We've been going to Grays for many years, and even after we built a holiday home nearby, we still love to pop in for a meal, or a cup of tea and home baked cakes in the famous guest lounge.
It's not fake hospitality carried out according to some sort of formula. It's been there since perhaps the 1860's and has it's own traditions. Guests sit in the lounge before dinner & chat about their day painting or sightseeing. Then the gong is sounded and guests go to the dining room for a 5 course meal. The style of food is 'farmhouse meets good hotel' -good quality, unpretentious, in generous portions! The cutlery is heavy silver, generations old, and the tables and chairs are handmade in teak by a local cabinetmaker. Later in the evening a supper of homemade cakes and tea is served in the guest lounge. There might be some piano played, people might sing, but mostly you chat with other guests - or admire the collection of local paintings that old friends have left there over the years... more