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There are two pavilions on the property, including a Georgian Hotel (YTL Hotels) with 27 bedrooms and three suites.
Monkey Island looks like it should be in a Bond movie, or at least an archipelago in Southeast Asia. But no, Google Maps is telling me it’s on a slip road off the M4, only fifty minutes from London.
Behind the village of Bray in Berkshire (blink and you’ll miss the closure) is a tiny seven-acre slice of island that, despite its exotic name, couldn’t be more English.
The day we arrive, the hydrangeas and dahlias are in full bloom, afternoon tea is being served on the wedding cake terrace of a Georgian hotel and even the muddy old Thames basks in the summer sunshine Shining You’d never guess that this serene vision of beauty, now a member of a small luxury hotel group, has a wild, storied past.
The seven-acre island was once owned by the Duke of Marlborough (Fiona Mackintosh).
In 1723, the Monkey Island estate was owned by the Duke of Marlborough, who built two pavilions on the island as a fishing spot and playground for his aristocratic peers.
Over the years, the estate has variously become a haven for Eton scholars, a favorite afternoon tea spot for Edward VII and a whole generation of English actors, singers and artists, including Clara Butt, Sir Edward Elgar, Siegfried has become an artistic resting place for Sassoon and HG Wells.
This former high society hotspot was restored to its full Georgian glory in 2018 (Fiona Mackintosh)
The pavilions were expanded in the 1960s, and the property became a noisy high society party hotspot and a favorite of Princess Margaret. But by the 1980s it had fallen into disrepair and was almost on its last leg before being saved by YTL Hotels in 2015. Three years and millions of pounds later, with the help of English Heritage, the property has been restored to much of its former form. Georgian Glory.
We arrived for a one night break in the middle of the week and it was all so ridiculous we couldn’t believe Monkey Island was so close to London. One of the pavilions now houses 27 bedrooms and three suites, while the other houses a restaurant, ballroom and bar, which spill onto immaculate lawns and terraces overlooking the river.
There are 27 bedrooms and three suites in one of the island’s two pavilions, including the Wedgwood Suite (YTL Hotel).
You’ll find monkeys everywhere you look – brass monkeys in the Monkey Bar give you the side-eye, stone monkeys at the door stand sentry near your room, and the drawing room features 17th-century frescoes featuring monkeys has been restored. One theory is that the island was named after these frescoes commissioned by the Duke of Marlborough. But the most likely explanation is that it was named after the monks who came to fish on the island in the 12th century, when it was known as Monk’s Island.
I’m not sure what those monks would have made of the spa barge that’s now moored near the hotel, with the monks’ elixir massage treatments that begin with three shots of monastic herbal liqueurs: Chartreuse, Frangelico and Benedictine. As therapist Beverly said when she led me into one of the floating spa’s three treatment rooms, “You’ll love it because it starts with the wine and ends with the hot pads”. How does she know me so well?
There are three treatment rooms on the floating spa barge (YTL Hotels)
Although the hotel caters to families, it is much more suited to couples looking for a romantic getaway or groups of friends who can book one of the three cottages on the property. Since it’s walking distance to foodie hotspot Bray, you can fill up your boots at the Waterside Inn or the Fat Duck and simply walk back across the footbridge. Weddings are also a hot ticket as you can rent a private island for your big day.
Although there isn’t much to do on the island, the team can organize activities. On arrival, we were whisked across the river and taken to the Fringla, a beautiful, old wooden motor yacht, where we relaxed on cushions in the sun, drank cold Chablis and ate tuna tartare and arancini canapés as we ate multi-course meals. million crossed. -pound riverside properties. Not a bad way to spend a Wednesday afternoon.
Fringella is a beautiful, vintage wooden motor yacht serving food and drink (Fiona Mackintosh)
Earlier that evening we enjoyed a very leisurely wine tasting with Henry Laithwaite – who owns local boutique winery Harrow & Hope – and a delicious sparkling rosé and blanc de blanc before dinner. The riverside brasserie doesn’t try to compete with its Michelin-star neighbours, but it does offer fresh, no-fuss British seasonal food: burrata and bavette steak were steamed with heritage tomatoes.
While Monkey Island Estate doesn’t have the same cool factor as the hugely fashionable Oakley Court on the other side of the river, it has a quieter, adulterous charm. Our room, the Wedgwood Suite, was a sumptuous mix of thoroughbred oak-panelling and blue-and-white ceiling cornicing, evoking its glory days as the playground for the Duke of Marlborough and his aristocratic friends.
The welcoming, modern addition of a spacious bathroom suite made it very hard to leave. For a special occasion, sometimes all you need is to look ravishing.
how to get there
Monkey Island Estate is a ten-minute taxi ride from Maidenhead Rail Station or Tube Station (via the Elizabethan Line) or a 50-minute drive from London.
www.monkeyislandestate.co.uk
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