Guildford is a town of rare beauty, a bustling centre for shopping, theatre and live-entertainment, restaurants, pubs, cafes, and (ahem) a rather splendid independent 4 Star hotel.
But we are also blessed with neighbouring villages of which we a truly proud, home to some remarkable people, astonishing scenery and great places to eat and drink.
A little under 4 miles south along the A281 is the beautiful village of Bramley.
The village itself is almost entirely self-contained, with a High Street boasting a splendid array of independent shops, 2 excellent pubs, a library and Post Office, excellent restaurants, family butchers and convenience stores. Whilst the everyday essentials are readily available there is also room for some luxury as the High Street is also home to Bramley Motor Cars, the renowned dealers in Bentley, Porsche, Aston Martin and other fine marques.
Gertrude Jekyll the world famous garden designer spent much of her childhood in Bramley and returned later in life to design a garden in Sowdenham Lane to the west of the village. The same lane was brought to a much wider audience when filming for the Cameron Diaz movie ‘The Holiday’ saw it sprayed with fake snow.
Just a short step from Bramley, you will find Shamley Green, occupying an almost impossibly perfect location, close enough to every possible amenity whilst maintaining a genuine ‘village feel’ surrounded by the Surrey Hills AONB.
The village has been home to celebrities far too numerous to mention but a few notable names include Sir Richard Branson and Sir Alfred Hitchcock, the latter being so taken with the place that he named his film company Shamley Productions in praise of the place.
Nearby attractions include Winkworth Arboretum, RHS Wisley, the historic market towns of Cranleigh and Dorking as well as other pretty villages in and around the Surrey Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
You can reach both villages by road, and there are regular buses running direct from Guildford, please ask at reception for details, or see the timetable here
There really is so much to explore within easy distance of Mandolay, we encourage all of our guests to take the time to get to know our villages, they never disappoint, and provide great places to explore and photograph.