Enginerd

Flying into London on May 31 for work and then down to Southhampton (cruise). Will be in UK for two weeks, then flying back home to Denver.
Am now pondering arriving 5 days early , using points ( 4 nights+1 free) , and just taking a bag of things to read and kicking back, nightly pub dinners and a few pints. Nothing crazy. Sightseeing is OK, but I really just want to relax and have no agenda. Haven't taken more than a day's vacation in way too many years.
Will be solo for this. I'm a 55 yo dude. Any hidden gem Marriotts tucked away in England,Wales, Scotland?
Thanks, in advance.

Oxon Flyer

One suggestion that fits the requirements is The Langley, which opens on June 1. Easily accessible from the Heathrow-Southampton axis, in some nice countryside and surrounded by plenty of good gastropubs.

Though do note that, being in England, it only accepts ladies and gentlemen. No dudes.

hhoope01

Darn, that means I'm out on this one.

Farther up north, you might try the https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/marr...-scotland.html. It seems suite upgrades are a definite possibility here.

Another possibility might be the Hotel Football Old Trafford, Tribute Portfolio - Manchester, UK [Master Thread]. Not many reviews, but it sounds like it might not be getting the traffic they were hoping for. So it might be of interest.

DYKWIA

Rural?

hhoope01

At least not London.

MSPeconomist

craigthemif

I too have been generally unsuccessful at finding a rural Marriott somewhere between Oxford and Scotland to use as a base for exploring the Cotswolds or the Lake District or similar. Not much luck -Hilton seems a bit better...

Play around with this map of all Marriott properties and explore what looks promising based on your own interests.

https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/vi...0065541776&z=8

GRALISTAIR

My home village just north of Preston. Was Broughton Manor at one time - now the Preston Marriott - in Broughton Preston. 1 pub in walking distance (o.5 miles -trust me that is walking distance in UK) very rural and if I am home when you are I will take you out for a few pints.

https://www.marriott.com/hotels/trav...arriott-hotel/

Train takes about 2.15 from London Euston and then about 4 miles by taxi from Preston station

mark2

This looks good although I have not stayed there myself https://www.marriott.co.uk/hotels/tr...-country-club/ but it is in a beautiful part of the country.
As others have said you will need a car in most similar places

nequine

That is a really nice hotel, we stayed there last summer.

We're booked into Trump Turnberry next month which is very rural and very handy if you want a round of golf too!

itravelalot

Not necessarily rural, but certainly more authentic England and not very touristy (at least by comparison to other destinations) would be York and Durham, both of which have Marriott properties. I'd give yourself a single night in Durham and one or two nights in York. You could then do another two or three nights at either the St. Pierre Marriott Hotel & Country Club in Wales or the Bristol Marriott Royal Hotel in England. Both are within driving distance of lots of towns and villages, including the Cotswolds.

I would avoid the new Autograph Collection property in Cambridge if only because the tourists (mostly day trip group tours) invade Oxford and Cambridge in the summer. You should also check the cash rates, as it may be a better value to pay cash.

Another option is just renting a big car and driving everywhere and sleeping in the car at a McDonald's parking lot. I've done it for a night or two when it didn't make sense to get a hotel room. At the end of May and through all of June, sunrise is before 5 AM and sunset is between 9 and 10 PM. You could cover a lot of ground by car if you did this.

466SHH

[QUOTE=mark2;31018205]This looks good although I have not stayed there myself https://www.marriott.co.uk/hotels/tr...-country-club/ but it is in a beautiful part of the country.
As others have said you will need a car in most similar places[/QUOTE

I am headed there for a few nights in early July. We are not planning on renting a car. Will take the train into Chepstow, then a taxi to the hotel. FYI, there is a public bus that runs from Chepstow to Monmouth. It stops at Tintern Abbey on the way. We are planning on using it to make a day trip, spending part of the morning at Tintern Abbey and the afternoon in Monmouth.

I can confirm there are no Marriotts in the Cotswolds. No chain hotels to speak of, in fact. I think I found a Doubletree somewhere.... We ended up booking a small family run B & B for our few nights in the Cotswolds.

DpchMd

lexdevil

I was told that this is the oldest property in the Marriott universe. Even with mixed reviews it might be a kick to stay there. I have long considered it.

itravelalot

Breadsall Priory Marriott Hotel & Country Club would be a halfway decent base 5 nights but it would require a rental car. You could go on day trips to Boston, Lincoln, Chester, the Peak District, and even York. There are also heaps of nearby postcard villages and towns with a decent pub, a historic church and worth a couple of pictures, if you fancy that sort of thing. Frankly, the whole country is full of these sorts of villages and towns. Some very nice. After a while, they're all kind of the same unless you're really discerning in terms of history, heritage, and architecture. Don't forget about markets. In May and June, you are going to be treated to fresh, mostly local or regional fruit, vegetables, etc. April, all of May and the first week of June are probably the best times of the year to visit, as July and August are just too damn busy with tourists and group tours. September is nice, but you don't have as much fresh local produce at markets. The downside is the drive down Southampton, which, depending on traffic and routing, could be as long as 3 1/2 hours.