Holiday Inn Basingstoke

The Jane Austen's House Museum is a 20-minute drive from the hotel, in the pretty village of Chawton. It's set in the family home where she wrote some of her best known works. Learn about her life through interactive exhibitions and personal possessions, and, if it's sunny, bring a picnic to enjoy in the garden, which still looks much as it would have when Jane lived here in the 19th century.

Step back in time at Milestones Museum, three miles from the hotel, a vivid recreation of Hampshire's cobbled streets in the early 20th century. Kids can dress up in Victorian clothes, swap ration coupons for goodies in the 1940s sweet shop and play old-fashioned games at the Penny Arcade. Parents might prefer to admire the park's restored trams, classic motorbikes and vintage steam engines.

Ascot Racecourse, 30 minutes by car from the hotel, hosts prestigious race meetings all year round. You can enjoy a picnic with your family, or entertain clients in a private box. Pick a horse in the Parade Ring before the race and cheer them on from beside the track as they thunder by. Look out for the Royal Family, who arrive in horse-drawn carriages during Royal Ascot week in June.