Best Board Games To Gift

If you’re looking for thoughtful and unique gifts for friends and family this Christmas, how about a luxury classic board game? I’m a fan of classic board games and I think I’ve found the best board games to gift loved ones this year.

We love a games night in our house, and when travelling in our motorhome. When I think of Christmas or cosy winter nights, it’s either snuggling up with a book or a fun board game night that comes to mind. Mugs of steamy hot chocolate or mulled wine, a mound of your favourite snacks, a playlist of sing-a-long tunes and you’re ready to bring out the board games.

Earlier this year I discovered Jaques of London board game makers. I was blown away by their range of luxury, wooden classic board games. I’m now building a collection of my favourite travel classic board games from Jaques of London. Here’s why I think these are the best board games to gift friends and family.

Sponsored: Below is a review of two travel board games that were gifted by Jaques of London. This is an honest review and all opinions are our own.

About Jaques of London

When I first discovered Jaques of London I was pleasantly surprised to read these facts about Jaques of London:

• they’re an eighth generation family business
• they have been inventing and making toys and games since 1795!
• Jaques of London were the inventors of many well known games, such as Croquet, Ping Pong, Snakes and Ladders, Ludo, Tiddledy Winks and more.

You can find out more about the history of Jaques of London here. It’s a really interesting read and an impressive back story to this long running games company.

Below is my review of two of the Jaques of London adult board games. But that’s not all they do, they also have a vast array of Children’s Toys and Games with a large portion of their website dedicated to fun and educational games, designed with the help of teachers.

Board Game Presentation

These classic board games are beautifully presented in a slim and sturdy box with a Jaques of London ribbon. I love the simple but stylish design of the game board packaging. This is one of the reasons why I think the Jaques of London range is the best board games to gift to family and friends.

The board game is wrapped in a delightful vintage looking tissue paper (see example below). You really get a sense of the care and attention that has gone into designing and wrapping these board games. They really are a joy to open when they arrive.

Also tucked inside the tissue paper is a handwritten card telling you which of the Jaques of London team has wrapped your board game. I like this personalised touch, which again makes it feel like a quality special gift. This is a company that is clearly passionate about creating handcrafted, handmade items from the packaging right through to the end product. Best of all… there’s no plastic!

The Board Games We’ve Played

Previously, I’ve played and reviewed the following Jaques of London board games:

• Four in a Row and
• Chinese Checkers

For this Christmas, the adult board games I’ve chosen are:

• Backgammon and
• Chess

What are they like to play?

Backgammon

This particular Backgammon set comes in a stylish and practical 15 inch leatherette case. Beautifully handmade and hand stitched with Jaques of London embossed near the handle. As a keen traveller and gamer this ticks all the boxes for me. The case is slim, lightweight yet very sturdy and doesn’t take up very much storage space in our motorhome cupboard.

This set also features handmade backgammon pieces, and all the accessories to play the game. It’s very smooth to touch and feels very luxurious. With easy to read printed instructions inside the case, even those who have never played backgammon before will soon be throwing the dice.

Chess

Chess isn’t a game I’ve played before, but my husband Dave is keen for me to learn so we can play this together. Dave was really impressed with the quality of the 15 Inch wooden folding walnut and sycamore chess board. The hand carved wooden Staunton chessmen pieces are neatly stored against the inside of the board. Each Chess piece feels smooth and strong with just enough weight to ensure they are sturdy, which is essential for travel board games.

Summary

By far the best board games to gift friends and family that I’ve found. They look stunning and are delightful to play. They’re also perfect travel board games to take on holidays or weekends away.

Although…Why should your friends and family have all the fun right? 🙂 You could always start your own classic travel board games collection, like I have, go on treat yourself?

Related Posts:

Travel Board Games For Fun Trips Away

Top 10 Travel Board Games

Visit Jaques of London Amazon Shop

Visit the Jaques of London Amazon Shop for wooden toys, board games, garden games, jigsaws and accessories.

There are lots of beautiful handcrafted wooden board games available in this range. I also love their range of:

• Travel Board Games
• Garden Games – we love taking our Quoits away with us to play on campsites. Great way to meet other campers.
• Deluxe Portable Puzzle Board – for jigsaw fans this travel board holds a 1000 piece puzzle

Which game will you choose?

I hope you found this review useful of the Jaques of London Best Board Games To Gift. Which game will you choose? Share your favourite board games in the comments below.