Strictly fabulous fun, feasts and fancy footwork

Such was the excited anticipation even before a single sequin was seen for this amazing Strictly Come Dancing Weekend Experience at one of Warner Hotel's most striking venues, which saw seven of the professional dancers of the much-loved and lauded BBC show descend on Warwickshire to give talks and Q&As, pose for photos, conduct dance lessons and, of course, perform for the open-mouthed, awestruck hotel guests.

But before we get our spray tans topped up, let's talk about the venue itself. Studley Castle is a folly built in 1834, a long tree-fringed driveway offering a wonderful vista of the striking 19th century building as you approach and crunch across the gravel to the well-appointed free car park.

A few years ago the venue underwent a £50m refurbishment, fusing the historical with contemporary, and offering classic and elegant rooms within the original edifice itself, and modern comfort in the seamlessly-melded new build.

All are tastefully appointed, with soft pastel-shaded carpets and soft furnishings, with nice little touches of detail including plug sockets with USB ports, a sensor-activated bathroom soft night light, along with the usual large flatscreen TV, fridge and tea/coffee making facilities. Wheelchair-friendly rooms are available too.

Spaces within the building are just as elegant, with areas to sit and relax with a coffee and a book and a rear patio with beautiful and peaceful views over the green-carpeted rolling Warwickshire countryside.

Like many of its sister hotels, the adults-only Studley Castle offers a choice of dining. Opt for the Brasserie 32 waiter-served experience in the Arden Restaurant, or choose the self-service in the Evesham Lounge, where your starters are ordered and brought to your table and you then help yourself to the myriad, marvellous mains and divine desserts from the Market Kitchen area.

The Evesham is a wonderful theatrical venue whereby a great view of the near-full width stage is afforded from virtually anywhere, and indeed acts perform as you eat your evening meal prior to the evening's main entertainment there.

Included in your price is a breakfast of cereals, fruit, pastries, full English, juices, tea and coffee et al, and your three-course evening meal. If I had one criticism here it's that there was sometimes a bit of queuing for meals, and an extra queue if you wanted, say, poached eggs with your breakfast.

If you feel the need to burn off the calories, there's a free 16m swimming pool, whirlpool, sauna and steam room and gym to enjoy, and guests can also avail themselves of the free activities that happen throughout the day, every day, including yoga, fitness classes, walks, games and many other gentler activities.

Remember that you can also focus on the target and indulge yourself in laser pistol shooting for free and, for an extra cost, archery, rifle shooting and axe throwing. There are also some interesting gin and wine tasting experiences for £17.50pp and I've often found that the amount of...hic...tipples you sample covers the cost of alcohol alone.

We enjoyed some perfect pampering in the Spa, the near sleep-inducing dextrous fingers of therapists Annabelle and Ellie seeing us relax completely as we indulged in the 60-minute appropriately-named Drift Away massage for £85pp.

So for all you Strictly fans, the Friday kicked off with a waltz dance class with professionals Kai Widdrington and Lauren Oakley, who then performed in the evening, much to the oohs and ahhs of an appreciative audience, many of whom took to the dance floor themselves before and after the couple's showcase, courtesy of the excellent resident Studley Castle musicians and vocalists.

Katya Jones, Karen Hauer and Luba Mushtuk were Saturday's superb guests, all of whom gave dance classes and Q&A sessions during the day, with the latter pair teaming up to provide the evening's dancefloor extravaganza. With this hard act to follow, Strictly TV and tour vocalist Patrick Smyth nevertheless kept the party going with an eclectic collection that got the dancers up on the floor.

Sunday saw Katya provide an interesting talk about the show's gorgeous costumes worn by both pros and celebs in the show, many of which were also dotted around the hotel for guests to get up close and personal to, the organisers trusting guests implicitly and not putting them behind glass or ropes.

Nikita Kuzmin and Jowita Pryzstal joined TV star and last year's Strictly finalist Sarah Hadland for a Q&A session, also gave a dance class and the duo then rounded off a superb weekend with both exciting and moving tour de force routines leaving the audience mesmerised.

An amazing event in a wonderful venue, and one not just Strictly for fans.

Two-night breaks at Studley Castle start from £271pp, and from £325pp for three-night stays (based on 16/07/2025).

A couple of upcoming Star breaks to highlight:

Pixie Lott 07/11/25: two-night breaks at Studley Castle start from £301pp, and from £340pp for three-night stays (based on 16/07/2025).

Alexandra Burke 19/09/25: two-night breaks at Studley Castle start from £324pp, and from £397pp for three-night stays (based on 16/07/2025).

For more details, visit Warner Hotels