The Bellstone Hotel in Shrewsbury, England…An Awesome Accommodation
The first several establishments that I tried after arriving rather late in the day in Shrewsbury, England were either fully booked or too expensive. One proprietor who had no vacancies was kind enough to point me in the direction of the Bellstone Hotel and in no time I was checking into a sparkling clean room with private bath for the equivalent of $98, including a full Shropshire breakfast. I soon found out that the hotel was brand new, having just recently opened and I apparently had the honor of being the first guest to occupy my room.
Located on a fairly quiet street in the center of town, the Bellstone is a stylish hotel with 12 well appointed en-suite rooms and a bar and bistro on the main floor. The staff members were extremely pleasant, friendly and welcoming and immediately made me feel right at home. After getting checked in and settled into my room, I was able to head out for a tour of the medieval town of Shrewsbury, armed with a map and a list of important sights to see provided by the hotel manager.
My room could not have been more comfortable…with a nice bed, desk, television and coffee and tea tray provided by the hotel. The bathroom was spacious and clean and there was a skylight that afforded an interesting view of a nearby clock tower. After my invigorating walk around Shrewsbury it felt good to get back to my room, get my shoes off and take a load off my feet. I gave in to my rapidly developing habit of sitting down with a cup of tea as I contemplated my day in this beautiful little walled medieval city.
After a good night’s sleep I had a wonderful breakfast the next morning. I discovered that breakfast in the British Isles is generally composed of eggs, hash brown potatoes, fried tomatoes and mushrooms, baked beans, ham or bacon (rashers in Ireland!), toast and tea or coffee. By this stage of my trip I had already learned to decline the black pudding, which is actually blood sausage! Breakfast in England is called a ‘full English breakfast’, in Ireland it is a ‘full Irish breakfast’, and in this case, since I was in the county of Shropshire, it was a ‘full Shropshire breakfast’, each one having its own slight variations. In any case, the breakfast at the Bellstone Hotel was delicious and after bidding farewell to my gracious hosts I was soon on my way to catch the train to Conwy, Wales. On your next trip to the British Isles you will not want to miss Shrewsbury, England and the Bellstone Hotel would be a perfect place to stay while you are there!
