WHEN we arrived at Down Hall, my first thought was that I should be coming up the drive way in a horse and carriage carrying a parasol, not a Fiat 500 lugging a suitcase.

Although there has been substantial extension and refurbishment work carried out over the years, the hotel, which dates back to 1322 and is just 30 minutes from Chelmsford, still has all of its original charm with its landscaped gardens and woodland surroundings.

Our room, which was priced at £179 for a bed and breakfast stay on a Saturday, was decked out in purples and creams, with everything you might need during a stay, including bluetooth and USB connections to allow you to play music on your own devices.

It was a decent size, ambient temperature and the bed, duvet and pillows were lovely; I immediately flopped down on the covers and found it a struggle to get up again!

The room was lovely and set at the front of the house but sadly you couldn't see out of the windows as the roof of the building below came above the windows, which was a shame but didn't worry me too much as we weren't in the room for too long.

Once settled in, we made our way downstairs to the bar where we sank into highbacked, vintage look chairs and deep sofas to enjoy a pint and a cocktail or two.

My espresso cocktail was delicious; I don't like coffee if it's too strong or bitter but this was the perfect combination.

After changing for dinner we were given a lovely table in the Grill Room, the hotel's AA Rosette-awarded restaurant, again decorated in keeping with the hotel.

It was fairly busy but our waiter was prompt, attentive but not intrusive, allowing us the time to look over the whole menu but not keeping us waiting.

The food was sublime; for starters we shared the rillette of salmon, with avocado puree, cucumber, and mustard dressing and the ham hock terrine, which came with quince puree, and a quail egg.

All the flavours combined effortlessly into mouthwatering dishes and whetted our appetites for our main course.

I ordered the aged English rib eye steak with peppercorn sauce, grilled plum tomato, rustic hand cut chips and watercress while my boyfriend chose the slow cooked hake, sweet potato, fennel, samphire and a tempura langoustine.

My steak was cooked to perfection, tender and had such a strong flavour, which combined with the peppercorn sauce perfectly.

My boyfriend, who is famously not a steak-lover, declared it the best he had ever tried and even said he was jealous.

But that's not to say his meal was sub-par, it was delicious, with soft flaky fish, fresh vegetables and a juicy langoustine.

For desert my boyfriend went for the cheese board, which was loaded with crumbly, soft and hard cheeses, while I enjoyed a coconut sorbet, the perfect way to finish a meal.

The next day we enjoyed a full body massage and time in the sauna, jacuzzi and steam room at the hotel's Eden Spa. There are a vast range of treatments available and all are decently priced.

We would definitely return to the hotel, which is in Matching Road, Hatfield Heath, as the friendliness of the staff, the liveliness of the hotel bar and wonderful food in the restaurant allowed for a glamorous and pleasant stay.

Visit downhall.co.uk for details and to book.