Windsor Nightlife

Wow! What a fabulous place to socialise in! You are spoiled for choice in Windsor Town Centre where you have everything from lively, late night watering holes to some of the more hidden local gems that are not always advertised and known mainly only by the locals

If you you're into live music, Windsor has a huge live music scene with some amazing talent floating around. Have a look at http://www.oldtickethall.co.uk/ for location and gig guide details.

If you prefer the local garden pub scene, there is a lovely family pub just 10 mins walk from the town centre called the Vansittart Arms - great food and a great atmosphere on a sunny evening in the garden http://www.vansittartarms.co.uk/

The Two Brewers is another local which is right by the gates to the Great Park, it's cute and cozy and sells amazing food (especially the Sunday Roast - but book ahead as this is a popular little haunt with the locals)

Oh and then there's The Alma, another quirky little place with a fab garden and terrace, unusually decked out with old Windsor memorabilia! It's a quiet pub during the afternoons and buzzy on Friday nights. See: http://www.thedinnersinthedog.com/alma/

Oh and I almost forgot .........where would one stay when visiting this sociable and historic town?
Why not book into Alma House which is just a stroll away from all of these fab venues and complete your experience

See http://www.almahouse.co.uk/ for B&B stays and http://www.accommodationwindsor.co.uk/ for stays of a week or more!

I hope to see you around this summer :-)

Frogmore Gardens

The weather has been beautiful the past couple of weeks and what a lovely lunchtime treat we had on Thursday when we took our meal deals along to picnic at Frogmore House and gardens. The House is only open to the public for a couple of days in May and a couple of days at the end of August each year. It's well worth sticking a reminder on your calendar. Tucked away off the long walk, lying less than a mile from Windsor Castle you would never imagine that it was there until you visit.

The first building you come to as you meander through the gardens is the Royal Mausoleum built to house the mortal remains of Prince Albert and many years later his widow, Queen Victoria. The Mausoleum was unfortunately closed this year, but the interior was inspired by Prince Albert's favourite artist Raphael and is definitely worth a visit. The gardens are stunning in May with all the Rhodedendrons in magnificent full bloom. Our tickets this year were in aid of St Dunstan's which supports blind Servicemen and women and with lots of veterans in attendance it felt a very worthy cause.

As you pass the Mausoleum you come to a pretty bridge which you cross over to the main pathway towards the house. This is a very dramatic view as you turn a corner and see the house in all it's glory reflected in the lake. We didn't manage to go inside the house this time as had to get back to the office, but I would recommend the full tour. The house includes some recent royal history including letters between Royals, beautiful art and fabulous views out over the gardens and lake.

Parts of the gardens are relatively recent having been remodelled in the seventies by the Keeper of the Gardens. At the same time, numerous donation of trees and shrubs were made in commemoration of Her Majesty's Silver Jubilee and these are maturing beautifully. Having read through the booklet I see that we have still managed to miss parts of the garden so we shall just have to go along again next May and spend a bit longer there next time!

If you would like to combine your visit to Frogmore House with a stay in Windsor try almahouse.co.uk for family-owned town centre bed and breakfast rooms or accommodationwindsor.co.uk for executive, short-term apartment stays of one week minimum.

Riverside Apartments in Windsor

We were recently blown away by an amazing property on the Thames at Windsor overlooking Windsor Castle. The landlady, a spritely woman in her seventies (she'll kill me if she reads this), had organised a major facelift of the property to bring it into the noughties. The apartment previously had a dark enclosed kitchen with no window and the landlady cleverly had the wall removed making it open plan. What with two sumptuous bedrooms and two luxury bathrooms this fabulous riverside apartment was snapped up the moment it was released for short letting.

Having a fabulous view of Windsor Castle means you can sit and watch the people and the ducks go by without a care in the world!  This property is available to be rented on a short term all inclusive basis - contact Accommodation Windsor Limited on 01753 833747 - see the webpage here:

http://www.accommodation-windsor.co.uk/4-WBC/index.htm