Over the holidays, De Vere Venues had an incredibly cheap room rate. At £19 ($29) a night, it was difficult to resist a few days away in an empty conference center. So just before Christmas we went to Horsley Park.
Like most of De Vere's properties, Horsley Towers was once a private home. It's now in use as a conference and event space. Isn't it beautiful?
There are bedrooms in the main house, but they weren't part of the discounted holiday rate. We stayed in the much newer hotel and conference center built next door on the property.
The conference center and hotel where we stayed was far more modern and businesslike. It was impersonal and strange in its quietness. As odd as it was, I still liked it. I took pleasure in how surreal it seemed at times.
There was tunnel connecting a couple of buildings that could have been in an 1970s episode of Doctor Who.
And the garden smoking area was damned impressive. This photo was taken from one of the covered benches.
I later learned that British American Tobacco has a stake in Horsley Center, which explains the smoking area. You can read more about the smoking areas at BAT smoking areas.
We didn't eat at the hotel restaurant as it looked a bit dull. Happily, there was a great local curry house right around the corner. We ate at Pink Garlic three nights in a row. The food was excellent and the atmosphere was welcoming. There was some fun quirkiness to the place. For instance, we were given handfuls of chocolates each night and on the evening of our last meal there, one song was on permanent loop. :)
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