The Royal Forest, Epping
Ruling retreat
Essex bower power
Blue blood runs through The Royal Forest, Epping — a boutique pub with rooms that once played host to Queen Victoria. Regal renovations have kept the hotel’s 19th-century grandeur, contrasting original stained-glass windows with pleasing palettes and an emphasis on spoiling comforts. Downstairs, on-tap tipples hold court for their refreshing flavour and the kitchen puts a golden touch on pub grub. The ramble-inclined have Epping Forest as their nature-clad castle, and easy access to London makes for a crowning urban contrast.
Facilities
Rooms
29.
Checkout
11am, and check-in is at 3pm. Both are flexible, on request and subject to availability.
More Details
Rates are room-only, but an à la carte breakfast is available at the restaurant each morning.
Also
The ground-floor Luxe Accessible room has been adapted to accommodate wheelchair users. There is a lift between the ground and first floor, accessible toilets on the ground floor, as well as entry ramps at the back entrance and into the main bar and restaurant.
Free Internet Access
On-Site Restaurant
At the Hotel
Free WiFi throughout. In rooms: 43- or 50-inch TV with Chromecast, Roberts radio, air-conditioning, mini fridge, tea- and coffee-making kit, free bottled water and Bramley bath products.
Our Favourite Rooms
Each heritage-rich pick comes with its own charming oddities and vintage furnishings. When it comes to colour, most rooms are dressed in dream-inducing dark hues; but for something that beams brighter, we’re drawn to the Fancy Room for its pastel palette, and the Luxe Room’s light-welcoming, stained-glass windows that date back to the 19th century.
Packing Tips
Upgrade your walking threads to something you’ll happily be seen in the bar in for post-hike pints.
Children
Welcome; cots can be added to all Really Comfy and Fancy Rooms, and there’s space for two pull-out beds in Luxe Rooms, or one in Really Comfy Rooms.
Gallery
Food & Drink
Top Table
By a snuggly, fire-warmed nook during the winter, and out on the patio in the summer.
Dress Code
Whatever you’re wearing on the trails will work just fine in these forest-flanked ends.
Hotel Restaurant
Senses are sufficiently tantalised at The Royal Forest, where chefs have concocted an elevated selection of plates that highlights sustainably sourced produce. Menus change seasonally, but flavourful fish fillets, cheddar soufflés and cosy Sunday roasts are perennial standouts.
Hotel Bar
The hotel’s pub is the place for post-ramble refuels. Quaff artisan ales and crisp ciders by the roaring log fires, or call in at the central bar for craft cocktails that pack a spirited punch.
Last Orders
Breakfast is served from 7.30am to 10am; lunch starts at noon and flows into dinner, which ends at 11pm (9.45pm on Sundays).
Planes
London Stansted Airport is your closest international option, around 30 minutes from the hotel by car. Luton is 45 minutes away; and if you’re touching down at Heathrow or Gatwick, it’ll be a slightly further 60- to 90-minute drive, depending on traffic. The hotel doesn’t offer private transfers, but all four airports have easy-to-find taxi ranks.
Trains
The hotel sits on the outskirts of London’s extensive rail network. Chingford Overground is a 10-minute walk away and the nearest station, where you can catch direct trains to the city’s well-connected Liverpool Street. Buckhurst and Loughton are alternative close-by stops that are both on the Underground’s Central Line.
Automobiles
A car isn’t essential for those ambling between forest and city, but if you’re hoping to explore further afield, a set of wheels will be useful. There’s free private parking at the hotel.
Worth Getting Out of Bed For
Your position on the edge of Epping Forest means days are filled with exploring the cycling and hiking trails that wrap around its 6,000 acres. And Connaught Water is our tip for an idyllic picnic stop if you’re visiting during the warmer months. But scenic tree-swathed settings aren’t all this park offers: Queen Elizabeth’s 16th-century Hunting Lodge is a timbered time machine with private Tudor-themed tours and panoramic views of the forest. There’s more history to heed at Waltham Abbey and Copped Hall, too, where guided visits take you around ancient interiors and flora-filled gardens.
Independent boutiques, quaint cafés and pubs lace the streets of your nearest town, Chingford, and London’s Liverpool Street is a 30-minute direct train if you’re looking to spend a day in the city.
Earn or Redeem Points with World of Hyatt
This Mr & Mrs Smith hotel participates in the World of Hyatt loyalty program. As a member, you can earn and redeem points and enjoy exclusive benefits for qualifying nights. .
