To check availability and book at your exclusive Club rates,call the Member Services team on 020 7399 2960 The Lygon Arms, Broadway, Worcestershire THE historic and much loved country hotel the Lygon Arms, known by generations of racing people as the smart place to stay for Cheltenham Festival, is back in top form. This grand old Cotswolds coaching inn in Broadway—named the ‘loveli- est town in England’—has host- ed everybody, from Charles I, Edward VII, Edward VIII and Prince Philip, to Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton— and even John Wayne. After a multi-million-pound restoration, this old stayer has returned to front runner status in the country field, and our Members have preferential year-round rates starting at a mere £153 for two sharing a room—which is just £76.50 each—including full English breakfast, VAT, free room up- grade on arrival and a free bot- tle of Champagne on ice in your room to welcome you. All 90 rooms and suites have been beautifully decorated, like the rest of the hotel, by Anita Rosato. They combine old and new, with Gordon Russell an- tiques, high wooden beams, original paintings, sofas, Nespresso coffee machines, free Wifi, fluffy bathrobes and slippers. The Spa, revitalised af- ter its own complete makeover, is fabulous, with a vast swim- ming pool beneath a retractable glass roof for summer days. History and current affairs are all part of the Lygon Arms fabric. The suite now known as the King Charles I Suite was where the King met his support- ers. His coat of arms still stands regally over one of its fire- places. Visitors will also notice that the face of the royal lion is missing, presumably hacked off by Parliamentarians: Cromwell and the Parliamentary army also stayed at The Lygon Arms, then known as the White Hart Inn, in 1651. The bedroom now known as The Cromwell Room was where Oliver Cromwell slept the night before the Battle of Worcester. This battle would finally destroy the Royalist cause. A copy of his ‘warts and all’ portrait hangs next to a huge 17th-century fireplace in The Cromwell Room today. If all this talk of battle is apt to make you hungry, the food at the Lygon is excellent, a deli- cious menu of mainly English grills and country Italian dishes, served in the Lygon Bar and Grill, a stunning feature room, once a ballroom, with barrel vaulted ceiling and minstrels’ gallery, historical paintings and antler chandeliers. Breakfast is served here too: a delicious choice between the full English with back bacon, field mush- rooms, new-laid eggs and Cumberland sausages or the Returntofrontrunner:England’shistoriccoachinginn One of Britain’s most historic inns, the LygonArms guest list has included King Charles I and Cromwell, Prince Philip and John Wayne: our Members stay from £152 for two with a free room upgrade and bottle of Champagne equally full Continental with Coln Valley smoked salmon, cheeses, charcuterie, drop scones, stewed fruits and cooked dishes to order, such as avocado and poached eggs. Members' rates start at £76.50 per person for two sharing the Cozy Room, in- cluding full English breakfast, VAT, bottle of Champagne and complimentary room up- grade if available on arrival. Members’ rates for all rooms and suites are available, and all include the special perks as above. Rates at the Lygon Arms fluctuate according to dates and season, and all are subject to availability on booking, but the Club rate is always special, and so is the free bottle of Champagne. 216