Castles, Cake, and Open Road

  Since the first two days or so in Europe are always spent in a haze of exhaustion, we decided to book a countryside hotel outside of London to rest for two nights and also give me a base to visit Jane Austen's house in Chawton--and this post is dedicated entirely to that hotel, because the Hampshire Four Seasons is amazing. Of course any Four Seasons is going to have impeccable service and accommodations, but this is the first hotel I've ever been to that was kid-focused while also providing a luxury experience.                  When we landed, it was lunchtime and I didn't want to miss a second of the hotel since it looked so nice--so we settled in at the restaurant for some blackberry cocktails and burrata. We also ate at the restaurant for dinner, where I had mushroom risotto and a blueberry pavlova. Kids eat for free at the buffet, which was stocked full of favorites--tiny burgers, mac n cheese, and nuggets included....

Another out of order post, starting with some pics from the Four Seasons Hampshire; we landed in London and drove directly there, and it was like a brief stopover in heaven. More about it in the next post, but here I am in the garden and also below is Elowen watching the fireworks show they have every Saturday night (she was entranced).        A Jane picture book I picked up for E as a surprise and a fun cocktail, as well as the welcome madeleines  and apple juice waiting for Elowen in the room.      More photos of us exploring the grounds.    The hotel is the most kid-friendly place I've ever been, and accordingly there are lots of activities just for them! For instance, grooming and walking the resident ponies in the stable. This is Milo and he was very chill...Elowen was over the moon to brush him and lead him around the stable courtyard. She loves animals so much.      And now, on to Bath! Bath is named for its Roman-b...