Saturday 17 November 2012

When is a hotel not a hotel?

When it is the Bishops Palace.  As the end of the week was nearing, I decided that hubby could do with a change of scenery.  He has been lolling about on the bed, or the sofa for 3 weeks now, and he still doesn't have much strength to do much else, but I thought a different bed might perk him up a bit! And so I found what looked to be an ideal place for a Friday night away - in nearby Lincoln.  
I finished work and we hot footed it down the A1 and A57 and in just less than an hour we arrived at our destination.  I was a little alarmed when the receptionist said that we were not in the main building, but had a room in the" new" bit.  I envisaged some modern block around the corner, but.....

 .. turns out that they had converted a church in the grounds to bedrooms about 2 months ago.  Wow!!
 As we walked to our room, I couldn't help notice our next door neighbour.  Lincoln Cathedral.  Very impressive.
 Our room was sumptuous and just right for a load of lolling about!  The little round window opened to reveal...
 .... a fabulous view over the city.
 We ventured out around the corner to eat.

We ate in the White Hart.  And whilst our food was very tasty and exceptionally high quality, we both thought that the portions were a bit small.

 If you watched the episode of Downton Abbey where Bates was released from prison, you might recognise the next 2 photos, as this is where they filmed it.  They used the castle in Lincoln as the prison.
 And here is the view of the market square from the castle - you can just see the Cathedral disappearing into the mist.
 We didn't stay out after our meal, we went straight back to our room - which was in the old church of St Michael on the Mount.  We did have to walk through the old graveyard to get to it - and it was getting very eerie!
 I thought I would show you what it looked like the next morning. It is a pretty awesome place to stay and I would highly recommend it.
 The hotel is lovely - it is a bit tricky to find as it doesn't even have a sign on it.  It has wonderful gardens and views right over the city as it sits at the top of "Steep Hill" (bit of a clue there!!).
I'll show you more of Lincoln later.

15 comments:

Lisa said...

What an amazing place you found to stay!
Very atmospheric and unusual.
Lisa x

Elizabethd said...

That sounds a wondwerful getaway, very special.

tlcukjourney said...

That is an amazing room! Wow and the cathedral... the meal, luck you! All looks wonderful!
And you are correct.
Americans are LAZY!!!
:)

Curtise said...

I love Lincoln! Hauling yourself up Steep Hill, with the reward of the castle and the cathedral when you get to the top - marvellous! What a great place to stay, you definitely found a gem. I have stayed at a B&B which backed on to the Arboretum, but many years ago now.
The cathedral really takes my breath away, I have no religious faith but it is just a stunning achievement. My other half read something out to me from the paper this morning about Lincoln cathedral being the tallest building in the world when it was built. Wow! xxxx

HippieGirl said...

Those fancy restaurants always do small portions. I'm not sure why. But I love the photos you always post. They always cheer me up, looking at pretty photos. Hopefully, some day, i can visit the lovely country in whcih you live :D

Lyn said...

Wow that look like a great find, you are so very good at sniffing out the unusual Diane! I love the night time shots, and yes...it is going on my list! Xxx

Sandies' Patch said...

Did it work for Hubby then?
It looks very grand, what a wonderful find.
Great atmospheric photos too.
Sandie xx

topchelseagirl said...

Wow what a fab place to stay! Great photos.

Rosie said...

Looks wonderful, Diane! I love Lincoln and when I saw that Downton Abbey episode I said 'that's Lincoln'. I remember having a lovely lunch once in the 'Wig and Mitre' which is just at the top of Steep Hill. The bedrooms in the church look amazing, glad you had a lovely break, hope hubby is feeling better:)

diane b said...

What a wonderful place for a get away. Your photos of the night lights are excellent. I hope it brightened hubby.

Victoria said...

How wonderful! Looks like a lovely trip away.x

Unknown said...

It's been a few years since I visited Lincoln.
What a wonderful short break away.
Jill x
PS - pop over and enter my giveaway, Diane. Wouldn't want you to miss out on a chance to win some crafty goodies.

Anonymous said...

The prettiest little city in the whole world! Your room looks lovely.

A garden just outside Venice said...

I think you should write a book..I've already a title for it "How to live the most glamorous life!" LOL!
xxxxx

Twiggy said...

I blimmin love Lincoln - the hotel looks super.
Twiggy x