Over the last year, our friend, talented chef and best selling author Elly Curshen (also known as @ellypear) has been travelling around the UK, indulging in its finest food, drinks, and attractions. Throughout her entire journey, Elly has stayed in sustainably-minded hotels, all of which feature Naturalmat mattresses, ensuring they provide a superb natural sleep experience. You can find all the hotels which have our mattresses on our Hotels page. Discover where she visited and explore her top recommendations below.
Topsham, Devon
Photo by Nick Hook.
Elly’s first solo trip was to Topsham, Naturalmat’s home. She stayed at our partner hotel The Salutation Inn, a restaurant, hotel and fishmongers in the centre of Topsham set in an ancient inn. Because it’s in the centre of town, everything is easily accessible, so Elly went to The Passage House Inn for dinner, and to The Lighter Inn for a nightcap. The next morning, after a gorgeous night’s sleep on our Superb mattress and Traditional topper, Elly enjoyed a lovely breakfast of smoked pollock, poached egg and samphire at the Salutation, before paying us a visit at our workshop to see how we handcraft our beds and mattresses. During her stay, Elly enjoyed some of our favourite things to do in Topsham, all of which you can find here.
Rye & Hastings, East Sussex
Next, Elly visited Rye & Hastings, where she stayed at the stunning Looking Glass Lodge, a biophilically designed eco-lodge set within an ancient woodland in a designated area of outstanding natural beauty just an hour from London. There, she enjoyed English sparkling wine for English wine week, and natural sleep in every way, from the woodland surroundings seen through the lodge’s glass walls to her mattress. Watch Elly’s full visit here, packed with shopping, eating and drinking recommendations in the area.
Bridport, Dorset
Elly’s journey then took her to Dorset, where she enjoyed some rainy seaside evenings at The Seaside Boarding House snuggled up on our Lambswool mattress and Bovey topper. Sitting on Chesil Beach, The Boarding House is a celebrated and distinct hotel, restaurant and bar nestled on the Jurassic Coast. In this comforting location, Elly’s trip consisted of beautiful wines, tea in bed, bubble baths and some beautiful dinners at the hotel, as well as some exploration of hidden gems in the area which she’s mentioned here.
Deal, Kent
Elly then headed to Kent, where she stayed in the beautiful Rose Hotel in Deal, which offers “artistic charm, homely comfort and seriously good food.” After about a decade of visiting her friends in Deal, Elly has rounded up some of her favourite spots to eat, drink and shop in the area, all of which she’s outlined here. One of these spots is the hotel itself, where she enjoyed their drink and food selection, and carried her pudding up to devour on our Superb Mattress in her room.
Manchester
Elly explored Manchester with one of her friends who had great knowledge of the food scene in the area, meaning she again had some insider tips to share. Here, she stayed at the Leven Hotel, set in an old textile factory in central Manchester. At the end of her absolutely packed days, Elly rested on a Splendid Mattress. Check out a video of her trip, complete with mouth watering recommendations, here.
Totnes, Devon
It’s no secret that we love The Bull Inn, our partner hotel in Totnes, so we were thrilledwhen Elly chose to spend her birthday in the Bull’s self-contained apartment with her friends. During her stay in Totnes, Elly enjoyed walking, eating, drinking, browsing independent shops, going to the famous Totnes cinema, and some yoga. Of course, her trip wouldn’t have been complete without dinner at The Bull, which she enjoyed as much as we do. Have a look at how Elly enjoyed one of our favourite towns in Devon here.
