In Jerome K Jerome’s evergreen classic Three Men In A Boat – undeniably one of my favourite books – he reserves high praise for the Thameside villages of Sonning and Streatley. He writes of the former that ‘it is the most fairy-like little nook on the whole river…more like a stage village than one built of bricks and mortar’ and says of Streatley and its neighbour Goring that ‘Goring on the left bank and Streatley on the right are both or either charming places to stay at for a few day…it is an ancient place, Streatley, dating back, like most river-side towns and villages, to British and Saxon times. Goring is not nearly so pretty a little spot to stop at as Streatley, if you have your choice; but it is passing fair enough in its way, and is nearer the railway in case you want to slip off without paying your hotel bill.’
They remain two of the most beautiful places on the Thames, laden with history and interest, but, shockingly, I had neither been to either. So it was decided that, just before a significant birthday, we would venture away for the weekend to the Great House at Sonning and the Swan at Streatley, and wander round the glorious riverside settings. I hoped for wonderfully comfortable rooms, excellent food and the kind of fine, crisp late autumn weather that would allow for long, rambling walks, ending up by the firesides of beamed inns.
Alas, this didn’t come to pass in its entirety. We arrived at the Great House one Friday evening in bitterly, icy cold that made much of a walk around Sonning impossible, although we were able to glimpse the much-praised Mill theatre (which local residents George and Amal Clooney recently gave a ‘generous’ financial donation to) and popped in for a pre-prandial drink at the excellent Bull Inn, another Clooney hotspot; the actor follows in the unlikely footsteps of Dick Turpin, whose flintlock pistols are proudly displayed in the bar.
But we beat a hasty retreat back to our apartment in the so-called ‘Coach House’, and were glad that we did. This sumptuously appointed three-room suite offers a splendidly comfortable master bedroom, an excellent bathroom complete with deep bath and a sitting room-cum-extra bedroom for children, decorated with film posters of classics such as The Empire Strikes Back and Raiders of the Lost Ark. It was the perfect base for the night, and heading out to dinner at the Coppa Club restaurant opposite – one has, alas, to cross the car park, rather than being able to scurry in the warmth and comfort of indoors – seemed almost an imposition.
Thankfully, it was anything but. I assumed on arrival that it would be the usual brasserie fare, served with slick charm and competence in a friendly atmosphere. I was wrong. Everything that we ate was far better than it needed to be, from my wife’s excellent prosciutto-wrapped burrata to my very fine buttermilk chicken complete with chilli mayo, and the wine list was both kindly priced and full of intriguing varieties; I was especially taken with the very fine 2019 Rioja, which tasted far nicer than several wines I’ve had at twice the cost. And the staff were unfailingly, unstintingly professional, all of which made dinner here an absolute pleasure.
We slept well, but our journey to Streatley the next day was something of an ordeal, thanks to the appalling weather, which persisted and even worsened. By the time we arrived, we could only make the most cursory of walks round the village before sequestering ourselves within our room, but thankfully the Swan is the very model of a modern country house hotel.
Slick and stylish and extremely comfortable, it is situated right on the Thames, offering breath-taking riverside views from the restaurant, as well as supremely well-appointed and luxurious rooms that offer the most welcome of refuges from the gathering storm outside. We sequester ourselves in ours, with dramatic glimpses of Thameside trees being blown hither and thither by gale-force wind, and prepare for what we confidently expect will be another superb dinner.
Which it very much is, aided by the spectacular setting. The stated idea behind both the Swan and the Great House is that they are, essentially, members’ clubs that the general public can visit without the need to pay vast amounts of money each month, but with a similar slickness and wow factor. This is undeniably true of the Coppa Club restaurant at Streatley, where the setting on the river in an enormous glass conservatory managed to make even my family and I – jaded habitues of expensive dining rooms – both impressed and delighted.
And the food was just as good, arguably even better, than the previous night; main courses of carbonara used guanciale, or pig’s jowl, to give them a richer, deeper flavour than usual, and an exceptionally fine sticky toffee pudding was just this side of all-out decadence. Washed down with an Italian Sauvignon – we decided to move on from Rioja, in honour of the dishes that we were having – it made for an extremely welcome and warming dinner.
We slept splendidly well once again, with the sounds of a lavish wedding or party nearby thankfully kept to a muffled thump, and, blessedly, the weather was improved the next day, finally allowing us to walk by the riverside in Streatley before a turn around the charming surroundings of Goring took us back to the train station. But it was the dual delights of the Great House and the Swan that made for the most enjoyable of weekend stays, even in the circumstances, and I can only imagine that if Jerome K Jerome had been able to see both hotels, he would have hopped off his boat sharpish and enjoyed far more comfortable and welcoming digs than his companions (not forgetting Montmorency, the dog) could ever have offered.
The Great House at Sonning offers a Cosy Double Room from £85 per night. Deluxe Doubles are available from £115 per night. For more information and bookings, please visit www.greathouseatsonning.co.uk.
The Swan At Streatley offers a Small Double Room from £80 per night. Medium Double Rooms are available from £100 per night. For more information, including details of offers, please visit www.theswanatstreatley.com.
