to bed or not to bed (Stratford-upon-Avon in General)

Member Name: pontecaille

Product:	Stratford-upon-Avon in General
Date:	06/02/02 (115 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: see op

Disadvantages: see op

Thanks to one of my friend’s regular customer we had the great privilege to discover William Shakespeare’s birthplace, steeped in culture and history.
Whether you are a poetic lover or just want to enjoy beautiful sceneries or have a nice time away from home don’t hesitate to go and visit this rural countryside located on the river Avon in the county of Warwickshire.
It is important to point that it is one of the most important tourist destinations in the UK. And I know why now… it’ll be one of my favourite places to go from now on.

After enquiring on the different ways to get there, we finally went ahead and booked return train tickets.
The city centre is within walking distance from the station and there already you are blast by the charm of the town. As we walked our way through the city, we had a nice but quick look around. Everything seemed so perfectly in place and waiting for us:
Streets, shops, houses, gardens, river, pubs, …everything to commemorate the Old England.
When I spotted few guesthouses, something suddenly came up in my mind. Has any one of us thought of reserving a room for the night? Obviously not.
Well here are our first stops:
Guest Houses and Tourism Office.

None of the places we asked had any room left. But we hoped to get more help in the Tourism Office.
I have to say the staffs were very helpful and kind. Quickly getting the idea we were slightly uncomfortable with our English they even called few hotels on our behalf but no success. They gave us many leaflets on the different things to do in town and also in the nearby surroundings:
County of Oxfordshire,…Warwick Castle and all within an hour drive.

The list of the available attractions was endless: from shopping to choice of accommodation, services tourist and disabled information, exclusive travel and tours, vintage cars, events. What a list.

As we walked out of the office
one of the agents ran towards us and suggested one last place to try out. I wondered why she said as a last resort. But you will find out sooner than you think…
Putting our hopes on we happily took the direction of the named hotel and what a place.
The Hotel with en-suite bathrooms, master bedrooms, private functions, platinum privilege cards (don’t know what it is but thought it looks and sounds good to have in an opinion) was very attractive and very much out of our pocket. But we still forked out the £150 required for the most standard double bedroom, breakfast included.
“Only double you said?” Well the receptionist had a crush on one of my friends and kindly added another mattress free of charge.
The room was of an extreme cleanliness and very well presented. The best of all was the bathroom with marble top and tiles and gold taps crashing impressive pressurized water.
It was a very enjoyable place but a bit too posh for me. So you understood through those lengthy lines I was trying to say it is best to look for places to stay, as Stratford can get extremely busy.

Anyway all that to come to the main of this opinion, the town and the different things to do and see:

*The historic half-timbered house where William Shakespeare was born was our first stop and probably the most frequent place to visit. You have the possibility to get onto an open tour or look at the exhibition gorging of historic manuscripts and books.
*Nash’s House, which contains Jacobean furniture and dates from the 16th
*Hall’s Croft (where you can buy refreshments and medicinal herbs) is Shakespeare favourite’s daughter and husband residential place.
*Holy Trinity Church
*Anne Hathaway’s Cottage (midfifteenth century) with an outstanding garden and impressive decorated rooms and very well preserved.
*Mary Arden’s House (Shakespeare’s mother) with great exhibitions
*The Shak
espeare centre library holding a collection of his life, works and we can’t forget some original editions of his plays, the Holy Trinity Church where Shakespeare and his wife are buried.
They are the only places I quickly visited but below is a list of other sites you may enjoy.

I also gathered more information through different websites to open your choices:

-Stratford Brass rubbing Centre (free entry) http://www.stratford.co.uk/brass/
-The Teddy Bear museum http://www.theteddybearmuseum.com/ very unusual: you will find lots of unique and valuable Teddies.
-The Butterfly Farm with rainforest environment, tropical plants and waterfalls. Meet the world's largest spider in Arachnoland, and visit Insect City with gift shops, play areas.
-Gower Memorial: monument featuring statues of Shakespeare and other famous people.
-Guild Chapel: built in 1269 by the Guild of the Holy Cross, a group of wealthy citizens.
-Harvard Chapel: eye-catching house with beautiful carved timbers built by Thomas Rogers. In 1605 his daughter Katherine married Robert Harvard and it was their son John, born in 1607, which immigrated to America as a young man and founded Harvard University.
-Ragdoll Shop: home of the Teletubbies, Rosie and Jim, Brum and Tots TV. A must-see for young children.
-The Shire horse Centre and Farm Park: taste of the country life, with working Shire horses, wagon rides, farm animals including rare breeds, and falconry displays. There is also a Riverside Walk, picnic area, a large outdoor playground, "Hyper Slides" and an Adventure Play Barn for young children. Licensed restaurant, snack bar and gift shop.
-The Stratford Tales: A bold new attraction, colourful, interactive interpretation of Stratford through the centuries, utilising models, audio-visual presentations, and a fascinating collection of artefacts. Other attractions include a working brewery using centuries old brewing processes, a pu
b, shops and art gallery. http://www.coxsyard.co.uk/

You can also get ample information in:



<>TOURIST INFORMATION CENTRE (01789) 293127<>
Open 23rd March to 31st October 9am-6pm from Monday to Saturday, and 11am-5pm on Sundays. 1st November 1996 to 22nd March 1997 open 9am-5pm Monday to Saturday, and closed on Sundays.
<>GUIDE FRIDAY TOURISM CENTRE (01789) 294466<>
Open daily from 9am. Provides general information and tourist advice, and offers a National Accommodation Booking Service.
<>INFORMATION FOR THE DISABLED<>
For help and advice on access, parking and shopping contact the Tourist Information Centre. Disabled Toilets operate under the RADAR national key scheme and can be found at Windsor Street Car Park, Bridge Foot Car Park, Recreation Ground Toilets, Tramway Bridge Toilets, and Rother Street Car Park

Stratford has 2 Open top bus tours available:
*The Guide Friday Stratford Tour (green and cream buses) is the easy way to visit Stratford's attractions.
*City Sightseeing (red buses). Slightly cheaper than the Guide Friday tour but you don't get a live guide, just a pre-recorded commentary.

Let’s finish by a book highly recommended by several sites and giving a comprehensive detailed guide:
“Stratford-upon-Avon Town Centre Street Map and Guide” published by Mushroom Publishing to the price of about £1.

Summary: