Talk Morgan Forums Community The Malvern Arms Goodwood festival of speed

Hi All,

My Wife and I coming over to the UK for the last leg of our honeymoon trip and would like to attend the goodwood festival of speed, can anyone recommend a place close to the festival to stay?

Also we are keen on doing the Morgan factory tour while over too any recommendations ?

Regards

Mika

Mika - accommodation anywhere near the event will most likely be fully booked by now: it is for months before the festival, sadly. I'd recommend hiring a car for your stay, and staying somewherenice in the country an hour's drive away, and driving in. The Suuth coast is a good bet for somewhere picturesque to stay and then drive to Goodwood. See if you can find something on the other side of Chichester.

The Mr & Mrs Smith website is a favourite of mine good for decent hotels.

http://www.mrandmrssmith.com

Good luck!

Harry.

Thanks Harry... Forgot to mention that it will be 2012 when we are there... Small detail...

Blimey Mika, you've got an understanding wife to be - long may it continue!

You've not given a budget, so my first choice would be The Goodwood Hotel and booking now you may get in! The hotel is much improved, it used to be a Marriott and went down when they changed from that franchise, and obviously, its proximity to Goodwood is its main raison d'etre.

A cheaper alternative, where we have also stopped, is the Millstream Hotel at Bosham. It is only about 6-miles from Goodwood, and apart from having a somewhat older clientèle is quite acceptable.

For Malvern, there are several you could look at as follows:
Cottage in the Wood At one time this was the hotel in Malvern and had an excellent name for food too, I've not stopped there for a long time but the last time that Boshers and I had a meal there, I really thought it was living on past glories.
The Abbey Hotel Used by the MSCC for their annual dinner and a 4-star establishment. Rather expensive imho for what is offered, both in the rooms and the food is very average.
The Cotford Hotel and l'Amuse Bouche Restaurant Smartly turned out in an avenue of Victorian mansion-style buildings, this hotel is the place to stop in Malvern imho. Excellent restaurant, combining local ingredients with uncomplicated modern cooking. The owners are even called Morgan!
Buckland Manor 30-miles away from Malvern, but near to the pretty Cotswold town of Broadway and a very nice country house hotel.

The Lygon Arms in Broadway used to be excellent, but I understand that it is now part of a Spanish Group and standards have dropped drastically. There are one or two other places we know in the Malvern area, as our daughters used to go to school here, but for us the Cotford Hotel is the one.

HTH
B

Also worth pointing out that if you're a foodie, Ludlow really isn't that far away from Malvern.

Thanks for the links Aeroman,

My wife to be is certainly a catch, I'm a very lucky man in that she loves vintage cars nearly as much as myself, she certainly loved the last British car show here in Western Australia, I think the big selling point is she can see to the future 30+ years on, us a elderly couple, going for a brisk early morning spring drive in the M3W up into the hills, stopping off for a coffe then onto a winery for lunch, we are also keen on entering the classic rally here, with the idea of always coming last in the race, stopping of at the cafe along the way and maybe a spot of shopping, only entering for the fun and laughs!!

Looking at the links Goodwood Hotel looks the goods I have emailed them about reservations.

Also does anyone know the exact dates for Goodwood festival of speed 2012??

and is the goodwood hotel close enough to walk to the event every day or do I need to hire a car??

Re; Morgan Tour

I'm really looking forward to this and is probably the main reason for us coming to England.

Is it possible to hire a Morgan for few day whilst I'm in the area? I recall there's something on the Morgan website about hire..

I would be keen on trying a roadster against the M3W, hopefully I can test drive the M3W while there, would this be possible?

Thanks for all the replies Gents it make research so much easier.

Kind Regards

Mika

P.S Please feel free to ask about Australia if you want to come and see any of your long lost convict cousins.

I specialise in the Margaret River Wine area, Great wine food and beaches!!!

Very much so!!! and love a good wine too!!! Is Ludlow the area for food??? the wife is keen to eat at Hestons restaurant The Fat Duck, not sure if it will be worth it or not...

Thanks and Regards

Mika

Hi Mika,

This years Festival of Speed is 30th June - 3rd July and I don't think the dates will change that much for the 2012 show.

In regards to hiring a Morgan, you can simply hire one from the factory, the Prices are on the Morgan Website here - http://www.morgan-motor.co.uk/rental%20cars/index.html

Mika,

As the hotel is also owned by Lord March, they should be able to help you with the dates of the 2012 event and advise you on bookings accordingly.

Ludlow is indeed a hot-spot of Michelin starred restaurants near Malvern, but if you're touring in the area I personally would head towards the Cotswolds which Malvern is on the edge of.

If you're foodies, Heston is a must imho. There are several options, firstly the Fat Duck which is a culinary experience that should not be missed. Booking can be difficult, as you can only book up to two months in advance and they only release a month's bookings at a time. It may pay you to go for a lunch-time appointment, as there is less pressure on these.

In Bray, Heston also owns the Hinds Head serving English pub food of a high standard, quite often with an innovative twist. He has fairly recently also bought The Crown at Bray so if you can't get into the Hinds Head, then this is a new alternative. Another is the pub owned by Michael Parkinson and run by his son Nick - The Royal Oak which is in the area and the Chef here formerly worked for Heston at the Hinds Head. It has a Michelin star and serves similar food to . I am sure that when you visit we can organise a TM event, probably a Morgan lunch, as the Surrey Posse sometimes even head this far north into bandit territory.

Lastly on food, I mustn't forget Heston's new restaurant in London - Dinner which is positioned somewhere between the Hinds Head and the Fat Duck.

Regarding driving the M3W, all Morgan Dealers will have a demonstrator so organising a test drive will not be an issue and by then, several of us will have our own cars so no issue here. Driving any other model will also be easy to arrange.

Lastly, there are several places where you can hire a Morgan and not too far from Bray is the Morgan agent - Richard Thorne who hires Morgan's and this will enable you to drive up to Malvern in one.

Cheers

Don't take too much for granted about the dates until they are announced. Without checking back I don't know how much the FoS has varied but the Revival dates can move by several weeks from year to year. I was told that they have to fit in with the FIA calendar.