Last week while out Christmas shopping with my husband, I stumbled upon a hidden gem that is the Angel Hotel on Guildford’s cobbled High Street.
Being a regular visitor to Guildford town centre, I have passed the building many times but never ventured in. And on this occasion it was purely by chance I finally did, drawn by the fact it was hosting a Christmas craft fair.
As soon as we entered the main lounge and restaurant area we were hooked – from its welcoming warmth to period charm and features.
So, after a successful visit to the upstairs craft fair, we sat by the open fire to order some well-earned refreshments (homemade soup for my husband and a cream tea for me) and enjoy the relaxing ambience. Quite a feat given we were Christmas shopping on a Saturday in mid-December!
The Angel has served as a posting house and livery for 500 years and welcomed distinguished travellers such as Charles Dickens, Jane Austin and Lord Nelson, so it’s a real-life step back in time.
To complement this, however, there is a basement level wine bar set in a contemporary redesigned 800 year old crypt which provides the ideal setting for pre-dinner drinks. In fact, that’s exactly what we did a few nights later.
The Angel Hotel is a clever mix of old and new and I only wish I’d discovered it earlier.
To learn more visit the Angel Posting House & Livery on the best of guildford
