Macdonald Berystede Hotel

“Thorpe Park Bank Holiday Visit”

We arrived mid-afternoon on Saturday, and to be honest, the start wasn’t great. Parking was quite frustrating — we ended up parking a long way from the entrance with four kids and luggage, then had to carry everything up to reception. In hindsight, we should have stopped near reception first, unloa… more

We arrived mid-afternoon on Saturday, and to be honest, the start wasn’t great. Parking was quite frustrating — we ended up parking a long way from the entrance with four kids and luggage, then had to carry everything up to reception. In hindsight, we should have stopped near reception first, unloaded, and then parked, so I’ll take that on the chin — but the car park is downhill, and the walk back up isn’t exactly fun. That said, on entering the hotel, it smelled amazing — really inviting, with a lovely lobby area. Check-in was smooth after a short wait, and the staff throughout our stay were really pleasant and helpful, which definitely made a positive difference. We had interconnecting rooms (204 & 205) as there were six of us, but they felt miles away from reception. The lifts are in odd places, so again we found ourselves trekking through the hotel with kids and bags — not ideal. The rooms themselves were clean, but very dated and definitely in need of some TLC — which seems to be a common theme in other reviews. There were also very limited plug sockets, which in this day and age is a bit baffling. The air conditioning was set to hot (in May…), so the rooms were warm and stuffy, but to be fair, the staff did bring fans which helped. The spa and pool area were nice and clean, and the kids really enjoyed swimming between 4–7pm — probably the highlight for them. Breakfast, however, was disappointing. There wasn’t much choice for a buffet — especially considering we’d paid for it in advance. If I’d paid on the day, I’d have been even more frustrated. There were about five hot options (beans, mushrooms, sausages, bacon, and potato scones — which weren’t great), a few cereals, a small fruit selection, a couple of pastries, and juice. It felt quite limited and crowded when busy — not really what you’d expect for the price. We did eat in the restaurant on Sunday night after visiting Thorpe Park, and that was actually very nice. I had the curry, which was genuinely good. That said, the bill came to £254 for the six of us ( 3 smaller kids meals) — I’d expect it to be good at that price! We had a deal with £25 per room off food/drinks (£50 total), but even then, after a round of drinks, the final amount still felt steep. £200 was also taken on arrival as a security hold, so having to pay an additional £37 at checkout was a bit surprising. We were also told we’d receive a £50 fuel voucher after checkout, which I’m still waiting for. Overall, it was a pleasant enough stay, but the rooms really need updating — they feel old-fashioned and not worth the price being charged. Aside from the location, it’s a fairly average hotel. Would I rush back? Probably not, if I’m being honest.

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