‘Milk butlers’ to free childcare: My stay at a luxury, child-friendly hotel

After half a day of travelling accompanied by some low-level grizzling from our toddler, we were very happy to arrive at Moonfleet Manor and be shown to our lovely room. The house was originally built in 1603 and then extended and remodelled in 1806. Since then it has undergone many refurbishments with the most recent being completed in May 2023.  

While the hotel happily supplies you with all the larger baby and child items you may need during your stay, should you wish to bring any of your own you will be happy to hear there is a lift to save your energy.

We made full use of the room amenities the hotel offered, which included a travel cot, nappy bin, bathtub mat and changing mat, which meant a lot less luggage taken with us in the car.  

They are also able to provide bottle sterilisation should you need it and most importantly of all, a baby monitoring system so that mum and dad can actually have a meal together in the restaurant or enjoy an after-dinner drink or board game in one of the three lounges. All while knowing your little one is sound asleep upstairs.  

This is excellent in theory – so long as your child plays ball.  

After some careful afternoon routine planning we were all set for a pre-dinner cocktail on the patio overlooking the hotel garden and fleet. Our toddler, however, had other ideas and we ended up being held hostage in our room while she chatted away to herself and refused to go to sleep. Leaving the room meant going via the second bedroom where she was lying in her cot and therefore risking a sighting and potential meltdown if she saw us leaving.  

Suggestions on leaving via the fire escape or shimmying down the drain pipe were raised – instead her ever-doting father stepped up and comforted her until she fell asleep.  

Or so we thought.  

She ended up coming downstairs with us for a late dinner where the staff were more than happy to keep her entertained and content by plying her with milk and toys while we ate. Instead of the evening turning into a disaster, we felt comfortable bringing her into the restaurant, enabling us to have a lovely dinner and her to stay up late and charm the (very understanding) other diners with her cheeky smile and games of peek-a-boo.  

The next morning we were able to try out the hotel’s ‘milk butler’… yes that’s right, an actual milk butler. Genius. Our daughter’s morning milk was delivered to our door within minutes of requesting it along with the newspaper of our choosing, ensuring we enjoyed a leisurely morning with zero faff or having to race downstairs as soon as she woke up hungry.  

As a family, breakfast is by far our favourite meal of the day and the spread at Moonfleet Manor did not disappoint. The children’s menu was varied and offered something for all ages and appetites including purées for younger babies.  

Another great service the hotel offers is 90 minutes complimentary child care per day of your stay in their Ofsted-registered creche, Four Bears Den. After dropping our daughter off we made our way through the hotel grounds and down towards the fleet for a walk along the coastal path full of hopes and dreams of an hour and a half sans child.  

According to the hotel gardener and resident palaeontologist, you WILL find a fossil if you walk along the shore of the fleet at low tide. 

Full of optimism and channelling our inner David Attenborough we strolled along the beach searching high and low until I came across a potential winner. However, after deciding it was probably just a shell covered in sand and mud I decided to put it back, not mentioning any of this to my partner, and we carried on walking.

We doubled back on ourselves and while passing said potential fossil my partner picks it up and boldly claims it as his own discovery – despite my protestations that I, in fact, found it five minutes earlier but decided to put it back. He then proceeded to proudly admire the ‘fossil’ as we continued our walk along the small headland. 

His victory parade was, however, cut short when, after about 20 minutes of walking, we were called back to the Four Bears Den to collect our daughter after a stubborn protest against being left at the creche. The infamous fossil was once again returned to its watery home but the argument over who in fact discovered it will no doubt pop up every so often and continue until our dying days. 

By far the cutest activity of our weekend was our daughter indulging in some cookies and milk, served between 5.30-7pm every day, in the children’s cinema room accompanied by a small group of other kiddies. They sat quietly with their treats and watched episodes of the Gruffalo and Room on the Broom while we parents looked on and prayed for a gentle wind down to the end of the day leading to a calm and cooperative bedtime. 

And it worked! Bedtime was a success and we were able to go downstairs for dinner armed with our trusty monitor at a much more reasonable hour than the previous night.  

After a second and more restful night’s sleep, we embarked upon another day of adventure starting with Skittles in The Verandah building. While our toddler wasn’t too impressed with the loud noises, mum and dad had a great time! Three rounds ended with a draw so it was off to Dino Crazy Golf to separate the wheat from the chaff. After getting through about 4 of the 9 holes it was clear who the champion was and, unlike my partner’s attempt to claim the fossil the previous day, I admitted defeat. Even though the Dino Crazy Golf is aimed at children aged five and over our daughter still enjoyed following us round the course and dropping golf balls into the holes.  

If you’re looking for a getaway with slightly older children with a curious nature, the themed Escape Rooms and Science Lab are perfect. My partner was quite disappointed when he realised he couldn’t use our daughter as an excuse to partake in any experiments in the Science Lab as she wasn’t old enough (far too many small parts for tiny children) but the staff were kind enough to show us around the rooms anyway.  

After one final go on the swings, it was sadly time to say goodbye to the ‘tutus’ (turtles to you and I) on the bedroom wallpaper, feeling rested and refreshed – which, in my book, is a total triumph for any parent.