Taplow House Hotel & Spa

Not living up to its stars

We were disappointed with the overall standard at Taplow it is not what we would expect from a 4 star hotel.
When we arrived at Taplow we were shown to our room which on first impressions seemed fine. Champagne was included in the package but we weren't asked when we wanted this and the staff seemed surprised when we asked for it to be kept until later as we wanted to look at Taplow and the surrounding area and as we were driving could not drink.
When we used the bathroom facilities when we got back to the room after looking at the local area we discovered that the WC would not stop filling up and water was pouring out of the overflow pipe on the terrace. Staff came and looked at this , went away to speak to someone and came back with a Screwdriver to turn off the ballcock. As we were about to get ready for dinner as we had reservations in the restaurant my husband asked them to leave the screwdriver and arrange for it to be fixed while we were at dinner which they agreed to do.
We asked for non allergic bedding when we made the booking and I rang to confirm this a few days before out stay as I am asthmatic and allergic to feathers, but when we went to bed at about 11pm we discovered that the pillows had been changed but the quilt was feather. It took two phone calls before they came to look and then another 15 minutes for them to locate a quilt and change the bedding over.
Again it wasn't until we got ready for bed after they had changed the quilt that we discovered that the WC had not been fixed and that the screwdriver was still there.
There was a sunken bath that was difficult to access as there was nothing to hold on to climb in and out and the shower door was difficult to open and close and the shower head worked but was rusty and had seen better days.
It was also very disconcerting to find the guests from the neighbouring room having breakfast on the terrace directly outside our bathroom,
The meal in the restaurant didn't disappoint but our pre dinner glasses were still on the table in the bar that was empty when we had our coffee and liqueurs.
The newspaper we had ordered did not appear and we were given the hotel copy minus the supplement which had disappeared.
We ordered coffee with breakfast which arrived minus any milk , we had to ask for sweeteners and salt and pepper.
When we checked out we were asked if everything had been ok and when we explained what had happened the manager advised us that the staff had been told to move us to another room which they failed mention to us.

Unfortunately Taplow House definitely did not live up our expectations which is a shame as the evening meal was superb. Based on our experience we do not feel we could recommend this hotel to family and friends.

Restaurant - Dining experience

The Dining Room gave an air of private dining - excellent views over grounds. Choice and quality of food met/exceeded expectations.

Crap breakfast

Breakfast was poor. No choice with the continental breakfast and a long wait for the cooked breakfast. The toast arrived before the breakfast and was cold.
The choice of desserts for the evening meal very poor.