Woolley Grange

[anajane]

I just tried to post this review but got an error, so was curious to find out other people's experiences with this hotel.

We booked 3 days in Sept 06 at Woolley Grange based on the ratings in Mumsnet. However, we were very disappointed with the experience.

First, the staff were wonderful, they couldn't be more helpful, and the food was excellent. However, the room we were given was very, very small. It was a small double room but described on the website as a "double bedded room suitable to take an extra bed/cot". Well, when we got there, the room we were allocated, Chimneys, was about 9' x 12'. A camper bed (that sagged in the middle) was put in there as a child's bed so there was about enough space to stand up and walk through to the small bathroom. Also it was an attic room and the stairs up to it were steep. Although our 3.5 yo daughter was OK with all the other stairs, she was scared of the steps up to the room and had to be carried up and down.

I've stayed in many hotels on business and that was the 2nd smallest room I've ever had (the first smallest cost £30 per night!). For a "luxury family hotel" and a room rate of £190 per night, we were very, very disappointed. After 2 nights of the 3 of us being cooped up in that small room, we checked out early and ended our holiday sooner than expected.

Also, we found that we couldn't eat an evening meal with our 3.5 year old until 7pm. As a family, we're used to eating together at 5-6pm so this was an inconvenience.

I checked out the hotel on TripAdvisor.co.uk after we returned and it was rated lower there, and there were a couple of other reviews that had the same experience as us. We did go to Ickworth last year which is part of the same group. We had a lovely time then, and for the same rate and also described as a small double room, we got a room about 4x bigger.

So in summary, nice-ish hotel, great staff, great food but very disappointing room. If you go there, make sure you don't get given the Chimneys room.

I love it - but then I haven't stayed there - we go for adult friendly lunches - the kids adore it too!!!

Sorry you had such a bad experience - hope you complained at the time and got a reduction !

Hi YIAM (great name),

no 'fraid we were too English and just put up with it. We did leave a day early and they were good enough not to charge us for the last day.

I feel it's gone downhill the last few years, personally (although obviously the size of the rooms hasn't changed- none of the ones we've stayed in have been that bad). The standard of service in the restaurant just isn't very high any more- it's gone from very professional to endearingly erratic to dire within the last 4 years. Shame, because I love the place in many ways.

we went last year - 2 nights in one of the big new rooms behind the games room...it was very big, would have been about £300 pn but i won ours on here

ks, I think you're right, there seems to be better value on the continent if you know where to look, but we haven't been brave enough yet to make that leap to holidays abroad.

auntyquated, lucky you!! Sounds like you had a lovely time.

tamum, we found that the service in the restaurant was pretty good. The only thing we did notice that on our first day of going into the Bears Den, nobody introduced themselves or welcomed us. We weren't sure who were the mums and who were the staff.

I suspect then that generally if people are able and willing to pay the top rate of £300 per night, then you'll get a nice room. If you're not so well off, like us , and just wanted a bit of pampering as a one off, then it's much more of a lottery with rooms.

Anyway I've sent off an email of complaint to the hotel, I'll just wait to see if they respond

We stayed in the Chimneys room in Feb'05 and whislt we stayed with a nearly 2yr old the room was small but we fitted in OK - now she is 3yrs old we might be a little more cramped for space but generally loved it. It will be inteesting to see what their response is to your complaint.

Hi Alp,

their response was as follows:

"We sell Chimneys as a room to families all the time but I think the difference for your booking was that as it was made through the internet, it has highlighted an issue we haven't come across before with on-line bookings"

I think the issue they're referring to is that the website states these rooms are large enough for 3, and the picture for that size of room looks to be pretty large, absolutely nothing like the Chimneys.

"We have just recently started taking on-line bookings and it is clear to me from your experience that what we can sell in a conversation by telephone, when we can judge what is appropriate for the person booking, is different from what we can offer with a few descriptive words and a photograph on the website. We genuinely try to match families to the right room, (given that our rooms vary and have quirky corners) and we listen to what we are told by the person booking and do advise against certain rooms if we do not think it will work for them and match their expectations."

Sounds fair enough but also sounds like they're saying don't use the website to book. I would have hoped that when someone put the camp bed in the room, they would have noticed that it left very little space for 2 adults and an active 3yo.

"I am very sorry the room didn't meet your expectations and although we have sold this room many times to guests who have been very happy with an extra bed or cot (we have even sold it with two cots in) I understand why you did not find it comfortable."

With an extra bed, there's enough floor space to walk to the bathroom and that's it! Perhaps we're being too fussy and most other people are happy to pay £190 a night for that.

They were good enough to offer an extra complementary night but quite honestly I don't think we can face going back. Quite apart from the bad experience with the room, the hotel seemed a bit run-down and lacking in the "luxury" part of luxury family hotel. We did notice also at the time that there were a number of business people there so perhaps they're concentrating on the more lucrative business end of the market now?