Beaverbrook

“5 Star”

A luxury experience, so it should be for the price! You wouldn't get any passers by here, the security at the entrance is quite high - reservations only. We were lucky to be upgraded from the Garden House to the Main house (due to maintenance), the down side was there were a couple of closures due… more

A luxury experience, so it should be for the price! You wouldn't get any passers by here, the security at the entrance is quite high - reservations only. We were lucky to be upgraded from the Garden House to the Main house (due to maintenance), the down side was there were a couple of closures due to maintenance: the outside pool and the indoor jaccuzzi were closed. Obvioulsy February is the month for maintenance! The food in the Garden House is standard fayre; as we arrived on a Sunday, it was Sunday roast options with a fish and a veggie option. It was nice enough but not five star. However, The Japanese Grill was a totally different experience and felt like a Michelin star restaurant, we could not fault the tasting menu, it was a delight to the tastebuds and the eye.

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“A beautiful setting, but with some downsides”

I stayed here with my husband and 2 year old daughter in October. The estate is very beautiful and we found the staff to be very warm and helpful. The food in most of the restaurants was also very good. However there were a few areas we felt fell short of expectations, particularly given the price … more

I stayed here with my husband and 2 year old daughter in October. The estate is very beautiful and we found the staff to be very warm and helpful. The food in most of the restaurants was also very good. However there were a few areas we felt fell short of expectations, particularly given the price point and in contrast to similar standard hotels, and which ultimately would make me hesitate to return again. We stayed in a family suite in The Village, which I would sadly not recommend. These rooms are very prettily furnished and clearly aimed at families (it is the estate's 'family area') with sweet bunk beds and colourful textiles throughout. However it is a bit style over substance - the actual practicalities of traveling with a child have not been thought about. Both adult and children sleeping areas are all in the same room (as another reviewed noted, this isnt fully clear in the photos on the website). The room is filled with books, mostly on low shelves, none of which are for children! While I understand they were going for the 'look' old books provide, I feel a few vintage ladybird classics wouldn't have gone amis?! There was also a very stylish vintage toy car - to be looked at, not played with. It just doesnt feel like a hotel that particularly 'gets' families - despite marketing itself as a luxury family hotel. There were none of the small touches we have experienced at other hotels e.g. leaving a bedtime story at turn down. While obviously those things are not essential to a hotel stay, they are the little touches that I would expect at this price point and overall luxury family positioning. The Village is also considerably out of the way for all restaurants, the spa and main house. This wouldn't be a problem if the golf cart system was more reliable, but we regularly found ourselves waiting 30min+ to be picked up from places - not ideal with a grumpy toddler! The breakfast at The Village is also not good - or at least wasn't during our stay! There's a very small spread of buffet items (a handful of berries, some oats etc) - I understand this is because of the small number of guests staying in this part of the hotel but it just feels measly. You can then supplement this with a la carte items from the menu - I had some very rubbery pancakes that had clearly just been reheated. Overall staying in The Village doesn't feel like it brings any genuine family perks (separate sleeping areas, children's facilities or little touches etc.) But it does bring considerable inconvenience and make you feel a bit like 'a poor relation'. That would be fine if the rooms were charged as a more accessible offering, but they're not - our room rate was £1500 per night. Rooms in the main house (with presumably a better breakfast? I hope!) were available for a lower price than this during our stay.

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