A Knight to remember amid the gallantry and pageantry of Warwick Castle's brand new hotel

But it is not every day I was check into Warwick Castle's new hotel and part of the pageantry is getting a personal welcome by a knight in armour on horseback.

Now, his name might be Colin who is moonlighting from his job at CarpetRight but he stayed in character until will got into reception where another knight waited for us, this one was the centrepiece of the reception. An anamatronic knight on a horse, which when anyone pulls the sword out of the stone, rears into life.

The portraits on the walls, don't just have eyes that follow you round the room, they talk to you too. The wonder of modern technology. And with Warwick Castle now part of Merlin Entertainments stable of UK attractions, including Cadbury World, LegoLand and SeaWorld (this summer tickets are half price for children) the latest visitor wowing attractions have been incorporated into the oldest of all our tourism hotspots.

Visitors have been able to stay the night at Warwick Castle for over a decade now, either in a few exclusive chambers within the castle or woodland lodges and glamping at the Knight's Village. The new £16.4 million 60 room hotel gives guests who like a proper roof over their head a new option. Each room is bedecked in Medieval fixtures and furnishings.

Designed for families, there are bunk beds, and another pull out bed for another child, and a cot. A pull out room divider will also be welcome for parents who want a little privacy. The bathrooms, include and bath and shower, with herbal toiletries. There was also a fantastic 'where's Wally style' frieze which could take the most inquisitive child hours to spot every wonderful detail, it was also above the bunk beds too. The welcome Warwick Castle teddy bear, mug, mishapes from Cadbury World and stationary set was also a nice touch as were the coat of arms and swords on the wall. The blackout curtains also did their job on a sunny summer morning.

However, there was no fridge, or phone to ring reception, which many guests would expect at a new hotel, but the majority of visitors will only be staying one night so they would not be spending hours on end in the hotel. It is certainly pitched perfectly above camping for families but below boutique luxury. The hotel was built to order, in faux mottle and daub style, and is linked to the restaurant by wooden walkway.

There is the option of an evening feast in the banqueting hall, again covered in Medieval garb, and more swords than the Three Musketeers could carry away. The carvery included gammon, chicken and beef as well as stew and kid's favourite nuggets in big supply. However, try as I might I could not find a price for the meal. However, breakfast is included in the price for a night at the Warwick Castle Hotel, which Warwick Castle Hotel prices include £159 for Bed and Breakfast for a family of four, or £199 for a family of four which includes Bed and Breakfast and a one-day ticket for the castle.

Breakfast was buffet style too, and with 300 people eating in three hours, it is best to get a spot and move like a bird of prey when the bacon, beans, sausages, scrambled eggs and whatever else you want is on display. However, toast lovers beware the bread warming machine which takes longer than the Siege of Valetta. But buffet certainly gives budget conscious families the chance to feed their tots enough to get through the morning inside the castle where bottles of coke retail for £3.20.

But complaining about the prices at on the UK's best tourist attractions is a bit trite, it has always been the way at Alton Towers, the Tower of London and other internationally elite destinations.

Warwick Castle has dominated its surroundings for over 1,000 years and thanks to its owners picking Parliament's side in the Civil War against King Charles it remains unspoilt. The ruins of Kenilworth Castle and Dudley Castle is a reminder their owners bet against Oliver Cromwell.

And speaking of the Lord Protector in Warwick Castle, along with countless historic artefacts dating back centuries, there is the the death mask of Mr Cromwell, warts and all. There are 60 rooms packet full of suits of armour, fading tapestries, full length portraits of people who mostly died a gory or premature death and some dated models of famous people no-one alive can remember to laugh at the misresembelence. The Edwardian Royal visiting party enjoying themselves before the horror of two world wars are still the centrepiece of many of the rooms open to the public. A little fusky, a tad dated but also a treasured shrine to previous Earls of Warwick, a title which dates back to Norman the Conqueror, and the various holders families, the latest of the long line of the clan live above the shop.

And, if they are in, us common folk can actually look down on the aristocrats, if you climb the walls, or to where the Norman's built a mound to dominate their new Saxon subjects. As a history buff, I loved all the facts, figures and stories about the castle itself, a a Brit it is easy to take thousands of years of history for granted, so seeing the wows, and oohs of foreign tourists was great to see.

Edward Neville, a "descendent of the 16th Earl of Warwick" is also Merlin's Magic Making Senior Creative, which gives the global entertainment company a man on the inside when it comes to the castle. The rooms, have mostly been left as is, since I last went as a child. But there are 63 acres of Warwick Castle's grounds which Merlin have introduced a tranche of family friendly attractions.

For tots there is Zogland, where the friendly dragon domestic arrangements are brought to life in Zog Playland, Zog & the Quest for the Golden Star interactive trail, Zog Live Show and Zog Play & Stay – as well the Horrible Histories Maze. For those with a strong stomach there is also all the smells and sounds of torture chambers of days gone by in the Dungeon and Gaol. And the Princess Tower which will expand the minds of primary school age children.

Then across the river there is a permanent jousting arena where Colin from CarpetRight lives out his dreams in a twice daily Wars of the Roses battle. There is also a fully functional trebuchet machine, a mainstay of Medieval warfare, and very handy if the people of Coventry try turn up mob handed one night. Each year the castle hosts evening entertainment in the form of DragonSlayer which makes the most of the stunning location, it is now on my Midlands must-see list.

The Falconer's Quest is the UK's biggest Birds of Prey attraction, on a sunny morning, sitting on a riverbank and feeling the breeze, really was a memory making experience. Over a 1,000 visitors were wowed by falcons, eagles, vultures, owls and many other of our feathered friends.

And, for this part time twitcher, it was all the better for being able to drink a lovely cider in the sun, which was needed as hair of the dog, because the night before, when the castle had gone to sleep by girlfriend and I snuck out the gates and found the Castle Inn pub, we followed the music and a drag queen belting out classics, and were then joined by the campest Morris Dancing I've ever met. Warwick is a little jewel in the heart of England, and great for a night out or a bar hopping summer Saturday afternoon.

But it also helped having a great night's sleep in the hotel and feeling safe within the walls of a castle which is rightly, the envy of the world.