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Privacy NoticeWant to escape to the country from London without any hassle? Now you can thanks to the Elizabeth Line, which this month started its connections from central London to Reading, Berkshire. We used it to travel to the luxurious Monkey Island Estate in Bray, which has royal connections, and is where A-listers come to dine at the village’s Michelin-starred restaurants. And just by tapping in and out with your contactless card you’re there in under an hour. What’s the journey like? It seems highly appropriate that the Elizabeth Line can now whisk you to the Royal County of Berkshire. With whisk being the operative word.
Monkey Island Estate in Bray is just 50 minutes from London on the Elizabeth Line
(Image: Monkey Island Estate)
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The journey from London Liverpool Street to Maidenhead, where we hopped off, is direct and takes just over 50 minutes without any chopping or changing – or stress. Just tap in at Liverpool Street and tap out the other end with your contactless card. An off-peak journey costs £9.50 one way. The state-of-the-art trains are super clean, airy and efficient. There are nine walk-through carriages with space for 1,500 passengers. There is also air conditioning and free Wi-Fi in stations. The line, named after the late Queen, is the very regally coloured purple line on the Transport For London rail map. It was opened by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II in May this year and is already proving hugely popular with more than 60 million journeys on it so far.
The first section of the Elizabeth Line was opened by the late Queen in May
(Image: ANDREW MATTHEWS/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
On November 6 the latest section opened all the way to Reading. From Liverpool Street to Bond Street takes just eight minutes and shortly after, you’re above ground on the outskirts of west London. From Maidenhead it was a quick taxi ride through the foodie village of Bray to our destination. Escaping to the country and glamour couldn’t be easier. What’s so special about Monkey Island? A resort set on its own island on the River Thames, it’s like stepping into a fairytale world. You cross a small footbridge and immediately feel transported. It is old-fashioned charm meets modern luxury. Set in seven acres there are 40 guest rooms and the Grade I listed Wedgewood Suite. The rooms are elegantly dressed with crisp white bed linen, a coffee machine, Elemis products, mini bar, beautifully patterned curtains and plush furnishings. We were lucky enough too to have a little balcony overlooking the water. Sitting with a morning cuppa listening to the gentle flow was so calming.
Travelling to Monkey Island Estate is like stepping into a fairytale world
(Image: Monkey Island Estate)
The monkey name actually comes from monks, not the simian variety. Monkey Island was once called Monk’s Eyot (or Monk’s Isle in Old English) after the holy men who lived and worked here in Medieval times. But the estate has taken the monkey theme and run with it. You can see nods to them throughout the building in places like the whimsical wallpaper in The Whisky Snug and the painted ceiling in The Monkey Room. Plus the monkey cocktails in the Monkey Bar… Take time too to wander around the grounds to spot the bee hives, vegetable gardens and chicken coops. What are the Royal connections? Princess Margaret is said to have partied here and another regular visitor was her great-grandfather Edward VII. The two Palladian buildings which house the accommodation and the Monkey Room were originally commissioned in 1723 by the third Duke of Marlborough, a certain Charles Spencer. His famous descendants include Princess Diana and Winston Churchill. It’s also just five miles from that other famous Royal retreat, Windsor Castle.
Princess Margaret is said to have partied at Monkey Island Estate
(Image: Getty)
What’s the food like? Dishes at the Monkey Brasserie are inventive and colourful – duck with pear and pearl barley risotto with butternut squash and beetroot are a feast for the eyes as well as your belly. The portions here are enormous. Our starter of Orzo pasta and fagioli would have easily kept us going as a main. It’s open to non-residents too, so well worth a day trip if you fancy fine dining by the River Thames. What else is in the area? Bray is a foodie heaven with a total of seven Michelin stars. Heston Blumenthal has three places here – The Fat Duck, The Hind’s Head and The Crown gastropub. While the Waterside Inn is run by Michel Roux’s son Alain. And just up the road from Monkey Island is Caldesi in Campagna, which offers Tuscan and Sicilian specialities.
Princess Diana had connections to the Berkshire setting
(Image: Tim Graham Photo Library via Getty Images))
Is there a spa? There is a totally unique spa, a barge with three treatment rooms which floats on the River Thames. The signature is the Floating Massage, where you lie on a specially designed aqua-cushion. You relax on a bed of warm water and your body is pummelled free of all the stress. It’s a lovely feeling too to be able to see birds flying outside the porthole window and hear geese honking outside. A proper rural retreat. Nightly rates at Monkey Island Estate start from £275, per room, per night in a Temple Room. For more on the Elizabeth Line visit tfl.gov.uk. READ MORE: Click here for today’s top showbiz news ‘I can’t watch I’m A Celeb after my life tumbled down,’ says former Queen Kerry Katona Billie Shepherd on gifting her mum her old house: ‘She’s really happy there’ Jake Quickenden’s stunning Ibiza wedding – tears all day, Love Islanders and 4am finish Get exclusive celebrity stories and shoots straight to your inbox with OK!’s daily newsletter Story SavedYou can find this story in  My Bookmarks.Or by navigating to the user icon in the top right.Follow OK! MagazineFacebookTwitterCommentMore OnRoyal FamilyTravel
