Day two of my quick trip to Guildford began in the most glorious style…a great cup of coffee and a spot of Breakfast TV.
Refreshed, I stepped out of the hotel and at the advice of the Night Manager, I turned right and headed a few hundred metres down the road and into Stoke Park for a stroll. The park is a wonderful open space and an easy walk past some lovely gardens, a boating lake, the usual children’s playground activities, a Crazy Golf course, and joy of joys, a Lido!
Guildford Lido is adjacent to Stoke Park and I learned from a very helpful member of staff that it is open all year round, with the heated pool featuring lane swimming 365 days a year, and lots of slides in the summer months. The place is an Art Deco delight, and I will definitely be returning with my togs.
Walk over, I was shown to my breakfast table by Nuno. If I had to draw or paint a restaurant manager, I am pretty sure it would look like Nuno, he looks the part and boy is he helpful.
My morning exertions complete (watching TV can be tiring), I settled for a full English Breakfast of sausage, bacon, mushrooms, poached egg and hash browns, all served with more fresh coffee and ‘lashings’ of toast.
Delicious.
Remembering that I was in Guildford for ‘work’, I made my way into the town centre and headed straight back to Paper Moon, a brand new bookshop on the quirkily named Jeffries Passage (there must be a story to that name?). I had visited the day before but didn’t have time to explore, something that I had determined to put right.
A short hour later, I left the delightful shop with a small armful of books and headed onto the High Street to enjoy that most English of pastimes, a ‘nice cup of tea and a sit down’.
I did not have far to walk as I found Art & Grind, a charming independently owned (I do love an independent business) coffee shop and artist space right next door to Abbot’s Hospital on the cobbled High Street.
Here I enjoyed a freshly brewed coffee and a pistachio Cruffin. If you have never encountered a Cruffin, then you must seek one out, a cross between a Croissant and a muffin, and they are delicious.
I was pretty full up, what with breakfast and now Cruffins, so I took the sensible decision to meander the short distance back to Mandolay for a quiet lie down in my room.
My bedroom had been serviced beautifully, and joy of joys…more popcorn!
I then, somewhat predictably, fell fast asleep book in hand and empty popcorn bag by my side.
2.30, how did that happen? A tummy full of full English, Cruffin, and popcorn that’s how. Lunch missed, I headed down to reception and was immediately informed that the hotel were introducing their Christmas Afternoon Tea that very day.
Oh m. More of that and my Day three exploits later…spoiler, Afternoon Tea was magnificent.