Come and take a look at summer at the Grove Hotel with us. Set across 300 acres in Hertfordshire, it’s known as London’s Country Escape. It’s pretty close to where we live so we’ve been fans and regulars for the restaurants {The Glasshouse is our absolute number one for any special occasion, it’s an exquisite buffet like no other and was even featured on the Netflix show ‘the world’s best buffets’} and their Sequoia Spa, for the last 16+ years! We’ve been lucky enough to stay at some incredible places in our time but I really think The Grove takes some beating. It just gets better & better as time goes on, something which is pretty rare in the hospitality business. They’ve particularly added and improved all of their family friendly offerings over the last few years and so I HAD to come and take a full look. I really don’t think anything else compares in the UK. It’s by no means a budget option but it really does include so much and you’ll come away feeling like just one night has felt like a weeks holiday with so much to do there {and at the same time you’ll be hard pushed to want to ever leave!}. this was an ad-pr stay but all opinions are my own

Ralph's Walled Garden and Beach, Outdoor Pool at The Grove Hotel, Hertfordshire — Photo from The Grove’s website.
Let’s take a look at everything there is to do here this summer - {if you’re looking to stay at a later date then check out this page for all of the events they have on offer throughout the year particularly over school holidays. They often have special offers on too where you can get a night free}.

Walled Garden and outdoor pool, The Grove Hotel Hertfordshire, Family Travel Blog — Ralph’s Beach ~ set in the beautiful old walled garden, if the sun is shining you’ll want to spend as much time at Ralph’s Beach as you can fit in. Such a dreamy outdoor pool with a real vibe, there’s a lifeguard & lots of pool floats to borrow {we forgot ours so we were v grateful for these!}, a huge selection of comfy loungers lined with striped yellow towels, a bar/cafe, a whole tent full of children’s mud kitchens to scoop sand ice creams with their pastel coloured toys, trucks to play with, wooden easels out of the sun’s glare and plenty of family outdoor games. It’s exclusive for residents staying and Walled Garden members, it’s the perfect place to soak up some summer sun {especially this summer with the amazing weather we’ve been having}. It’s open from 10-6 daily and children are celebrated rather than tolerated like some outdoor pools in UK properties. The pool was heated but still felt a little chilly!
There’s an indoor children’s pool set in the orangery just behind Ralph’s beach. Again filled with pool toys and a variety of floats. None small baby sized {you’d need to pack your own} although they do have plenty of swim nappies & towels on offer. Our kids loved this pool but it does get very noisy when busy and hot! - this one is definitely fully heated.

There’s a whole craft room full of a daily changing schedule of different sessions and kind staff. On Sunday they had cupcake decorating {a small extra charge applies for a few activities but most are included}, face painting, glitter tattoos, playdoh, sensory pirate sand art, colouring pirate swords, scratch art and a mindful crafts session making dragons. You’ll find all of the summer activities in a helpful booklet so you don’t miss anything.
The Grove x Everyman outdoor cinema has matinee showings with family friendly films, our children thought that watching Moana on the grass sat on beanbags wearing wireless headphones was the coolest thing ever. Guests don’t need to pre book, you can turn up to any film. Again inside the beautiful walled garden.
There are plenty of lawn games, mini archery, giant connect four and football goals {all on the lushest greenest grass I’ve seen for months!}. Plus a play area set behind the walled garden.
Set in the woodland just behind the walled garden is Asher’s, the team in charge of activities. You can hire bikes and trailers or children’s bikes for the miles of cycle friendly trails, the kids went horse riding and got to groom ponies which they adored {available every Sunday during the summer holidays for £15}, then drove the vintage mini land rovers around the woodland trails {you should try to come at bluebell time, these woods have some of the best bluebells in the country!}. The mini Landies were a real highlight {again an extra charge, up to two children can drive one car}. Plus a beautiful musical trail that you can just walk and play whenever you fancy.
For teens and older, there’s axe throwing & archery to book which looked a lot of fun.
There are plenty of bike trails starting at Asher’s in the woods, children’s bikes are free to hire and adults are £10 for 2 hours. They’ve got bike trailers for little ones.
If it’s muddy they even have a large selection of hunter boots to borrow in all different sizes & colours. Talk about thinking of everything!
We couldn’t get over how much there was to do, European kinder resorts offer all of that as standard but it’s really rare for UK resorts to offer even half as much as this. All of it is for parents to do with your children but if you fancy some kid free time then you can book sessions in Anouska’s, the Ofsted registered crèche {at a charge of £45 per session per child}. They have different areas for different ages and offer all kinds of activities but you do need to book in advance.

Indoors, you’ll find a mini role play town, hand crafted by Pocket Towns and with no detail spared - Olli Ella dinkum dolls, Meri Meri fancy dress costumes, pastel coloured magnetic tiles and Le Toy van wooden supermarket and cafe toys. Our children would have probably happily spent their whole stay just in here! Think a mini supermarket, mini doctors, salon and a whole bank of washing machines {more fun somehow than the real thing ha}. It was so cute.

The rooms

The Grove hotel is split into two, the original grade II listed mansion and the newer West Wing. The mansion rooms are all uniquely designed and have the original features, huge windows but are just for 2 adults.
The Deluxe family rooms are all found in the West wing. Just two floors high, you can choose your level out of deluxe or superior rooms. The main difference is which side of the building you’re in. Those at the back, the Deluxe, look out onto the stunning landscaped gardens whereas the standard will look out onto the car park/towards the walled garden.
We had a Partial garden view, the most spacious family room with a balcony that looked out across the stunning grounds. The rooms are really roomy with two extra beds added in without any cramping of space and elegantly designed yet still super comfortable. The bathroom was dreamy with a large walk in shower and full roll top bath. I swear the bath salts are the reason my son fell asleep so fast {that and/or the packed activity filled day he’d had!}. We appreciated the cookies waiting for us {and you’re encouraged to call for milk to enjoy them with!}, chocolates and a fruit platter.
On the children’s beds you receive a full package of children’s toiletries, a mini gown and set of cute hotel slippers. And the curtains are thick and properly black out for great sleep!
You can request a baby cot to any room.
The only thing to note is that the maximum in all of these are 2 + 2 children. If you’re a family of 5 or more you’ll need to make sure you reserve a special family room which can accommodate 3 children under 12. They don’t have too many of these so be sure to reserve in advance, it can be either a bunkbed with a sofabed or cot depending on the age of your third child. For any older children or larger families you’d need two rooms which could be interconnecting.
For an extra special stay you can book a Scandiborn sleepover which means your room will have a boho style teepee set up in it with organic bed linen to sleep in, a selection of wooden Scandiborn toys to play with in your room and it includes a gift to take home. But do book this as soon as you can, it’s limited and extremely popular {it’s £75 extra including one toy. An extra toy can be purchased for £35 if you have more than one child}

The Food -

The food is such a standout at The Grove. You’ve got lots of options depending on what you fancy.

We ate dinner in The Stables near the golf club ~ a classic brasserie ~ which is great for kids, they get a whole activity bag on dining which has tonnes in to keep them entertained and it’s all Grove themed. The staff were lovely, it’s got a great kids menu and the quality of the food is excellent. We had seafood to start, then my husband ordered a steak, roast lamb for me, pasta for Freya and my son ordered a mini roast which he loved.

Children's activity pack at The Grove, The Stables Restaurant,

We’d been to The Glasshouse just a couple of weeks ago for our wedding anniversary {and I made this reel on last year’s visit if you want to see more} but I’d say that’s a must must book if it’s your first time here. Every single buffet we’ve been to anywhere else is always benchmarked as ‘is it as good as The Glasshouse though?’ and it’s very rare that any even come close. Think unlimited seafood, incredible roasts, sushi, sashimi, an Indian section that’s out of this world, garden salads, all of the breads and meats/cheeses you could wish for, unreal desserts and a chocolate fountain little ones will love. It’s great to go with children as they can choose anything they fancy or try something new, and for children under 3 it’s free or half price for 4-12 year olds. It’s such a feast and such a treat although impossible to come out not feeling ridiculously full with so much on offer. They offer lunch on a Friday-Sunday or dinner from 6pm very night. The price varies depending on the day.

There’s also Skewd, a summer pop up addition in the walled garden for award winning Turkish food, Madhu’s for Indian banquets {they won Asian restaurant of the year} and sushi and afternoon tea available in the lounges.
Every summer an external company called Feast come in to make special feasts in iconic hot air balloons. I don’t think it’s particularly kid friendly or aimed at them but they look amazing for a special occasion {do note though that bookings have to be made in advance and if the weather is inclement you’ll eat under a marquee next to them which doesn’t have quite the same vibe}.
Breakfast is included in every stay which is an extensive Glasshouse feast from 7-10am. It’s really nice that you get to experience the beauty of that restaurant {it’s got such uniquely designed artwork and views out to the gardens & mansions}. We feasted on eggs & smoked salmon, a full English, pancakes, waffles, fruit - BERRIES! If you’re a long term reader you’ll know that I rank hotels based on their availability of berries, toddler parents - you’ll know how important this is!, bircher museli and fresh smoothies to fuel up before a scenic walk around the grounds and day at the outdoor pool. If it’s a sunny day, you could ask to breakfast outside although you’ll probably want to stay as close to that dream buffet as you can.
I would try to book any restaurants in for your stay in advance as they are super popular but you don’t need to book breakfast.
You can order room service if you’re too shattered to go to one of the restaurants to eat.

The Resort/Grounds - The Grove is renowned for its golf, it just got named as the number one golf resort in England. My Dad is golf mad so we’ve been to a few of the tournaments here over the years and spotted Tiger Woods, even president Obama has played here. You don’t need a membership to play so you can add golf to your stay if you’re into it.

The property is set on 300 acres so you don’t really need to leave - and the landscaped gardens and kitchen garden deserve as much time to hang out in them as you can, our children loved running around all of the grounds, but if you are looking for attractions in the local area, The Grove is set on the Grand Union canal and you can walk to Cassiobury Park along their marked trails. It’s a huge, beautiful park with multiple playgrounds, a miniature railway, river to splash in and dedicated splash park {pre book your free slot though}. Intu shopping centre is just 10 minutes down the road filled with shops & restaurants. The Harry Potter studio tour is the obvious go to, again just 10 minutes away but you will need to prebook tickets in advance as it sells out.

As the Grove say, the question isn’t what to do but how to fit everything in during a stay! And we can definitely attest to that. What an incredible place designed solely for children, and therefore parent, happiness. We had such a fantastic stay our children didn’t want to leave. Luckily The Grove reception team give a little donkey cuddly toy {their mascot} to soften the blow and the friendly doorman called Roger was the biggest hit with our kids. Add The Grove to your bucket list! And if you can’t fit a visit in this summer holidays, look at their dream Christmas program! They really know how to celebrate.

What have I missed telling you about?! As ever, please let me know if you have any questions if you’re thinking about booking a stay, from the tiny details to anything big that you’re wondering, sometimes - and especially with children - you just want to know something from somebody who has been! Or if you want any other ideas of things to do in the local area.

It’s best to book direct on their website here.