I've never stayed in an adult-only hotel before so I had no idea what to expect when I arrived at Warner Leisure Hotels' luxurious Studley Castle.
Located in rural Warwickshire, the historic spot is just one of 16 Warner Hotels dotted across the UK.
I was invited to review the beautiful hotel's festive experience and it was safe to say that Christmas came early for me this year.
And because I wanted to get on Santa's nice list, I brought my wonderful mum along to experience Studley's extensive facilities with me.
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From its spa facilities to Afternoon Tea, here's everything I got up to during my stay and what you can expect from your own visit.
The location
Living in Edinburgh, Studley Castle is a fair distance from me - taking 5 hours on the train to Birmingham before a 40-minute ride to the hotel's impressive countryside grounds.
Studley does give extensive directions to those travelling from the North and South on its website whether you are travelling by car or train.
It truly is a countryside retreat so would strongly recommend driving if you are planning a visit.
The closest train stations are Wootton Wawen Railway Station which is 5.9 miles away and Redditch Railway Station which is 6.5 miles away.
While Studley has no shortage of facilities and activities to keep you entertained ( and there's really no reason to ever leave), the hotel does share lots of recommendations for places to visit nearby.
A car would have given me more options to explore the local area including the likes of Stratford-upon-Avon and Henley-in Arden.
Therefore, if you're planning on staying for longer than a few days at the hotel- a car is a must!
The room
Given Studley Castle's grand exterior, I assumed that my room would follow the same vibe but I couldn't be more wrong.
Our hotel room was modern, sleek and spacious with plenty of space for sleeping and lounging.
We chose a room with two twin beds and were delighted to see both a bath and shower.
There was a generous TV mounted on the wall which allowed you access to all the key channels as well as important information about the hotel from contact details to what's going on during your stay.
The room also included comfy chairs and a table so it was an ideal place to relax even if we had a bit of an obstructed view of the hotel's stunning surroundings.
I must admit that I was a little disappointed with the tea and coffee selection on offer in the room.
As a bit of a coffee snob, I love having a machine or coffee above a sachet in my hotel room but it's important to note that there are plenty of options in the restaurants downstairs.
The food
During our stay, we dined in both Studley Castle's Brasserie32 and the Market Kitchen.
Brasserie32 was table service and had a more formal, calmer atmosphere with a nice, varied menu.
The servers were always friendly and polite but in the evenings, they were very often very busy and difficult to locate when you needed another knife or you wanted to order a fresh round of drinks.
The majority of the time we ate in the Market Kitchen and although I am usually skeptical about buffets, there was a lovely, well-cooked and not overwhelming selection to choose from.
If you prefer your privacy and simply want to catch up with your table, I'd suggest dining in Brasserie32.
The Market Kitchen - which turns into an entertainment venue later - is a much more open space, lending itself well to making new friends.
The entertainment
It's not an exaggeration to say that there's something to entertain everyone here.
We had a busy itinerary but I don't think we even scratched the service when it came to the activities on offer.
We arrived late on Friday night so we didn't enjoy the evening's entertainment in the Evesham after dinner.
However, I was reliably told by some other guests that the Theatre Company was wonderful and that they were a real crowd-pleaser.
On Saturday, we spent the day unwinding in the spa facilities.
The swimming pool, steam room, sauna and jacuzzi are available for the majority of the day but you do have to book during peak hours.
It was a really tranquil atmosphere - never too crowded - and I loved being able to look out on the castle from the pool.
Although my mum and I loved trying out all of the activities on offer, we were in the swimming pool, steam room and sauna at every available second over the weekend - it was a clear favourite.
In the afternoon, we also enjoyed treatments in the spa.
I went for the Power Breakfast - Express Facial and my mum enjoyed the Aaahhh! Leg & Foot treatment ( although she booked the facial afterwards too!)
The facial included a deep power cleanse, a nutritious clay mask as well as lymph-drainage techniques for rapid turnaround and a wake-up scalp massage.
With the candles and the soothing music, the treatment was so unbelievably relaxing that I ended up purchasing the Temple Spa Deep Cleansing Melt product that was used in my treatment.
Although my bathroom comes nowhere close to this relaxing spa!
In the evening, we went to the Evesham for some after-dinner entertainment.
The rock party band Relentless was performing with a range of hits from Ed Sheeran to The Killers.
As a woman in my mid-20s, it hit the right note of 90s and 00s nostalgia that I couldn't help but love.
However, I would say that the following evening's show with vocalist Rob Lincaere was a better fit for the majority of the audience who were generally more mature than myself.
After breakfast on Sunday, we went to an introductory archery class - something neither my mum nor I have had much experience with before.
Despite the classic British weather, we had a full group for our session led by our fantastic instructor Richard.
He was equally patient and encouraging and against all odds we even ended up hitting the target and even the bull's eye a few times!
After anointing ourselves as 21st-century Robin Hoods, we went to Studley Castle's Oak Room to indulge in a festive Afternoon tea which featured a range of sandwiches, scones and sweet treats.
I've promised my mum to give a special mention to the mince pies and it's true, they really were a standout and were the perfect side to my glass of champagne!
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We rounded up the afternoon by taking part in a cocktail-making class which I would definitely sign up to do again.
As part of the class, we learned to make four different popular cocktails which seemed to cater to everyone's tastes quite nicely.
Starting with a Pina Colada, we also had the opportunity to make a Pink Gin Spritz, Long Island Ice Tea and my personal favourite - a Sidecar.
Most of the measures were made up for you already so the process was great for beginners.
You still got a hands-on experience using the key tools from straining to shaking without it eating into the good bit - tasting your hard work!
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