Hotels Reviews

Sopwell House Review: Luxury in South St. Albans, Hertfordshire England

a building with a lawn and flowers

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Sopwell House Review: Luxury in South St. Albans, Hertfordshire England

This Sopwell House Review is another chapter in the weekend wedding in London trip report. When we were looking at tickets to get to the wedding, economy was running in excess of $1500.  We ended up discovering that a roundtrip from Dublin to Dublin in business class was only $300 more than economy from lax-lhr-lax. SAY WHAT?!  Since I need to be back in London at the end of September, I figured I could just buy my return flights now, and figure out an alternate way of getting to the wedding on August 1st.  What I ended up finding was a routing to the London wedding via Germany with Air Berlin for 57,500 AA and $85. The wedding was held at a beautiful country hotel, Sopwell House.

The weekend London Wedding Trip


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The Deets:

  • When: August 2016
  • Where: St Albans, near London
  • Room: Deluxe
  • Status: none
  • Benefits: Breakfast, full english

First Impression:

The Sopwell House is a classic example of Georgian architecture that exudes English country charm and luxury. It’s boutique: 128 rooms and suites, a couple restaurants, a couple bars, and workout facilities. We were defos exhausted after the 30-40 minute drive from Heathrow, the long collection of flights, and we were ready to sit down and relax. To be in that mood and then see the Sopwell House is like seeing water in the desert. There were people sipping champagne on the lawn, a light breeze in the air, and I really thought we’d somehow wandered onto Mr. Darcy’s estate. IS THIS REAL LIFE?!?

Check in:

As you can see, the hotel wasn’t very busy when we pulled up. Check in was easy. THANK YOU!!!! We either needed a nap or a glass of bubbly to rev the engines back up 😉

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Miles sippin his Costa…gotta stay awake!
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lobby
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lobby

The Room

The standard room size in Europe is much smaller than that in the States. Sopwell is no different and I’d imagine the reason is the same as it is across mainland Europe, OLD STRUCTURES. The Sopwell house was once a country house, privately owned and maintained, and as a result it’s a maze of hallways, bars, rooms, and restaurants. Over time, the original building has been updated, added on to, and renovated. I flipping love it. I’d take a small room in a hotel with immense character over a big vacuous room in a bland hotel any day. The Sopwell executes charm and pedigree through and through. It also has managed to integrate new features and amenities into the old structure without destroying what was once there.

room 150
room 150
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small but comfortable room
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great bathroom
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outstanding shower
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ESPA luxury bath products
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view

The Common areas and Restaurants:

The various restaurants and bars are wound into the weaving design of the hotel. You will head down a narrow hallway and then BAM you’re greeted with a beautiful hotel or small sitting area. What’s great about the design is the hallways are narrow with overhead lighting, but then you’re greeted with an amazing blast of natural light when you hit a common area. The design is fantastic.

The Conservatory

Great place for a drink and snack. Also cool place to have a coffee mid day.

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The Brasserie

Great for dinner and also where breakfast is served in the morning. The Breakfast was outstanding. Every thing I had was delicious and the service was very attentive.

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Cocktail Lounge:

This was one of my favorite areas in the hotel. The cocktail lounge spans 3 spaces: The Bar, The Lounge, and the outdoor. After we checked in, found our room, and splashed some water on your faces we headed to the Cocktail lounge for a pre-dinner drink. Ahhhhhh thanks England!

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I mean look at this place. Love, love, love. Of course we did have perfect weather…not something England is necessarily known for…unless you love it cold and rainy 😉

Overall

I loved this hotel. The rates for the Sopwell House are in the range of $200/ night. $200 for a luxurious English retreat where you can relax, unwind, and enjoy the posh amenities of a country estate all while being 45 minutes from Hyde Park, is a steal in my opinion. I didn’t take any pictures of the spa or pool as they were chalked full of people and, let’s be honest, it’d be weird if Miles and I were executing a sweet photoshoot while half nude people frolicked  in the background. What I will say tho…the pool and spa look incred. If you’re in Londona and you’re looking for a weekend away, but not too far away, check out the Sopwell House.

Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed or approved by any of these entities.

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