Getting away from it all is all well and good, but research has shown that despite the huge growth and variety of locations, both here and abroad, parents in particular, like to stay close to home,

If this means it’s easier to switch off, then so be it, even if choosing somewhere suitably relaxing, but amenable, is paramount.

With this in mind, 10 Manchester Street – styled No. Ten – couldn’t have come at a better time. Because the newly opened Oxford Parkway station offers trains to Marylebone every half an hour in 45 minutes flat. It couldn’t be more accessible if it tried.

The fact that the plush hotel is situated between Oxford Street and Marylebone High Street for varied different shopping experiences, yet is placed in a quiet residential area with endless bars and restaurants, made it even more enticing.

But it was the Festive Fondue & Stay package that finally clinched the deal.

Run in partnership with award-winning, local cheesemonger, La Fromagerie. until Christmas Eve, the package includes a two-night stay at the hotel with complimentary breakfast, complete with a one-of-a-kind fondue experience for two at La Fromagerie, and a selection of in-room gifts.

Which meant that when we arrived, cheese biscuits and chutney, a bottle of Prosecco and even a hotel diary awaited us in our luxurious suite,

The townhouse hotel, which boasts 44 rooms, as well as an enticing lounge and dining area, was easy to find and couldn’t be better situated.

It meant it was hard to leave our suite, which came complete with its own sitting room and deluxe bathroom.

But first lunch. Arriving on a morning train, we rushed off to Moxon Street around the corner, hungry and excited.

Full of Christmas shoppers, La Fromagerie was packed but our exclusive VIP table was reserved at the back of the shop in the artisanal café from where we could enjoy the decadent ‘High Mountain Fondue Savoyarde Experience’ – comprising traditional Fondue Savoyarde for two served with broccoli, steamed potatoes, French charcuterie, crusty bread & cornichons.

Accompanied by a bottle of Chignin Vers les Alpes and followed by Le Piantagioni Coffee or Milly la Fôret herbal tea and bitter chocolate almonds, it was everything we had hoped for.

Dipping our sour dough into the cheesy dip, we slowly shed our domestic skins, until every last soupçon of fromage had disappeared.

We couldn’t leave without visiting the shop’s signature Cheese Room, for a sniff, as much as the vast choice on offer. I could have stayed all day.

But Christmas shopping beckoned on the civilized streets of Marylebone, where independent shops flourish and offer something out of the norm with its ‘village’ style mentality.

From bookshops to Scandinavian interiors, beauty clinics to florists, we roamed the streets, stopping for coffee and then squeezing into the wonderfully antiquated wood-panelled pub where the world and his wife were resting their feet and putting the world to rights.

Although there is a wonderful in-house-Italian restaurant Dieci at No. Ten Manchester Street we had arranged to meet friends at local tapas bar Twist on Crawford Street whose stuffed courgette flowers, home-made gnocchi stuffed with truffles and 1kg beef cut made for a conducive evening.

The next morning we rose early to hit the local farmer’s market on the adjacent street, another prime example of how artisan producers are fighting back, the crowds enjoying the fresh fish, bread, veg and meat available.

But first breakfast and full table service, guests ordering from a wonderful menu, rather than the usual buffet style offering. Dishes ranged from Eggs Benedict to a full English or pancakes with maple syrup and fresh berries, as well as eggs, yoghurts and muesli.

And while No. Ten Manchester Street’s easy access is a bonus, it does mean you arrive home disappointingly quickly.

  • No. Ten Manchester Street’s Festive Fondue & Stay package includes a two-night stay at the hotel with complimentary breakfast, complete with a one-of-a-kind fondue experience for two at La Fromagerie, plus a selection of in-room gifts, running until December 24.
  • The Christmas packages starts from £315.
  • tenmanchesterstreethotel.com