Down Hall Hotel, Spa & Estate

Birthday break

I came here with my husband as a surprise birthday present in May 2016. I had booked an offer via offpeakluxury.com which included afternoon tea, 3 course dinner, an executive room and breakfast. We had a sat nav so was easy enough to find, but there are signs for the hotel once you get fairly close to it.
The hotel looked very impressive upon arrival, and there was plenty of parking. A slight downside was there were renovation works going on that we hadn't been told about when I booked, so that was a slight disappointment. Of course work needs to be done and builders etc can't help but make noise, but it was quite loud. Luckily our room was nowhere near the noise, but we were a little disappointed that the lounge where you have afternoon tea was directly beneath the area where the renovations were happening, so that did spoil our afternoon tea a little bit.
Afternoon tea itself was lovely - very friendly waitress and the hotel had ensured we had a gluten-free option for my husband.
Our room was fantastic - a very comfortable super-king with plenty of pillows and cushions (very important for me as I am heavily pregnant!) The bathroom was impressive, and very clean. The room had everything we needed. I didn't try the wi-fi but I did notice I had very little signal on my phone. Again, not an issue for us and totally expected due to the location of Down Hall, but as I noticed quite a few business people staying here, it's worth pointing out.
Our 3 course meal in the restaurant was fantastic. The layout of the restaurant is a little odd - it kind of looks like a cordoned-off corridor but actually it's very comfortable and the staff were great. I expected there to be a lack of atmosphere on a Monday night but there were quite a few people in the restaurant so it was nice. I hadn't specifically notified the restaurant of my husband's dietary requirement so was very impressed that they knew he was coeliac because of the afternoon tea, and took the time to explain to him which menu options were okay for him to eat. All of our courses were amazing - really great food with good service. We had a really nice time.
We chose to have our breakfast in our room the next morning - it was a tiny bit cold by the time it reached us but it was okay. They called in advance to let us know it was coming, so that was helpful. Unfortunately there were no gluten free sausages or bread available for my husband but no big deal.

We didn't use the spa during our break - I had hoped to but it's a slightly confusing set-up. Usually when we go to a hotel with a spa, use of the spa facilities are included for hotel guests. At Down Hall, you have to pay extra and it is £20 for 2 hours. This gives you access to the sauna, steam room and hydrotherapy pool. I contacted the spa ahead of our stay to enquire about treatments and again, if you have a treatment, access to the spa facilities are not included, so you have to pay an extra 20 on top of the cost of your treatment. I was hoping to have a pregnancy massage and a deep tissue massage for my husband, but the cost of those, plus the extra £40 made it too expensive for us. Then, finally, after quite a few emails, one member of staff told me I actually would not be allowed in the spa after my treatment because it's too hot for pregnant women. Overall I felt the information for the spa wasn't very clear - the £20 charge should be made clear on their website, and the restrictions for pregnant women (and anyone else they may have restrictions for) should be on their website as well.

Generally, though, we had a really lovely time at Down Hall and would go back.

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Lovely time at Down Hall

There were 3 generations staying at the hotel, the youngest being teenagers. Everyone was well catered for; the adults were able to enjoy champagne while the younger ones had afternoon tea. There was a nice atmosphere in the hotel and the staff were very helpful. We would go back again and wished we could have stayed for longer. The ambiance was very good.