LIFE

A weekend away with the kids: Legoland Castle Hotel, Windsor

Last modified on Tuesday 11 July 2017

Legoland Windsor's already a pretty exciting destination for two hyper under-fives. But an overnight stay in the brand-new Castle Hotel - complete with talking thrones, spooky lifts and a 35,000-brick giant wizard - gives it a magical new twist.

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OK, first things first - kids just have a different sense of priorities to adults. So when we told the four-year-old we were taking him to Legoland Windsor's new Castle Hotel, it wasn't the chance to sleep in a massive castle, eat in a themed restaurant next to a giant dragon or pose with a life-size Lego knight that made his eyes go wide.

No. To be honest, it was all about the bunk bed.

When you're four years old, any night you go away with the family is a special occasion, and the chance to sleep on the top of a bunk bed with your little sister below is just about the most exciting thing in the world that can possibly happen.

And yet ... the shiny new Castle Hotel, which opened this month, certainly did its best to compete.

Arriving at Legoland itself prompted excitement in the back seat. Entering the long-standing Legoland Resort Hotel (bizarrely you have to walk through it to get to the Castle Hotel) drew a couple of gasps. Checking in at the Castle Hotel itself caused two little jaws to drop.

The exterior of the hotel itself is quite a sight, somehow managing to appear both castle-like and as though it's built of Lego (it's neither).

There's a sword in a stone outside, naturally. The lobby is dominated by a huge floor-to-ceiling Lego wizard, surrounded by a pool of 'water' - ie, thousands of grey Lego bricks. (The two little ones didn't stand on ceremony, but simply swung their legs in and started wading through it.)

And the theme continues throughout the entire hotel. Some 2.1 million Lego bricks were apparently required to make the hotel's 657 Lego models. Rooms are themed as either Knight or Wizard rooms, and the Knight rooms, like ours, each have their own 17kg Lego dragon. The little jaws kept on dropping.

Knight's bedroom at Legoland Castle Hotel at Legoland Windsor
Parents' room

What are the rooms like?

The Lego/Knight theme continues heavily into the room, which was well designed for families - giving both you and the kids your own sense of space.

The bathroom cleverly divides the parents' bed and the kids', with its own TV and games console, and the much-anticipated bunk bed. There's also a pull-out trundle bed for a third guest.

The rooms are generally well-equipped, with a swanky coffee machine, ironing board and iron, mini-bar fridge, safe, decent bathroom with bathtub and powerful shower, and a comfy double bed for mum and dad.

Be warned though - there's no escaping the medieval Lego theme. Sit on the toilet and you'll find yourself staring a topless Lego knight. And our two-year-old was so scared of the Lego figure over the bathtub that she refused to get in until mum did, too.

Where to eat

The hotel has a Tournament Tavern restaurant, serving the standard range of gastropub fare (at gastropub prices), plus lots of steak. The quality of the food was surprisingly high, a cut above what you might expect at a themed hotel. While the steaks were expensive - the most expensive cut, Chateaubriand for two to share was £65, the rest of the mains were around the £15 mark.

There's also the opportunity to cook meat, seafood and shellfish at your own table on a volcanic 'Hot Rock'. Which sounds amazing, but may not have been an option designed by someone who regularly dines out with young children.

However, there was a children's menu, with the usual options like veg sticks and hummus, sausage and mash, chicken, and ice cream for dessert.

Breakfast (included in the price of a night's hotel stay) was a decent continental buffet with fruit, pastries, toast and so on, plus a menu offering eggs and other cooked breakfast options.

Other highlights

There are lots of nice touches, all very on-theme, which kept the kids entertained throughout.

  • There are Lego boards everywhere in the hotel, with a little stash of grey Lego underneath. The kids were constantly trying to spell out their names in Lego as a result.
  • Every room has its own special safe locked with a code which the children are invited to crack, by solving hidden clues. The treasure inside is a bonus ...
  • An entertainer in the restaurant was an instant hit, making both kids balloon swords, which they promptly used to slay dad repeatedly.
  • Staff throughout were friendly and approachable and played their themed roles well.

The pool was a success too. The Castle Hotel doesn't have its own, but you can use the one at the main Legoland Hotel a five-minute walk away (towels are provided and there are lockers available for a refundable £1).

At 9am on a Saturday, we had it pretty much to ourselves, and the pirate-themed water play area was an instant hit, with a slide, see-saw and water cannons. It's not huge though, so you might want to save your kids' water play energy for the splash park in the Duplo area of the Legoland Park itself, if you're going to the park the same day.

Family outside Legoland Castle Hotel with Lego Knight on horse

Work in progress

Our bath didn't have a plug when we arrived, and was only brought up a few hours later, at bedtime (we had to make-do with showering the kids).

Including a maze on the room's wallpaper may have been a mistake with the benefit of hindsight - thankfully the four-year-old only filled it in in pencil (sorry).

And staff at the restaurant seemed a little confused come breakfast - there were plenty on hand, but we still had to wait a while and ask twice to place an order.

Also, at some points it was a bit too, well, scary. The talking throne in the lobby was a cool feature, but frankly terrified the two-year-old, while the booming wizard's voice and dimmed lights in the lift - again, a striking themed feature - resulted in us travelling between floors in a protective family huddle. And that's only when we could persuade the four-year-old to even go into the lift.

What about the park?

Ah yes - that was pretty cool, too. It was our first time, so we made the most of it, enjoying everything from the replicas of London, Edinburgh and other cities to the rollercoasters. A speedboat ride, submarine trip and fire engine challenge where the entire family had to work together to put a fire out were the definite highlights.

Getting there

By car: Legoland Windsor Resort is on the B3022 Windsor/Ascot road just two miles from Windsor town centre. If you're staying at the hotel, free parking is available in front of the original Legoland Resort Hotel.

Following the Legoland brown tourist information signs on the local roads will get you to the park more quickly. Legoland recommends following these signs over a sat nav system, which may incorrectly direct you to a residential street.

Routes you can use, depending on where you're coming from, are: M3 (Junction 3), M25 Northbound (clockwise) traffic should exit at Junction 13, M4 (Junction 6).

By train: You can also take the train to Windsor & Eton Central, or Windsor & Eton Riverside. A chargeable shuttle bus runs from near both these rail stations to Legoland.

By coach: Green Line operates the 702 service, seven days a week, from Victoria. Call the Green Line Travel Line on 0844 801 7261 or visit www.greenline.co.uk.

By air: London Heathrow airport is 12 miles away via the M4. Gatwick airport is 45 miles away via the M25, which is about an hour's drive away, depending on traffic.

When to go

Like with any theme park, it's probably best to go in peak school holiday time, when it might not be so busy.

Perfect for

Legoland's definitely a must-visit for the under-fives (even if they're not into their Lego yet), and if you're going to be there overnight, this is a new best place to stay. Lego fans will obviously be in their element.

The major drawback? The price. A family room with breakfast and park tickets for two days start at a frankly eye-watering £572.

But if you can afford it, there's no reason not to. The theme is convincing throughout, the rooms are comfy, the special touches are special enough to make it a truly magical experience for your kids.

Oh, and the bunk beds are AWESOME ...