Fredrick’s Hotel Restaurant Spa ticks all the boxes with a comfortable stay, delicious food and attentive staff. Victoria Birch reports.

With many hotels, you know what you are expecting when you drive up. Whether it be a chain of budget inns, or a five star residence, the expectation and knowledge is there.

But not with Fredrick’s, which I hadn’t heard of before now – I only knew it was based a few miles up the road in Maidenhead.

But from the moment we walked in, we felt at home at this 37-bed hostelry. We were shown to a very grand suite which would have been perfect as my new apartment.

It included a lounge and giant TV, book case and sofas, then onto the bedroom which was huge – there was even enough wardrobe space to hang my entire clothing and shoe collection had I felt inclined.

But then there was the ultimate girls’ room – a magnificent bathroom with double sinks housed in an extra-long unit, a sunken bath, large shower and a bidet. All this was done with a mish-mash of styles, but bizarrely it seemed to work. There were nods to all decades. For example a 70s-style cream bathroom suite with mahogany taps, 80s lemon and blue padded headboard, but in a 1920s building with beautiful high, elegant ceilings.

The hotel looks like a large house from the front, but dig a little deeper and you’ll find it also has gardens, a pool, a spa, a bar, a restaurant, and gym and views of the golf course.

The bar felt like something out of a classic James Bond. Walnut wood and smoky mirrors, with buckets of champagne on ice. And the whole venue was relaxing and peaceful.

Fredrick’s jewel in the crown is its Sunday roast. Indeed we were blown away by how good it was.

I started the meal with fresh crab and avocado salad, which had a creamy and tasty dressing. It could easily have been a main as the portions were a good size.

My dining companion had the same experience. She ordered the traditional oak smoked salmon and an entire plate of it arrived, along with the offer of onions and capers.

All the time the staff were fantastic – attentive, enthusiastic, professional and kind – and they went to so much trouble during the course of their work. The restaurant was buzzing with families and couples enjoying the traditional service, which saw trolleys of food being wheeled around the room. This felt a little 1980s, and really made a welcome change. I felt a warm pang of nostalgia.

We both chose the roast sirloin of beef, a giant hunk of the meat was carefully carved in front of us. This was topped with thick, rich gravy and a Yorkshire pud. A second waitress carried out a tray of veg which she served on my plate.

The food was out of this world. You could tell it was cooked with love! The meat was tender and tasty, and the veg was full of flavour.

My friend told me it was the first Yorkshire she had had that was up to her mum’s standards.

The sizes were great too. I was so full up that I couldn’t clear my plate and had to apologise to the chef.

A sweet trolley was wheeled around the room, showcasing the most delicious set of desserts, including bread and butter pudding, rice pudding, chocolate mousse, éclairs and more. As I was too full, I was given some chocolates and sweets instead, which I couldn’t resist.

A few hours later I regretted not trying their Special Fredrick’s Crepe Suzette from the Flambe trolley, which they cook in front of you – if it was anything like the other dishes, it would have been something special. I was surprised to see at the bottom of the menu it offered the price as ‘two courses for £22’ and ‘three courses for £28.’ We thought the sheer value of it was just brilliant. I would have quite happily moved in.

Prices start from £95.00 for a standard room, and £145.00 for a suite.

Fredrick’s Hotel Restaurant Spa, Shoppenhangers Road, Maidenhead, Berkshire SL6 2PZ. For reservations call: 01628 581 000 or visit www.fredricks-hotel.co.uk