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Location
Penny Hill Park is located less than an hour from London, in Bagshot, Surrey. Set in 123 acres of enchanting woodland, it’s a perfect location for a weekend getaway with your pooch. The hotel has a sweet mascot, Donut the deer, which features throughout the hotel. Each room has a stuffed toy of Donut on the bed for your arrival and you can hang the toy up on the door when you do not wish to be disturbed.
Just 2 minutes drive from the hotel is a big Waitrose as well as Pets at Home shop. We were travelling with Berry and Sasha, who was only 4 months old at the time. Having Pets at Home so close to the hotel was very handy when we needed to run out for a few extra pee matts.
Food
One of the hotel's highlights is their one Michelin-starred (and 4 AA Rosettes) restaurant, Latymer. The phenomenal menu is based on seasonal and locally sourced British ingredients. Intimately cosy, Latymer is located in one of the oldest parts of the hotel. Spotlights above the tables frame the beautifully presented dishes perfectly. Dinner started with a lovely selection of canapés, including a Spenwood & Truffle Choux Puff, Blue Grey Sirloin Croustade, Heritage Carrot Tart and Pumpkin & Cep. For the main course, highlights included Cornish crab and Aynhoe Venison, before finishing with selection of British cheeses and Whortleberry dessert.
The only set back of Latymer's six course menu is that it takes around three hours to get through — and your pooch will have to be alone in the room during the meal.
The Hillfield restaurant is another delicious offering from Penny Hill. Named after the original historical reference to the land — “Pennyhillfield" — Hillfield is a sustainable, high welfare and hyper-local eatery. The main area is not dog-friendly, however there is a lovely room where you can have a meal with your four legged friend with everything from the Hillfield menu still available.
Spa
Penny Hill Park's spa facilities are probably some of the best we have visited around UK. You can choose to enjoy their indoor or outdoor pool, or a huge selection of thermal cabins, including a salt breathing room, a herbal steam room, plunge pool, ice room and rainforest showers. Massages, facials and other treatments are available in their modern spa, and champagne and light snacks are available by the pool for ultimate relaxation. The Themis restaurant is located at the spa, where you can have a healthy meal in between spa treatments. Its light and very casual atmosphere means that it's absolutely acceptable to have a delicious meal in your robe.
Overall dog friendliness
We found Penny Hill Park to be very dog-friendly. When we initially asked to book a dog-friendly room, we were asked for the names of our companions — and we checked in later, there was a lovely welcome package for both Berry and Sasha with a fluffy bed, a bowl, treats and a leaflet full of dog-friendly information. Having the option to enjoy some of the hotel's restaurants in a dog-friendly room was a huge plus that really added to our stay. The grounds offer many walks and at the back of the spa you can gain access to all 2600 acres of Swinley Forest.
