09 Sep The Montagu Arms Hotel
The Montagu Arms Hotel is a 17th century house situated in the picturesque surroundings of the New Forest. It is an extremely charming, pretty hotel that offers the highest quality service.
I stayed one night at the hotel with my husband and two young children and we all thoroughly enjoyed our stay there.
When we arrived we parked in the car park behind the hotel and walked through the gorgeous gardens. The gardens were stunning to look at and set the tone of our stay perfectly.
We made our way to the reception desk and all staff we met on the way were very helpful and friendly. They made us feel welcome straight away and all of them spoke to my children as well; which they both loved.
Once we had checked in we were taken to our room by one of the porters who was very polite and friendly.
We stayed in a Four Poster Suite which was gorgeous. The room was rich with traditional English character and was very sophisticated to look at.
As soon as we walked in the room we saw the wonderful four poster bed and a chaise lounge at the foot of the bed. There was also a coffee table in front of a beautiful bay window which had a selection of fruit and water for us to enjoy. In addition to this, there was a box of chocolates from the Beaulieu Chocolate Studio, the local chocolate gift shop that is a short walk from the hotel. The hotel also left us a card welcoming us to the hotel, which I thought was a lovely touch.
Our suite had an additional area with a sofa bed which was perfect for my children. Both areas in the suite had a flat screen TV and a selection of magazines for us.
The en-suite was lovely and clean and was a good size. The complimentary toiletries were from The White Company, which was another lovely touch. There were also two fluffy white robes available for us to use as well as two pairs of slippers.
The room also had complimentary tea and coffee facilities. You could also order fresh tea and coffee to your room in the morning. You need to just fill in a card, stating what beverage you would like and at what time and then leave the card outside the room. I ordered tea for 8.00am and the hot, fresh tea was brought to my room exactly the time I asked for; it was a lovely way to wake up in the morning.
I thought the Four Poster Suite was a wonderful room as it was very spacious and was full of English character. The size of the room is perfect for a family visiting the hotel.
The Montagu Arms Hotel has two dining experiences available.
The Terrace Restaurant
The Terrace Restaurant is the only restaurant with a Michelin star in the New Forest. Its seasonal menu is designed daily by Head Chef and Roux Scholar Matthew Tomkinson who is passionate about using the rich and diverse produce available locally. The restaurant has recently been awarded the British Tea Guilds, Town & County Afternoon Tea Award 2013 – Voting the Montagu Arms Hotel as the Top establishment outside of London for Afternoon Tea. The Terrace restaurant is only available to over 16s so we did not sample the delights of the restaurant for our evening meal as I was with my two children.
However, we did have breakfast in the Terrace the next morning and the food was exquisite. Our breakfast was cooked to order and all the food was wonderfully fresh. If the breakfast was to such a high standard, I can only imagine how amazing the dinner would be.
Monty’s Inn
Monty’s Inn is next door to the Montagu Arms. It is a warm friendly restaurant that caters for all ages. It is full of traditional English character and the staff were very welcoming and friendly.
Monty’s Inn is a cosy family pub where you can enjoy homemade rustic food. They had a wonderful children’s menu available and also provided colours and paper for my children, which I thought was great as they were entertained while they waited for the food.
The food at Monty’s Inn was lovely. My children had homemade chicken nuggets which were delicious. The chicken was very tender and my children loved them.
I had the Creedy Carver Duck Breast which was Marinated with Soy Sauce and Honey served with Sauté Pak Choy, Crispy Duck Spring Rolls and Sweet and Sour Sauce. The food was very tasty and the portion size was good. My husband had the Locally Reared 28 day Matured Sirloin Steak with Mushrooms, Tomatoes and Hand-Cut Chips. The steak was cooked as he wanted and presented well.
The desserts were also delicious. I had the Crème Brulee and my husband had a White Chocolate and Raspberry Cheesecake. The portion sizes were good and the food tasted lovely.
Monty’s Inn is a lovely family restaurant which serves tasty homemade pub food. We thoroughly enjoyed our dinner but did find the service a little slow. The restaurant was not overly busy so we were not sure why the service was as slow as it was. Having said this, my children were entertained during the wait with the colours and paper provided.
The Montagu Arms is a wonderful hotel and we thoroughly enjoyed our stay. I would definitely visit the hotel again, and recommend anyone visiting the New Forest to definately consider a stay at this hotel.
