A Weekend In Box Hill exploring the North Downs, Surrey

I have quite literally just walked through the door and returned from a mini getaway in Box Hill, Surrey, where I was invited to stay at The Mercure Hotel for a night. My weekend in Box Hill provided just the right amount of calm I required, in-between the chaos that is my life.

I’m so used to flying, driving and getting the train to far flung corners of the world, which I am by no means complaining about. But taking a trip so local was, one – unusual, but more so two – a real luxury.

A break to me, these days, involves no foreign language, currency or land, it is simply some time to myself to relax and get away from my computer screen. The closer and the less activities the better {I LOVE adventure but sometimes, just sometimes, I need to recharge}.

I have been so enjoying discovering and exposing to you guys, some domestic locations here in the UK, including my recent trips to: Cornwall, Yorkshire, Glasgow and most recently, Swansea {blog posts coming soon}. And here I have found yet another gem for you in Surrey, just outside of London.

To access Box Hill you can hop on 52 minute train from Waterloo to Dorking which is then 1.8 mile from the hotel {30 miles from central London}. I drove though because I live just outside of London in Berkshire which is only 40 minutes from the Hotel itself.

The Mercure Hotel Box Hill is a super cute, 4-star hotel with 57 rooms, an on site bar, on site restaurant {Emlyn} and a heated outdoor swimming pool. The hotel is set just off the M25 within the North Downs and is decorated with a luxury modern finish of velvet sofas and quirky art.

We got to enjoy our Saturday evening in a Privilege Double Room from which I did not move, apart from for a few Expresso Martinis, an Apple and Fennel Risotto and some sweet potato chips down in the bar.

I had the perfect night of indulgence…

…a bath of Westlab Epsom Salts, the comfort of a double bed and I even opted for Breakfast in Bed the following morning. My FULL spread of cheeses, muesli, eggs, pain au chocolat and herbal teas arrived at 7.45am, as requested by filling in the form on my bedside table and hanging it outside my door the night before.

Heaven.

Sunday morning had me check out of the hotel by 9am {though you can stay until 12pm} and off to explore the surrounding area of the North Downs. There are plenty of hikes and trails to choose from, as well as cycling, which seemed to be a very popular option.

We headed out to attack the Box Hill 8 mile hike which boasts gorgeous views over the surrounding countryside. However, we didn’t actually take a map and there were a lot of turning and unmarked junctions so we just ended up walking for a couple of hours.

The sun decided to meet us on the hike and with warmth of 20 degrees, my mum, my dog and I all got to enjoy a Sunday stroll with an overdue dose of fresh air.

The perfect weekend away + one you should treat yourself too also.

You can book the hotel here.

After all, you have to have a bit of play to counteract all that work you’re doing…