That hotel prices are just completely over the top!!

[Pipsquiggle]

I am looking to book a 2 night - child free - stay away for DH and I, first time in over 2 years. We want to rest and relax, quite fancy a spa but not essential. Just don't want to cook and clear up every meal

I have asked friends for recommendations - anywhere south of Birmingham but not Norfolk or the West Country (too far) - Pennyhill Park, Lime Wood, Dormy House are some of the suggestions - they are circa £500+/night!!! They look lovely but genuinely who can afford £500/night? And also are they worth it?

YABU - they are super luxurious, you need to just suck it up
YANBU - there are plenty of good options out there, you need to look harder

Any suggestions are welcome BTW

I too looked at Raymond Blanc's website 😂.

Next year Rodney.

Have a look at village hotels Op
They have leisure facilities and tend to cater for the business market which is still very quiet
You can also sign up to unlock special offers

https://www.village-hotels.co.uk/hotels/

Also this hotel is nice

https://www.fairlawns.co.uk/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMI7LG-s7K48gIV5-jtCh2IqgXQEAAYASAAEgLF0vD_BwE

Sunday to Thursday rates are cheaper generally I find booking well ahead better for getting a good deal at some hotels especially Mercure
Wait till end of September for slightly lower prices
Availability can also be limited

The Randolph in Oxford is lovely. Are you looking at the hotels.com and bookings.com sites. What about somewhere in The Cotswolds.

I sort of sympathise (I've been looking for somewhere for us and teen for a couple of nights before school starts).

I've concluded that a city break might be the way to go for us (though DH fancies the Welsh borders). At least we'll have a fighting chance of eating out.

Have a look at Late Luxury or Travelzoo perhaps

I stayed in Brighton Saturday night. For the price, we were super-excited and ready for luxury. However, the room was very basic, with a somewhat grubby carpet.

It made me very grateful for the 10 nights we had just spent in Croatia!
Uk breaks are and absolute crime right now!

I agree with you OP. I love luxury hotels and stay in them regularly but they are too expensive for what they offer, it’s a piss take.

We went to South Lodge, the sister hotel to Pennyhill, for a weekend last month and paid £850 for 2 nights in a suite with dinner, bed and breakfast, so you don’t need to pay £500 a night

That said, we enquired about booking another weekend and they said they are now fully booked for weekends until October
So it isn’t a piss take. There are enough people willing to pay those prices to keep them at full occupancy well past the school holidays

Most of Norfolk is north of Birmingham!

Demand and supply isn't it?

Lots of people have decided not to go abroad this year so accommodation in the UK, especially now, is at a premium.

I used to book The Elvetham a lot for work, but it doesn’t have a Spa. It is gorgeous though. Carey’s Manor might be a good option though.

Have a look at Tylney Hall hotel in Hampshire. It is absolutely beautiful and has an outdoor and indoor pool. Not cheap by any stretch but certainly not £500 a night.

Have you tried looking on Groupon? My Dp and I have had several breaks (inc spa breaks) booked through them and we've never paid more than £100 per night including dinner and breakfast.

@KatherineJaneway

Lots of people have decided not to go abroad this year so accommodation in the UK, especially now, is at a premium.

Tbf it should be slightly balanced off by all that people who decided/couldn't come to uk🤔

I usually visit Scarborough in September to see friends. It's normally around £150 for three nights. Checked today and its £300+ (for the Premier Inn so nothing terribly fancy)

We stay in the same hotel every year at least once and this year it was double the price of pre covid.

Fawsley Hall has some good rooms at under £300 per night.

Tbf it should be slightly balanced off by all that people who decided/couldn't come to uk🤔

Not really

Dormy House is lovely, definitely worth it and the food is fab.

The Randolph in Oxford was definitely not worth it (food and service awful) - we were in the suite that Bill Clinton apparently stayed in when he was in town……I see it is under new ownership now though, so hopefully it has improved (the building is beautiful).

We once got a night at Cliveden for £300 via the last minute. Com secret hotel thing. I don't know if they still do that? We got the Astor suite which was sensational.

Limewood is absolutely worth the price.
Babington house is absolutely not worth it, I found it very underwhelming.

How about a city hotel rather than countryside one? You might have better luck looking for a 5 star hotel with spa in London as majority of their usual clientele won't be traveling across this year.

Unfortunately it's just really high demand. Most hotels do Autumn and Winter specials- but this year there's a lot of pent up desire for a break and foreign travel still seems risky.

I found the same lately but London really reasonable if you fancy a city break?