We are very reluctantly returning from the wonderful Citadel, we were very much in need of a real break away from the every day stresses of urban life and the Citadel didn't disappoint .
The accommodation, welcome and hospitality was 5* the only worrying thing is if the perfect hostess Sylvia retires !
We would thoroughly recommend a stay and can't wait to return .

We returned a few weeks ago from our truly wonderful 2 night weekend stay at The Citadel. We had booked directly with them for the 9th & 10th October, a very pretty time of year to enjoy the countryside with all its Autumn colours.

The drive from the main road up the long driveway to reach The Citadel gives a real 'wow' factor sensation. The property is truly imposing, lovingly maintained and inhabited by its owners Sylvia & Beverley Griffiths who have their own quarters. There is a large courtyard where you can park and it is worth during your stay finding time to walk around the gardens set in 3 acres of land. There are also a further 200 acres of farm land which are rented out.

As you pass through the large oak doors into the hallway you are immediately aware of the scale of the grandeur and size of the property. We were met by Sylvia who was absolutely charming, she was very helpful in giving us plenty of local information - places to visit and to eat. Their website had also been highly informative and had provided us with plenty of ideas beforehand of what there was to see in the local area.

As we had arrived early, we were told that our room, the West Bedroom would not be ready until 2.00pm. Sylvia took us into a most delightful lounge and brought us a tray with freshly made coffee and biscuits.

We then drove to the outskirts of Shrewsbury and left our car at the Harlescott Park & Ride at Tescos. The journey into the town was about half an hour and a return bus ticket was only £1.20 each. Shrewsbury is a very pretty town to mooch around, three hours there were enough and by the time we got back to The Citadel it was late afternoon.

We had booked the largest of the three guest rooms and the only suite, which was certainly worth the slightly higher rate. Large double doors led us into our suite; in the little hallway there was a tray laid with a kettle, crockery and tea & coffee. Off this were three further rooms - a room with a single bed, the bathroom and our bedroom. Each room we entered was more beautiful than the previous, all in impeccable taste with exquisitely co-ordinated fabrics, antique furniture, fixtures & fittings.

The bathroom had a free standing bath - shame though it was plastic. There was a large shower cubicle, lovely Marks and Spencer toiletries, soft, thick towels and towelling robes. The brownish plastic pedal bin & toilet brush did seem a little out of place, perhaps not quite in keeping with everything else in the bathroom.

The main bedroom was very spacious and sumptuous with two large windows both with spectacular views. There was a window seat for the larger window with a flat screen TV. We did have to move the TV though to allow us to draw the curtains.

There was a canopy over the bed, beautiful bedcovers, luxurious duvet and pillows. On either side of the bed was a bed side table with copies of Country Life and Hello magazines amongst others.

There was a large double mahogany free standing wardrobe with an integral mirror, beautiful writing desk with leaflets on places to visit, a dressing table and a lounge area with settee and low table with more magazines.

Our first evening we booked a table at The Inn at Grinshill, a gastropub with accommodation, just under a 10 minute drive from The Citadel. There is a very pleasant bar area, Bubbles Champagne Bar, main restaurant and Bistro where we chose to eat from a more casual menu. We had a basket of freshly baked bread with roasted garlic and butter while we were waiting for our main course. It was a shame that their butcher hadn't delivered any beef or duck that day as it meant that many dishes were not available. For two of us to have a main course each, share a dessert with a bottle of wine, the bill was just over £50.00 including service.

Breakfast at The Citadel was a little earlier than we would have liked, we had requested 9.30am but were asked to be down for 9.00am. We ate at the large family dining room table with the four other guests. Good quality fresh coffee, orange juice, cereals, cooked breakfast and delicious granary bread toasted - do try the locally made honey which was superb.

After breakfast we set off for Ironbridge which was just under an hour's drive. Other than the bridge and gorge not alot else to see there but some quaint little shops and eateries. There is no charge to go onto the bridge.

We then went onto Blists Hill Victorian Town, a 10 minute drive from Ironbridge. Although we could have bought a ticket that would have allowed us to visit all the Ironbridge attractions, we opted for a single ticket at £13.25 each. How pleased we were, as we spent 4 thoroughly enjoyable hours there and would not have had time to go on anywhere else afterwards.

That evening we ate at The Bear at Hodnet, also recommended by The Citadel - not in the same league as The Inn, but pleasant never-the-less. We opted for the 'Two can Wine & Dine for £24.99' which was good value for a main course and bottle of wine.

We were so disappointed when Sunday came and it was time to leave. Our weekend had been thoroughly enjoyable from start to finish and we fully intend to return one day.

After we had said our goodbyes, we stopped off at Hawkstone Park & Follies, a two minute drive away. This is a large country park good for walking. We didn't stay long as we wanted to visit English Heritage's Wroxeter Roman City which was well worth the hour's drive. The charge of £4.20 is reasonable and we spent about 40 minutes there before going onto nearby Wroxeter vineyard to sample some local wines.

All-in-all a wonderful and very special weekend.