Forest of Dean Escape with Cream Tea

Overnight breaks at a former royal hunting lodge in the Forest of Dean are now £79. This offer from The Speech House Hotel -- built in the 17th century for King Charles II -- saves 52% on the usual price and includes:

Overnight accommodation in a Superior Main House Double or Courtyard Four Poster room, with full English breakfast, for two

A cream tea on arrival (worth £6 per person)

Late checkout until 12pm (worth £15)

It's £149 for a 2­-night package, with the second night on a B&B basis

Why We Love It

This hotel is in rural Gloucestershire, in one of England's oldest oak forests

Dining options include The Orangery, which serves traditional pub food, and a formal restaurant

It's five miles from the Wye Valley Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and 13 miles from the famous Tintern Abbey ruins

Symonds Yat Rock, where you can take in views of the River Wye from 120 metres up, is 10 minutes' drive

Overview

With wall-mounted stag heads, oak-beamed ceilings and a weathered yellow-stone exterior, The Speech House Hotel's origin as a hunting lodge for King Charles II is clear throughout.

It's in the Forest of Dean, which is said to have inspired JRR Tolkien's Middle Earth and also featured in "Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows". Symonds Yat Rock, 20 minutes' drive away in the Wye Valley Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty has views of the River Wye from 120 metres up, and is popular with hikers and birdwatchers (peregrine falcons nest on the surrounding cliffs).

You can hire kayaks and Canadian canoes for a paddle on the River Wye at the Monmouth Canoe and Activity Centre, which is 20 minutes' drive away, or take a ride on the Dean Forest Railway, which operates steam and diesel trains from Lydney to Parkend; Norchard station, which also has a museum, is around 10 minutes' drive from the hotel.

The ruins of Goodrich Castle, a Norman fortress with great views from the battlements, and Tintern Abbey -- the inspiration for Wordsworth's famous poem -- are both within 25 minutes' drive of the hotel, as is Kymin Hill, which features a charming 18th-century round house and naval temple overlooking Monmouth and the Wye Valley.

The Orangery and bar serves light lunches, fresh coffee and traditional pub food. The restaurant has been a court for the local Verderers (who meet four times a year to discuss the protection of the forest) since 1696, and it serves an à la carte menu and homemade desserts. Wi-Fi is free in public areas. Courtyard rooms are in external buildings behind the main house.