How did you spend your May bank holiday weekend?

How did you spend your bank holiday weekend? Relaxing with the family? Generally switching off from work and indulging a bit of ‘me’ time?

When you run a high-end social events club in London, switching off is never that easy.  Married for nearly 2 years, my husband has become accustomed to the fact that every meal in a London restaurant, luxury holiday, dinner party or any celebration we attend is an opportunity for research and to learn something new. I am always on the look out for ideas, useful information and ways to bring my members the very best stylish and memorable events to ensure that they have a packed and varied social events calendar to enjoy.

 

Taking the express train from Paddington, our weekend started half an hour later when we arrived at the African Queen (a cruising hotel and restaurant), moored alongside Mapledurham House and Water Mill, near Reading. Apparently the house was the inspiration behind Wind in the Willows.  ‘Toad Hall’ is Mapledurham House and ‘The Wild Wood’ behind the house is where Badger used to live.

 

  

 

Our hosts, from South Africa, Andy and Bonny were very welcoming and introduced us to our fellow shipmates (8 other couples) before setting sail on our sunset cruise.

Our cruise itinerary took us through Mapledurham Lock, Whitchurch Bridge (for Panbone), Reading, Sonning and Marsh Lock (for Henley-on-Thames) where Local MP Boris Johnson was not in evidence – too busy becoming Mayor!

 

Moored up outside Uri Geller’s house (famous for his claim to be able to bend spoons and keys with his mind) we stopped to look at The Mill at Sonning – an 18^th Century flour mill that has been converted into a Dinner Theatre. Guests enjoy a home-cooked meal before watching a performance and after the show can enjoy drinks in the bar. The locals told us that before the existence of the Theatre, Sonning was just a sleepy little village. Now in its 26^th year, a lot of well-known actors (eg Dame Judi Dench) have performed at the theatre, putting Sonning well and truly on the map – and tickets sell like hotcakes for every show.

 

There is another little gem in Sonning though, The Bull Inn which is mentioned in Jerome K. Jerome’s ‘Three Men in a Boat’. This traditional English 16^th Century inn offers friendly hospitality, an excellent selection of real ale, and first class bedroom facilities – the perfect place to rest after a night at The Mill.

 

After stopping for a wonderful lunch we indulged in a very relaxing horse and cart ride. Led by Ian Smith of Country Ways, our journey started at Darkwood Farm in Nettlebed. Four burly Suffolk Punches were shackled up and took us through the beautiful countryside passing Antony Worrall Thompson’s gourmet Restaurant, The Greyhound Pub, along the way. 

Having already organised a river cruise for the final day of Henley Regatta on July 6^th, I was keen to investigate what other vessel charters are available for comparison.  Hobbs of Henley offer a range of boats catering for parties of 12 to 200, but the magnificent beauty that really caught my eye was the luxury motor yacht owned by Thames Executive Charters – lush leather and mahogany interior, seats 12 and probably more suited to the tastes of The SaVVy Club members.

 

Of course, all this research does have its perks. As well as generating some ideas for more stylish and memorable events for The SaVVy Club, our bank holiday weekend was relaxing and really helped to re-charge the batteries. Whoever said “a change is as good as a rest” was spot on. It was wonderful to have a change of scenery; to get away from the hustle and bustle of the City for a while and to have the opportunity to slow down and enjoy our beautiful countryside. 

 

Written by Kim Rix – CEO – www.savvyclub.co.uk

London Social Events Club – The SaVVy Club^® is London’s First Boutique Events Club offering Stylish, Exclusive, Memorable Events for professional individuals.

 

 

 

 

 

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