Calcot or Ickworth - which would you choose?

[newbiemumzee]

Am looking to go away with dh and 10 month old dd in a couple of weeks time for a bit of R & R before the half term rush kicks in. Am considering the Cotswolds or Cambridge area so have looked at Calcot which looks lovely but v.v expensive and the Ickworth (though this has mixed reviews on tripadvisor).
So knowledgeable MNers which do you recommend? Calcot is more pricey but is it worth the extra cost?

can't compare, but Calcot was just perfect to me! Would love to go back sometime. It suited all of us. Pricey but fantastic.

Believe that Ickworth has gone down hill in the last year or two. I'd go for Calcot.

Never been to Ickworth.

I loved Calcot. They do high tea for kids and have great child facilties as well as posh adult facilties.

Are you comfortable with using baby listening? We were and as a result we put DD down at 7pm, had a LOVELY meal, then sat in the gorgeous outdoor jacuzzi in front of a roaring fire drinking champers.

In the day we took DD swimming in the pool, played in the play area and drove to nearby Westonbirt Arboretum(sp?) which would be stunning in autumn.

never been to ickworth to stay though friends have and its meant to be fab
used to go to calcot a lot(!) when i was full time high flyer - it was completely and utterly wonderful, oh how i miss going there!

having said that, haven't been since the revamp with all the spa thingies but know those who have

the food was great, the staff excellent and so accommodating - my dd broke a tv/video player once and they just wheeled in a new one! great kid's food which isnt too chieken nuggety, fab room service, lovely play staff, once they squeezed us in when we'd had a trauma and needed somewhere to hide
basically - GO, GO, GO!

oh yes westonbirt artichokes, I forgot about there. That would be a lovely walk, especially if weather is like it is today. They have pathways, we've been there with a pram.

oh yes westonbirt artichokes, I forgot about there. That would be a lovely walk, especially if weather is like it is today. They have pathways, we've been there with a pram.

THere is a really nice pub in Ickworth called The Beehive.

OMG justgoogled them and cannot believe the prices though. For one night in October for the 3 of us their charge would be £475 !!!

The other nice place in tne Cotswolds is Cowley Manor. It also has baby listening and high tea. I think the rooms area bit bigger. Our bathroom was spectacular.

We did not think the food was as good as Calcot but the building is spectacular as are the grounds and the spa and pool are much nicer (although lack the outdoor jacuzzi I loved in Calcot).

defo Calcot
Ickworth, although in lovely setting has dropped off a bit.

Yes I did hear Ickworth had gone a bit downhill, they are a bit cheaper than Calcot but I have paid the price of going for a cheaper option before and ended up having a disaster of a holiday.
Cowley looks nice too but looks very 'grown up' and the website doesn't really mention anything about accomodating kids. Is it truly child friendly or just one of those which let them stay as a token gesture? I think we'll use the baby listening but also want to be comfortable taking the lo to use the hotel's facilities and dine together etc.

Been to both and I'd definitely go for Calcot. Much better service, food and nicer in winter as cosier.

Ickworth is a truly beautiful building (and the parkland is too) but...I hate to say it...that's about it for me. The food was disappointing, the service quite amateur. The creche was pretty good.

Calcot spa at the time of my visit was about a zillion times better too although I think they might have expanded the Ickworth one since.

Never been to Ickworth but Calcott is absolutely to die for. We had our wedding reception there and I was treated like a queen. Six years later took mum for her 60th birthday dinner (conservatory restuarant had had a huge refurb in the interim) and service was just the same, perfect - a lot of the same staff too which was lovely, and the maitre d' actually remembered me from my wedding.

The Gumstool is fabulous for families, brill children's menu and yummy food for grown ups. The sps is lovely too.