Lythe Hill

“Good value luxury in a beautiful setting”

Lythe Hill hotel is a beautiful Tudor building in a stunning countryside setting with parkland and lovely views. The spa has a separate car park a little way down the road with ample parking and is housed in a very attractive modern building with a vaulted roof. We went for the Afternoon Indulge p… more

Lythe Hill hotel is a beautiful Tudor building in a stunning countryside setting with parkland and lovely views. The spa has a separate car park a little way down the road with ample parking and is housed in a very attractive modern building with a vaulted roof. We went for the Afternoon Indulge package which included the Sparkling Afternoon Tea and use of the spa facilities including pool, whirlpool, steam room, sauna, yoga studio and gym. The spa staff were very attentive and provided us with dressing gowns and towels. If you want slippers you are advised to take your own as they do not provide single use slippers for ecological reasons. The changing rooms are lovely, roomy and clean with good showers, hair dryers, luxurious products and a sensible free keyless locker system. We went in the gym first for half an hour and it had all the equipment you might wish for, although only one of each machine so it was not so easy to train together. I cooled down in the yoga studio which has a high ceiling and beautiful floor-to-ceiling window out onto the park. Mats were provided. The pool is medium sized with a whirlpool (not a hot tub) in one corner and a stunning high vaulted ceiling. Loungers are provided poolside and the sauna and steam room are accessible from the same area. There is a small bar and coffee area staffed by the spa reception staff. After my swim, sauna and steam room experience I asked if there was a lounge area and was directed to a beautiful warm relaxation room with 4 lounge beds, side tables, cushions and blankets, soft lighting and attractive dark patterned wallpaper. I read my book there and had a nap and woke up feeling deeply relaxed and pampered. The cosy restaurant for afternoon tea was in the historic Tudor part of the house and we walked round the outside of the spa to get there. The tea was good, with sandwiches (crusts off), scones, jam, cream and petit fours. The scones and little cakes were very good and the tea was well presented on a little bird-cage three tiered stand. All-in-all we had an excellent experience but a few things knocked a star off. The whole place needed a handy person to go round and touch up the paint and plaster here and there, remove sticky bits from old posters, clean the limescale off some of the tiles and fix various slightly broken things. The spinner for wet swimming costumes was out of order. The poolside Experience shower appeared to be not working. The restaurant was poorly staffed with only two staff also working the bar and the staff there needed better training in customer service as our food and drinks were served after a long wait and with no grace or sense of occasion at all. We had to ask for our complimentary prosecco as it was forgotten. The sandwiches were well made but could have been more exciting (cream cheese and cucumber, salmon, ham and pickle and egg mayonnaise). This did not really mar our experience and we felt the whole package was a very good deal. We enjoyed a bit of luxury and a good break together and would definitely go back.

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“Lovely hotel and spa”

The location is lovely and with a generous upgrade to a suite, the hotel and spa part of this stay really hit the mark. If it were the spa treatments alone, my wife would have given it 6 out of 5! The lighting in the pool area of the spa is bizarrely dim making reading quite a challenge, and the p… more

The location is lovely and with a generous upgrade to a suite, the hotel and spa part of this stay really hit the mark. If it were the spa treatments alone, my wife would have given it 6 out of 5! The lighting in the pool area of the spa is bizarrely dim making reading quite a challenge, and the pool could use a few degrees extra heat. But all in all, nothing fell short of a "recommended" status

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“Disappointing…started well but don’t look too close!”

Very long review so quick summary: Room: okay but only okay. Don’t stay if it’s raining. Spa: Changing rooms and pool area were really bad but treatments were good. Food: Don’t order anything other than the basics, overpriced and not great. Okay for a night or two but the longer you’re there t… more

Very long review so quick summary: Room: okay but only okay. Don’t stay if it’s raining. Spa: Changing rooms and pool area were really bad but treatments were good. Food: Don’t order anything other than the basics, overpriced and not great. Okay for a night or two but the longer you’re there the more you’ll notice that the attention to detail is lacking considerably! Checking in: I stayed for three nights as a single guest from a Tuesday to Friday with breakfast included. Check in was fine, very smooth. I was asked if I wanted “pre approval” for charging to my room which I said yes to. I was advised their usual practice was to add £100 per night but as a single guest I said I had no intention of spending that much so that was reduced to £50 per night. The parking when you arrive was a bit of an issue. There’s very few spaces by reception and the “overflow” car park is down a steepish slope. The rooms are not in a central block so, depending on where your room is allocated, you’re walking back and forth from reception with your luggage. The room: I was allocated room 302 which was up some stone steps and in was the eaves of an older part of one of the buildings. First impressions were the room was nice and clean but had booked a bath WITH shower room…it was a shower head attachment on the bathroom wall under the roof slope. No possible way to have anything resembling a shower. Not a problem for me, but if you really wanted a shower that was definitely not an option. The water pressure was great (the bath only took a few minutes to fill) and the water was red hot…perfect for me. There was no plug/plug cover in the sink. Again, not an issue for me but if someone wanted to shave at the sink that wouldn’t have been possible without leaving the water running. As a 5’3” woman the eaves in the ceiling weren’t an issue for someone short, but anyone taller than that would’ve struggled to access the other side of the bed. There was a loft hatch in my room which during my first night there was a light on up there somewhere which meant was “leaking” round the edges…I found it difficult to sleep, not only because of the light but my imagination ran away with me a bit and I was concerned that if there was a light on who was up there and would they be able to access my room? As a lone woman guest that did play on my mind! The bed was fine (mattress was a bit soft but that’s personal preference) with fluffy pillows and i slept okay. The walls are very thin so you can hear everything but after the first night I don’t think I had a neighbour and that was the only other room in my “block”. Unfortunately, during my last night it rained. I was woken up to Japanese water torture. The guttering outside my bedroom window was leaking and dripping onto the ground outside. As a light sleeper that was it, I was awake at 4am. When I went out later in the morning (I’m a smoker so was having a cigarette outside in the car park) a quick walk around confirmed there were multiple leaks all around the building. If you’re a light sleeper do NOT stay here when it rains! The food: Breakfast: Staff were friendly and welcoming. I had the full English morning one. It came very quickly so I can only assume it was just plated up from preprepared items. The sausage tasted a little weird but it was okay. The continental selection was fairly standard, maybe a little lacking but had the usual pastries, cereals, fruit and meats and cheese. Day two was eggs Benedict. Poached eggs were good and again arrived quickly. It tasted okay but everything was stone cold. Day three I went back to cooked breakfast. This time I requested no sausage and crispy bacon which was served perfectly. There was a couple seated next to me and the gentleman guest ordered the full English. I heard him comment that he wasn’t eating the sausage (after having a bite) as it “tastes wrong, almost like it’s off” so I know it wasn’t just me that thought the sausage was weird! This was definitely the best of the three days….however, if you haven’t got breakfast as part of your room it is expensive for what you’re getting. The cooked option (which did include the continental) was almost £20. Dinner: I ordered room service for the first two nights. Night one was a burger, chips and a bottle of beer, which was good. Arrived quickly, was hot and quite tasty. No complaints at all. Night two was the chicken Caesar salad, a bottle of water and a cheese board. The salad was good, generous amount of chicken and again, tasty. The cheese board was not really worth the money. A selection of three small wedges of cheese, a small pot of chutney and half a dozen crackers. All tasted okay but not worth £12. There is a “tray charge” of £5 for room service, which I knew about, but it’s important to factor that in to the cost of your meal as it meant that an £18 burger then becomes £23. I didn’t see this until check out but the bottle of water I ordered was £5.40…which was the same as the beer! DO NOT ORDER A BOTTLE OF WATER! Night three I’d booked at the Tudor restaurant. This was by far the most disappointing part of the stay food wise…a real let down. The staff as always were lovely but the food was very disappointing. They didn’t have my first choice of starter (beetroot salad) so I ordered the bruschetta which had anchovies as part of the dish. I asked for no anchovies…not because I won’t eat them, I just didn’t want them. The dish arrived within no more than two minutes, I’d literally just picked up my book and started reading. What arrived was four small, what looked suspiciously like shop brought crisp breads, topped with tomato mix with an overpowering smell of garlic. The crisp breads were small but too big to eat in one mouthful so I tried to cut one in half but it shattered into pieces. I managed to get some on my fork to eat but it was not worth the effort. There were no visible anchovies on my plate (as I’d requested) but the they had clearly just picked them out as everything tasted of vinegary fishy pickling liquor with raw garlic. I did not eat anymore. When the waitress came back to check in I handed it back to her and it was removed from my bill…just as well as it was over a tenner for fish on shop brought crisp breads. Another couple behind me in the restaurant ordered soup (it’s hard not to overhear when you’re on your own!!) and when it arrived the gentleman asked if there was any bread. He was told the soup doesn’t come with bread but she could go and ask the chef if there was any….again an almost £10 dish but it didn’t come with bread??? My main arrived which was venison (my favourite) and it was a generous helping, cooked very well and tasted good….which was just as well as nothing else on the plate tasted of anything. The celeriac poured was smooth but too thin, the cabbage was supposed to be buttered with apple but there was no flavour to it at all. All in all a very disappointing experience. The “basic” dishes (the burger and Caesar salad) were good but they’ve tried to elevate the restaurant menu and really missed the mark….i should’ve had another burger!! The Spa: There’s the spa/treatment rooms and the leisure facilities. Let’s start with the spa. First day I’d booked the spa day online and that included one 55min treatment…I choose the facial. As I’d booked the “spa day” it came with use of a robe included. I booked in at reception and the facilities were explained to me by the staff member on reception (again staff are lovely). The waiting room for the treatments was lovely; clean and calming and clearly fairly recently refurbished (as advertised on the hotel listing). The treatment room was also clearly recently redone but looked shabby. The walls have been painted in a pale matte green finish which were heavily marked with oily splash marks and hand prints and the skirtings were all heavily scuffed and chipping. Given the products used for treatments, why they chose that colour/finish and not something darker with tiled walls i don’t know. It did make the room look shabby…even with the nice wallpaper on one wall. My facial was lovely, very relaxing and my beauty therapist was lovely. A very relaxing 55 minute treatment and my face felt and looked lovely afterwards. After my facial I went to change and use the pool area. The changing rooms at first glance looked like they needed some TLC and were quite dated. Quite a few of the lockers didn’t work but I found one eventually. I went up to the pool area and sat on a longer for a bit but I’d forgotten my book and I decided I didn’t want to “wash off” the facial so I only stayed for half an hour or so and didn’t use the pool etc. As I went to leave and hand in my robe the young lady on reception could see I had a treatment booked for the following day so said I could keep hold of the robe for the duration of my stay. That was a result as the robe charge is £10! It’s advertised as £5 online but it was definitely shown as £10 at reception so that saved me a few pounds! Day twos treatment was the 55min hot stone massage (same therapist and treatment room) and that was worth every penny. Very very relaxing and I would definitely recommend. As I’d remembered my book this time and I didn’t want to change into my clothes covered in oil, I decided to use the leisure facilities. The shower facilities poolside look very tired. The tile grout was mouldy (black mould) and stained with reddy mineral deposits. The chrome fittings were corroded (bound to happen around a pool due to the chemicals in the air) and the wooden beam between the two units on the wall was also black with mould and/or algae at base level. The site does tell you to bring your own flip flops and they did not leave my feet unless I was in the pool! The sauna was okay but dirty. When you’re in there with nothing to do but stare at the walls it’s hard not to notice. The floor had black dirt/dust along the edges and not just a little bit. There was a dirty plaster stuck between two of the slats and some of the slats were unsecured so you had to careful not to pinch your skin as you moved. The steam room was fine, looked clean…which as basically a plastic coated room you’d expect. The pool and pool area was okay. The cushions on the loungers could’ve done with a clean but once your towels down it was fine. The acoustics are shocking and I can imagine when it’s busy it gets incredibly loud. There were two ladies (to be fair one of the pair had no concept of an “inside voice”) talking and you could hear every word that one of them was saying even over the whirlpool. That actually prompted me to leave as I was struggling to concentrate on my book. This time in the changing rooms I had to use the facilities. I had to use the loo and they were not clean, rubbish and jet on the floor and (as a lady had just been in before me) the toilet wouldn’t refill and flush. Then I went to use the showers….oh my god….they were AWFUL! Thank god I had flip flops on! I picked the least dirty of the three but each the floor was covered in head hair, pubic hair and bits of rubbish. The drains were swimming in clogged hair too and ceiling was so mouldy it looked like a dodgy paint effect. When I came out to change I was next to the baby changing table, which had a thick layer of grey dust around the frame. The two chairs in the centre of the room were heavy water and oil stained…just get rid of them! I had a look for a cleaning schedule. Unsurprisingly there wasn’t one. Bearing in mind I was using the changing area at 1pm and it had been open since 6am, there had been no cleaner down there all day. Really REALLY poor! I’d booked the foot ritual for my last morning as I wanted to eke out my break for as long as possible. Given my experience the day before with the changing rooms I’d already decided I was NOT going to use the pool area/changing rooms again so I was having my treatment and leaving. This was the most disappointing treatment. It was £50 for 25mins and, while it was nice enough, I could’ve done it myself. A foot scrub and massage (which is how it’s advertised) but really not worth the money. I’ve had full pedicures with polish for less money…unfortunately quite disappointing and not the best way to end the experience. Checking out: I checked out at 11am (almost bang on) so I was behind another gentleman waiting to speak to reception (again, you can’t help but overhear). He was raising a complaint as his new wife (I don’t think they’d got married there) was promised on numerous occasions and by email that as a coeliac a gluten free breakfast could be provided. It would appear that had not been the case and the gentleman was asked to take seat while they got a manager to speak to him. I told the employee on reception I was checking out and handed her my key. A few clicks on the keyboard and “That’s all done for you. Do you need anything else” at which point I had to ask for an itemised bill…as a guest they had down as pre approved to charge to my room this should’ve been provided as standard especially as I was not verbally told the final charge to my card. Overall, it was an okay stay. Would I stay again….no. Would I recommend…for one night, a loose maybe but only if it’s not raining, only if you don’t expect much from the spa, if you’re not banking on fine dining and only if you’re happy to not look to closely at anything.

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