One thing I love about having Oscar is taking him to some of my favourite places and being able to see them through his eyes. Babington House, a country house hotel near Bath in Somerset is one such place, I’ve been a few times before but it makes it even more special to visit with him. Part of the Soho House Group and sister hotel to Soho Farmhouse, Babington House hits the mark of being super stylish and luxurious with high end service whilst also being relaxed, casual and informal. While the Soho House hotels are designed more with adults in mind, there are also certainly great facilities for children too.
As I have written a full review of Babington House previously, this blog post will mostly focus on the child-friendly elements of the hotel.
Our Room, Hotel Interiors and Style of Babington House
Babington House is a stunning converted Georgian Manor house located on a beautiful rolling grounds and a lake. The hotels interiors are in Soho House’s signature ‘comfy luxe’ style – think deep velvet sofas, burnished brass and antique fireplaces interspersed with luxurious marble and real artwork by the likes of Tracey Emin.
We stayed in the split level Stable Block rooms which are located in a separate building from the main house. These are the main child-friendly rooms at the hotel but The Lodge (a separate building located at the hotel gate) also allows children to stay. As a tip, we found Babington House much easier to book for child-friendly rooms (I think they have more of them?) then Soho Farmhouse and we were able to book two Stable Block rooms only around two months advance. I’ve stayed at Babington a few times but the Stable Block room was easily the nicest room that we’ve had! My sister and I had rooms right next to each other in the Stable Block and she stayed with 11 year-old Charlie and 5 year-old Jackson while we were with 3 year-old Oscar.
Downstairs features an incredibly comfortable lounge area with a gorgeous coffee table books and a bowl full of apples – Oscar proceeded to take a bite out of each one! There’s a coat cupboard and plenty of space to store a buggy.
On the other side of the room is a kitchenette with a fridge and microwave and full compliment of snacks(including homemade cookies), soft drinks and alcohol. I liked the fact the TV could be hidden away behind a blind.
Adjacent to the living area are the children’s spaces.
The children’s bunk room is super cute and I love the sage green colour.
The big chalk board was perfect for Oscar who loves drawing and writing. He immediately started sketching his favourite Numberblocks characters on the wall.
There’s a book case of classic tales.
And a basket of toys…
The kids bathroom is next to the bedroom and can be used as a wet room shower or for a bath. The bath itself is slightly smaller than the main bath for little people and there’s two sinks, a lower one for kids. I loved the inclusion of the little bath toys and the Baby Cowshed toiletries. The toilet is handily located in a separate closet downstairs.
The upstairs master bedroom is just gorgeous, it’s super spacious and plenty of room for an extra cot if needed. The beds at Soho House are always amazing and this was the usual marshmallow dream bed, stacked with the softest pillows! There’s a large amount of wardrobe storage and a TV that hides in the sideboard! Something that I love about Soho House is that they always tick the boxes for the detail and that for me is a full length mirror, a dressing table with plug sockets, sockets by the bed for phone charging and plenty of light for getting ready. Not only this but there a straightening irons provided, a Dyson hair dryer and a full supple of toiletries and hygiene products… the idea being you don’t need to pack much you can come straight after work with a small bag to Babington House, your home away from home! There were some gorgeous sample size face products by Soho Skin, Soho House’s new skincare range.
The bathroom is just beautiful and I love the scallop and marble vanity. The shower and bath are just huge and all the signature Cowshed products come full size in lots of different fragrances plus there are big fluffy robes to wrap yourself up in!
Child Care at Babington House
Teeny House and Loft is the perfect hideaway for kids! Opening hours are Monday to Saturday: 10am to 5pm, Sunday: 10am to 4pm and it’s closed between12.30pm and 1pm daily. Prebooking is necessary. As overnight guests we had a complimentary session of 2 hours a day. Of course we were apprehensive about leaving Oscar in a different setting but he was with his cousins and they loved it! It’s alway difficult to get photos of a kids club or nursery but take my word it was beautifully set up with role playing toys, puzzles, musical toys and arts and crafts. We thought Charlie at nearly 12 might be too old for it but he loved it too and was very happy to stay as soon as he saw an Xbox there! The boys came away with crafts and big smiles after spending an hour and half at Teeny House!
For the evening the hotel can arrange babysitters and we organised a baby sitter for each room whose references were completely trustworthy as they come either directly from Teeny House or a local agency. Oscar took to his babysitter straight away which was great as he doesn’t always.
Experiences and Activities
There’s also a complimentary afternoon tea everyday!
Final Thoughts
I absolutely love Babington House and it’s a personal favourite of mine. Whilst restrictions on swimming pool and restaurant use mean it’s not the most child-friendly hotel I’ve been to, the family room that we had was absolutely brilliant and our children loved the Teeny House.
Great For Kids
Lots of beautiful green space for running around.
Plenty of sports including swimming in the indoor / outdoor pool.
Multi level kids club suitable for little ones and pre-teens.
Great For Parents
Luxury decor and beautiful spaces; no compromise on the space and style with the family room.
Impeccable service that is discreet and relaxed.
The stunning Cowshed Spa.