Enjoyable week end break

We went for a romantic valentine week end with an evening meal on valentines day. The food was amazing so we booked an evening meal for the next evening.
The hotel was close to places of interest so we had a lovely Saturday visiting stately homes.
The room was very spacious and clean.
Staff were very friendly and made sure we were comfortable.
Would visit again.

An hotel in dire need of repair and regular maintenance

This may, at first impressions, be a sumptuous 4 star hotel, but do not be deceived. Behind the veneer of a well decorated and welcoming reception area, oozing old world charm, lies a building and room accommodation that is desperately in urgent need of repair and maintenance.
Our room, No. 57, allocated on arrival, was found to boast the following 4 star luxury features:-
1) A W.C. which had a section of the porcelain rim, around the top of the bowl, glued on, no doubt after some accident during the past which had totally detached a section of porcelain approximately 100mm x 50mm. from the main body of the W.C. bowl. To say that the "repair" looked ridiculous would have been somewhat of an understatement. I have never experienced such a disgraceful effrontery to basic health and hygiene standards at an hotel before.
2) A bath which had been chipped in 2 places, the enamel surface having been totally removed in both areas to show the basic metal surface of the bath underneath.
3) Paintwork to skirting boards badly scratched and chipped after no doubt being in contact with a hoover, at least it seemed to indicate that the carpets had been regularly if not exuberantly hoovered. Paint pealing on the inside of the bathroom door.
4) Windows that apparently had not been cleaned on the outside for some considerable time, time being measured in not days, weeks or months, but more probably years. Net curtains adorned the windows, but in one particular instance they were totally superfluous as the window was so dirty on the outside no one would not able to see clearly through it anyway.
5) External paintwork to the windows looked as though it had not been attended to in the last 7 years, possibly even longer. the paint had pealed off in substantial areas consequently exposing the unprotected timber of the sash windows to the ravages of the elements. As a result of this senseless lack of essential maintenance the timber cills were now rotten in places and slowly starting to disintegrate.
6) A shower that, if you stood underneath it for more than a second, you would have run the risk of receiving third degree burns from scalding. When the water temperature control was turned on you either had scalding hot water on the highest setting or scalding hot water on the lowest setting. After this matter was reported to Reception we were advised that other guests had reported similar problems and a plumber had been called, they of course would not be available till the following day. Consequently, we had the opportunity of having only one proper shower during our thankfully short stay, and even then, on the morning of our departure, there was no control on the water temperature, it was simply not as hot as it had been previously. Whilst no doubt the plumbers attempts to reduce the searing heat emanating from the basic water temperature had been successful, no attempt appears to have been made to rectify the basic inability to control the shower temperature at the point of use, being the individual shower temperature control valve.

Whilst these gripes may seem exaggerated I can assure you they are not, and took photographs of the bath and toilet to prove matters should these statements be repudiated by the Hotel Management.

Whilst this review of the hotel is somewhat scathing, it is purely directed at the general fabric of the building and appearance of our specific room. The staff in the restaurant, bar and orangery (used for breakfast), could not be faulted and were excellent, Reception staff not quite so.

Rather disappointing.

Location and grounds good but this country house hotel needs investment. The restaurant facility was very ordinary to be generous - described as an Orangery but really very ordinary. The staff were good but not "warm". The food at dinner however was very good. The room was spacious and reasonably good even if the wallpaper on the ceiling needed some attention. Bathroom very clean with good facilities.
Overall we left a little disappointed with our stay. Perhaps our expectations for the price were too optimistic?

Excellent high quality hotel

The privilege room was excellent. The welcome from the hotel staff was really good. Even though there was a wedding party our stay was not in any way disrupted.
The Breakfast was very good but there really needs to be more choice of cereals, only two choices each morning.
Just a personal thing but not keen on the enormous, life size model of a black horse in the entrance.
Scary.