansted Airport is Down Hall, one of England’s most established country house hotels. Down Hall dates back to 1322, and with its luxurious interiors and over 110 acres of land, I just knew Louis and I were going to have wonderful weekend!

After driving down one of the longest driveways I’ve ever seen, our hoomans parked the car, and we just couldn’t wait to check out our new gaff! We left the bags in the boot and cruised towards the main entrance where of course we posed for a picture in front of this cracking elaborate house (and allowed the fans to take a few pics too!)

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We entered reception to the usual “awws”, and we quickly checked in before laying on our backs for some well-deserved belly-rubs from other guests. The hoomans picked up the key cards (and the handles of our leads), and off we went - time to explore!

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We were staying in an Executive Room with direct access to the terrace and grounds through some patio doors. We knew it was going to be grand, but we didn’t realise it was going to be THIS grand! We zoomed in to the room, ran around and around, found our bed, our bowl and a special bag from Pets Pyjamas on our pillow. The hoomans loved it too: massive bed, huge bathroom and some delicious fruit on the side. They opened the patio doors for us and bam – we were off zooming down the few steps on to the grass.

We spent ages running around the garden having so much fun. Well, I say that, Louis stayed with the hoomans as he does, but I was off – bouncing through the lawns, over the giant game of chess and towards the fountain. Louis and the hoomans caught up with me and we posed for a few more pics, before going back to the room so Dad could go and get the bags (Louis does NOT travel light!).

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Once unpacked, we headed for the bar, #ladsladslads. Everywhere was dog friendly, but they recommended we sat in the room adjacent to the bar called the Ante Lounge. Dad de-leashed us, and we jumped up on the snuggle chair with him, just by the fire. Other Dad when to the bar, and a really nice barman delivered the hoomans their drinks to their tables, and a bowl of water for us. Dad said something about “never seeing so many gins” and they sat back and started sipping some very snazzy looking cocktails. After all that running around the gardens, Lou and I took the opportunity for a little nap. Zzz.

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Our Dads stayed there sipping and snacking for hours! It was soon to be dinner time… We had a quick chomp on some snacks, whilst the hoomans enjoyed 3 courses of delicious food, and more gin… Lou and I had a little wonder around the room, being petted by nearly every passer-by. It was amazing. Oh, and every time we needed to do our business, we didn’t have to go far – there were double-doors in the Lounge and the next room leading to the grounds. Phew!

All of us fed and watered, we zoomed back to our room, ready for lights out and snoozes before another day of fun!

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Next morning, we jumped out of bed, and ran around a little bit whilst the hoomans had a full English breakfast and a continental breakfast delivered by room service. Louis tried to get some, but got caught, so we stuck to our kibble…

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After breakfast, time for fun – the hoomans picked up the handy map of walks – and off we went. We opted for a medium walk through the forest – safe to be off lead – we zoomed ahead. Running in and out of the trees, through a field, through some more trees and back toward the house. The walk took about an hour and was about 2 miles – the hoomans were obviously walking slowly, enjoying the sights. Oh, and we stopped for a few pics (my fluff was on point that day!).

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Back at the hotel, we ran straight back to the Lounge, jumped on the snuggle chair and got ready to order some water. Then we noticed another table had already been set – for 2 hoomans for afternoon tea. Yep, it was for our hoomans…

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We moved table and got comfy while they enjoyed some amazing sandwiches, scones, cakes and teas. Smelt delicious!

Some more cuddles and belly rubs from other guests, and with our hoomans looking plumper than ever, our time at Down Hall was nearing to an end. We went back to the room, packed up our stuff and then went to check out, where we met Phil, the Guest Relations Manager. He told us about his Alsatian – sounds like a lovely fur-friend – before we checked out, said our goodbyes and headed home.

Down Hall is the pawfect place for you and your hoomans – they have a restaurant, bar, afternoon tea, room service, spa (about the only place we weren’t allowed, but that’s fine – Louis hates a bath!), and some of the best customer service we’ve ever experienced. There’s no need to wait until you’re flying from Stansted, it’s a mere 45 minutes from Central London too – what are you waiting for? Escape to the country @LV_POMS style xx