Warwick Castle

For our quick weekend away, I found a Groupon for a stay at the Knight Village on the grounds of Warwick Castle. I was a little worried that Warwick Castle was going to be a bit corny and commercialized and geared towards kids based on the website but I was pleasantly surprised by how quaint our cabin was and beautiful the castle was.

First off, we stayed in these cute little cabins that were decorated in a medieval style with modern amenities. It even had a little room with bunk beds for a family. Although the cabin was lovely and the staff kind and helpful, the bed was so uncomfortable and squeaked every time I moved in the night that I got very little sleep. 

We went during the offseason so there weren't many people staying and we even had the dining room to ourselves for breakfast. We had to pre-order breakfast and we both got an English breakfast. I don't know why I keep ordering English breakfast. I don't enjoy beans generally but especially not in the morning and I really don't care for meat in the morning either. And I'm picky about my eggs. Why do I keep ordering it? Thankfully, Brandon is a big eater and finished off most of my breakfast although neither one of us ate the beans. Would it be rude to order English breakfast without beans? Anyway, breakfast was saved with the fresh warm croissants and pain au chocolats that were brought to the table. This girl is a sucker for fresh warm bread. The dining hall also plays inspirational movie-like music that makes you feel like your loved one is going into battle on a three-song loop so that was fun and interesting. 

After breakfast, we checked out and walked up to the castle. If you stay at the lodge, you access the gate with your key card and walk up to the castle without having to talk to any staff members which this introvert really liked. There weren't any queues or waits to get into the castle. 

The castle itself was interesting. It was a bit cheesy that they had wax figures in many of the rooms, but the architecture was impressive and the dungeon suitably creepy. I did find that there was a lack of historical information available and would have loved to know a bit more about the people of the castle. I know I've read a book about the Warwicks but it would have been nice to get a bit of a refresher on the history. 

It was a weekday so there were several school groups that were touring the place as well. Most were quiet and respectful primary kids but there was one group of older primaries that were very loud and unruly. However, as someone who has had that class whose personalities clash and with students who have a hard time self-regulating, I sympathized with the poor teacher. Just be aware that if you go on a weekday, there will most likely be field trips with children. However, I think on weekends and during big tourist seasons, they have a lot of outdoor activities for kids so it was nice to avoid that as a childless couple.

The grounds were probably my favorite part of the morning. It was a sunshiny cool day and viewing the town and fields below from the top of the tower was beautiful.

It was nice to do a quick night away from home and responsibilities and connect with Brandon. We've been together for nine years this November and spending time exploring is my favorite way of connecting with my love.