I stayed here from the 19th of December to the 21st of December, 2 adults one 7-year-old child.
TO MAKE COUPLES AWARE DURING SCHOOL HOLIDAYS/WEEKENDS
This is the top child friendly luxury hotel in the UK. If you stay here during the holidays or the weekend as a couple, there will be lots of kids in all areas.
Room type booked: Garden Deluxe room
Total cost: £950 first night, £975 second night
Rate type: Amex FHR, Fully flexible, breakfast, 12pm check in, 4pm check out, £85 food and drink credit.
Points to note on accommodation:
All the basic rooms are pretty much the same (Mews, Garden, Heritage), the difference is the view and where they are located.
Standard rooms have a max capacity for 2 adults; deluxe rooms have a large king sized sofa bed suitable for two smaller children or one older child.
My Garden deluxe had a decent view of the back of the estate, but some rooms do have a view of the internal courtyard, which is less inspiring, so keep that in mind when booking.
Quality of accommodation (Garden deluxe):
High quality fixtures and fittings, plush carpets, lots of plug sockets, iron and ironing board in the wardrobe, lots of storage and spotlessly clean.
Large tv (65") with a good sound bar.
Welcome amenities provided were two small scones with jam, bottle of house red wine, bottle of coke and a box of popcorn.
High quality soaps/shampoos provided along with child friendly soap and shampoo.
Walk in shower with good water pressure (no rainfall head) along with a single sink and a bathtub. Robes, slippers, and child sized versions provided.
Lots of pillows which were all way too soft. It's worth speaking to housekeeping to get some foam ones provided.
I preferred to call housekeeping to make up my room and they always came pretty much straight away.
The room was quiet.
Overall, a nice spacious room and very tastefully furnished. The room could get a big warm as the A/C was a little weak, but you can open the top window.
Facilities:
The horse-riding centre is exception. Multiple types of rides can be booked, or you can just go down and stroke the horses.
The gym is not huge and can be busy as the hotel does sell gym memberships. The changing rooms are well stocked with everything you need such as robes, towels, flipflops, steam room, showers etc.
The spa is expensive but top notch, clean, well maintained, loads of staff.
The kid’s club is amazing, great staff, lots of activities, they use top notch crafting kits and materials. Be aware that you are limited to 2 hours in the morning and 2 hours in the afternoon.
Set in 500 acres of countryside, there's loads tof good walks to take. Pack your wellies.
Restaurants
Wild Carrot:
Good sized restaurant, tables not too close together, unobstructed view of the kitchen.
Multiple menus so you will find something you like. Separate kids menus and they sometimes run a kids buffet.
Wine list is extensive. House wine is very good and runs at about £60-£90. Most other bottles sit around £140-£200. Mark up is about 4x which is standard nowadays.
The food is expensive but exceptional. Everything I ate here was flawless with the Xmas dinner having the best turkey I have ever tasted. The triple cooked roast potatoes were also some of the best I've had.
They serve Hattingley English sparkling wine, this is a better value option to champagne and is very good.
Food only for 3 courses, two adults, one child will run you about £200-£250 inc service charge at 10%.
Off Piste:
Swiss themed popup in an outdoor tent. My wife and I shared the fondue, which was fantastic, daughter had the hotdog which was also fantastic.
The temperature can be a little uneven so wear a jumper.
Lunch 3 courses without wine was about £150.
Wild Carrot breakfast:
Buffet with al la carte options. Fresh juices, coffees made to order.
Everything you can dream and all of great quality, along with sparkling wine.
Wild Carrot bar:
I didn't eat here but came for drinks each night. Great drinks and good seating.
The staff:
This is where your money goes with these hotels. There are loads of staff everywhere.
You'll have to do very little for yourself, someone will always be there to help, you will wait for nothing, and everyone will seem pleased to see you.
If you call anyone on the phone from your room, they will pick the phone up before 3 rings, if you wait at a desk, someone will rush over and apologise for the 5 seconds you've stood there waiting.
This goes for all areas of the hotel, the cleaning, the restaurant. Everyone is superb and this is what sets apart a great luxury hotel from one that’s just new and expensive.
To sum up and value:
I had high expectations, but my stay was faultless.
I never had to wait for anything, i never had to ask twice for anything, they did their best to anticipate my needs.
This is one of the most expensive hotels in the UK, budget accordingly, but it will not disappoint.
For example, my stay for 2 nights was roughly £2k on accommodation then £2.2k for everything else which included couples spa, horse riding, lots of cocktails, 2 dinners, 2 lunches (one Sunday lunch) and a couple of £200 bottles of wine.
If I'd had cut the wine to something more sensible and took out the spa I think I'd have been around £1500
GB
QA