Montagu Arms Hotel, Beaulieu – an idyllic dining experience and a wonderful stay

The Montagu Arms is a charming 17th century four star hotel, within the stunning New Forest and just a stones throw away from Beaulieu. What more could you want?

Staying at the Montagu Arms – a traditional, charming and enjoyable experience.

The Montagu Arms has 22 sumptuous bedrooms and suites, which combine upmost comfort with timeless sophistication. Each room is individually styled, rich with traditional English character and unique charm. A rather modestly sized hotel, it offers 22 traditionally decorated rooms and suites. Prices begin at £198 and rise to £348, for the deluxe suite. Our Suite was extremely spacious, especially for such a small looking place, which I was highly impressed by. The décor was on the right side of traditional, without looking tired and drab, which some places do sometimes struggle with. In fact, we found the rooms to be rather quaint, and I felt immediately at home on my arrival.

The setting of the Montagu Arms is absolutely stunning. Set on one of the Solent`s beautiful estuaries, near Beaulieu palace and backing onto the hotel`s own gardens. You really get a feel for the natural beauty, for which the New Forest has become famous for.

I would say that this is not the most modern hotel out there, but it shouldn`t be. This hotel`s traditional décor fits perfectly with the mood and feel of the area, so we really enjoyed it. If you are looking for a super modern hotel, then this won`t be for you, and I imagine, neither will most of the hotels in the area. Although, I should point out that it has all the mod cons with an ensuite, flat screen TV, coffee machine and iPod compatible sound system.

The area is rather quiet, but we found enough activities to amuse ourselves in the hotel`s beautiful gardens and the hotel`s sister pub, Monty`s Inn (http://www.montaguarmshotel.co.uk/montys_inn.html).

Dining – where the Montagu Arms Hotel really shines

Aside, from being a fantastic location for a romantic stay, the Montagu Arms is also home to the Terrace Restaurant. This isn’t just any restaurant, but is a Michelin starred winning restaurant, with a relaxing atmosphere, great staff and a traditional feel. Just to give you an idea of the prestige of the restaurant `the Terrace designed by innovative head chef Matthew Tomkinson and recently voted the Telegraph’s Top 50 Summer Restaurants in Britain by Jasper Gerard`.

We opted for the extensive six-course taster menu costing £80 per person, excluding wine, or if you are a resident, an extra £15. The six course menu was an absolute triumph; sometimes, when you are offered small, delicate portions, you can be left a little underwhelmed. However, this menu was not only fantastic on the palate, but it more than satisfied my greedy streak.

The menu combined the freshest and highest quality ingredients from the local area, wider parts of Hampshire and areas across various parts of the UK, but only if the produce is up to the grade. To give you a… taster, of our taster menu experience, I will tell you about a couple of my favourite courses. Firstly, we opened with a stunning Scallop with a cauliflower puree. This simple dish let the produce speak for itself, and the result, was beautifully balanced dish, where the sweetness of the scallop was key.

The star of the menu was the Lamb; a combination of sweetbread, confit of belly and sautéed greens, was exquisitely rich and tender. I would have eaten more of this, but I saw the giant cheese board beckoning, so I took it easy.

The selection of cheeses was expertly explained by our waitress Teri, who gave a thorough run-down of the extensive ranges of cheese on offer. If you are lucky enough to take a visit to the Montagu Arms, you must, must, try out the Lancashire bomb cheese on offer. This cheddar packs a hearty flavour of flavour and yet, has a delicate creamy flavour – we loved it! Plus, you can spot it from a mile off, as it comes in a distinctive black casing.

Dining at the Terrace was a delight, no in fact, I would go as far as saying a treat. We were glad to go down to breakfast and sample the morning offerings from the kitchen, which featured classics such as Smoked salmon, scrambled eggs and a classy full English breakfast. Gorgeous.

On departure, we were given a packed lunch of fresh fruit and water for our journey onwards, a nice touch.

To make your booking at the Montagu Arms Hotel, Click here: http://www.montaguarmshotel.co.uk
If you would like something a little more modern, but still in the idyllic setting of the New Forest, then why not try http://www.careysmanor.com/