IF you’re looking for a room with a view and that little bit extra, look no further than the Runnymede-On-Thames hotel.

IT WAS a chilly, jumpers-on kind of day yet we were so taken with the super River Thames setting we just had to sit outside.

Lovingly clutching our glasses of white, we felt relaxed as we watched the world go by.

And that’s the beauty of the Runnymede hotel, in Windsor Road, Egham. It has been cleverly designed in that it can be all things to all people. For my friend and I, who were enjoying a relaxing weekend, we revelled in the chilled ambience, the large, modern, interesting interior, the well-stocked bar and incredible cakes, the families taking in lunch around us and the buzziness of a busy hotel. And it has personality - unusually, it also sells a lovely range of quirky rubber ducks, as a nod to its logo, which attracted all who entered.

But for others, you could see it doubled up perfectly as a corporate meeting place. It’s just off the M25 and M4, near Heathrow and a stone’s throw from Windsor - which is where we went shopping in the afternoon. Great fun.

We were very happy with the room. It was very swish - with two good size single beds in and a large pristine en-suite, and even a hair and make-up station. It was perfect for two girls. And the view… the large windows revealed the river in all its true glory. Then to dinner: We ate at The Lock Bar and Kitchen and it started very well. We had the sharing board (£9/£15), featuring flatbread, prosciutto, grilled marinated courgette, lentil, beetroot, mint and feta salad, confit cherry tomatoes, vitello tonnato, olives. We dived in and enjoyed every mouthful. You could really taste the quality of the ingredients and the courgette was especially good. Really tender and juicy and there was certainly enough for us not to be hungry.

We shared both of the mains as we were indecisive. First we had herb crusted hake and sautéed spinach (£16). This was wolfed down in seconds. The fish was soft and tasty, and, more importantly for me, didn’t contain any hidden bones. It was a delight and was ideal with the spinach. The burger, big chips and relish (£14), however, was slightly disappointing. It looked incredible as it came to the table, but once we had actually tasted the burger meat on its own it didn’t feel quite as expensive and chunky as it should have for this quality of venue. The relish and sides were great though, so once they have cracked the meat they’ll be on to a winner.

The only other point to raise here, was that drinks can also be expensive. We bought two soda and lime juice and it cost just over £5, which was a surprise.

However, in fairness, the beauty of this hotel is that you don’t actually need to go anywhere as it is all under one roof. There ‘s everything on offer: various restaurants, a spa, a gym, pools, sauna, steam room and tennis courts (we spent the morning at the gym and on the tennis court and it’s just first class). There’s a HotTug, a hot tub that is pulled along the river, a café, boat trips, bars, walks, scenery… I’m probably missing something here! And it is all in spotless condition with plush toiletries.

Oh, and the breakfast is out of this world, catering for all of your needs, in a cool restaurant with more good views.

This place is worth a visit.

Weekend stays at the runnymede-on-thames from £169 per room per night based on two sharing a standard double on a B&B basis. www.therunnymede.co.uk / 01784 220600 / info@runnymedehotel.com the runnymede-on-thames, Windsor Road, Egham, Surrey TW20 0AG