Four of us (2 couples) traveled to Kettering in May of 2007 and stayed with Mrs. McQuade at the Hawthorn House Hotel. For my sister and I this was our second stay here, as we had stayed there with out mother in 2004. Both times we have stayed here, we have received the utmost in hospitality!

Both times we rented out the Coach House, or Annexe. This building is to the rear of the main house, and if you rent both the upstairs and downstairs rooms, you really have your own place! The downstairs room has a double bed, the upstairs has 2 twin beds. Each is spacious and has a private bath. The downstairs room has a fridge, both have a color TV. The rooms are very clean and neat, and beautifully decorated with antiques. Mrs. McQuade keeps the rooms stocked with all kinds of teas, coffees and yummy chocolate biscuits.

The main house has, I believe, an additional three bedrooms. Breakfast is served each morning in the dining room of the main house, and is simply wonderful!! Mrs. McQuade will make you just about anything under the sun (my favorite is boiled eggs and soldiers), and if she doesn't have something like fruit or yogurt in the house, she'll try to get it especially for you for the next day. And the hot meal comes after the first course, which is your choice of cereal and orange juice, and is followed by a third course of toast and jam.

The house and rooms are just gorgeous, and you really won't find a nicer hostess than Mrs. McQuade. The hotel is located on the corner of Hawthorn Road and London Road. There is a News Agent's shop, a laundromat and the post office just down the road, about a 2 minute walk. The train station is about a 10 minute walk. The shops and restaurants are a bit further into town. We walked the whole time we were there, and we did get a bit tired by the end of the day, so you may want to rent a car, but if you're a good walker it's all very convenient and do-able. There is a car park if you have a rented car. The Earl of Dalkeith Pub is an excellent place for dinner, and is maybe about 1/2 mile down the road on London Road. We had a key for the outside of the Coach House as well as a key for our room. There's plenty of lighting, and the hotel is in a safe part of town.

Overall, we have had 2 excellent experiences here. The rates are very reasonable (we paid 54 pounds per couple per night), the service and hospitality, not to mention the food, are all excellent!