OLD THORNS MANOR HOTEL

Just OK I don’t like to write a poor review as this was a birthday treat from my fiancé. We stayed for a spa break mid March. When we arrived we had high hopes - it’s very impressive from the outside. We went to the spa first. We were early for our treatments so got changed & waited in the quiet lounge - which isn’t that quiet as it’s next to the spa reception & the door was being opened all the time by people being given a tour. Maybe the lounge should be relocated. We had a full body massages & this was the high point of the weekend - one of the best I’ve ever had. We got changed & went for lunch in the Sports Bar. Fine for a drink & a bite. The menu didn’t say that the sandwiches came with chips so we ordered a side of chips to share. We could check in so did that & rested in our room, got changed for dinner & came down for a drink. The champagne bar was shut & the main bar was closed for a private golf members event till 7pm. The only other option was the loud, bright Sports Bar - not what we had in mind for a romantic pre-dinner drink. We had a couple of drinks then queued for our dinner table. A huge canteen type of place - couples, groups, hen dos, families all in there. Reminded me of a Beefeater. Not a quiet meal at all with the constant music coming from the wedding reception next door. The music was so loud you could actually hear what songs were being played. The food was average. We were offered bread with our main courses not before. My fiancé’s beef main was tough & fatty. My fiancé asked for a latte after dinner only to be told they didn’t do hot drinks in there! We went to the main bar which by this time was now open. Not a great ambiance- loud pop music playing & lots of flashing lights. We had a couple of drinks then went to bed. I slept ok but my fiancé said the bed was very uncomfortable. Breakfast in the morning was like Premier Inn. I wanted porridge which they didn’t do so got two pots of yoghurt & missed it with granola & mixed berries & had an apple. We checked out after breakfast. We wouldn’t return. It’s trying to appeal to too many markets & not succeeding on any.

Exceptional golf hotel with great facilities and service I organised a group of 16, DBB and golf, through Golf Beaks. The accommodation is first class as was the food and service. The golf course is challenging but beautiful and well laid out. The bonus is a well equipped SPA. We had a wonderful time and we will be back. Gemma from the Hotel’s Events group was most helpful and with planning everything ran so smoothly.

Anniversary ruined I have booked to spend my wedding anniversary at old thorns. I was sent an email to check in and pay the balance which I did. I was then later told that the wrong price had been sent to me and I needed to pay more. I challenged this and was told that I still had to pay extra. What a way to ruin a special occasion, especially when the fault was with them and not us. Never booking again and would not recommend.

Very disappointing I am one never to complain I generally find the positive in anything but for over £400 for two people on a spa break it was a total let down. We stayed many years ago and had a lovely time and thought we would treat ourselves and wish we hadn’t bothered. The superior room was nothing special no hairdryer no fridge no air conditioning had to use the fan to dry my hair!!! As mentioned previously by many other people many aspects of the spa are still not working. We had spa treatments each which was the only positive but the experience whilst waiting very disappointing basically we were just ignored by all staff. The worst aspect was the food the dinner was awful dry bread with prawn cocktail I’m no food expert but very unpleasant along with a dreadful breakfast which we always look forward to. There are far better cheaper spa breaks out there just so disappointing

Golfing Birthday Treat Bought by family as a treat for my birthday I had two rounds of golf and one night at the hotel to look forward to. When we arrived, the hotel was so grand, everything about it, the grounds the hotel and the various accommodations. So good was it that we decided to extend our stay by one night after the second round of golf. Check-in was fantastic, the receptionist could not have been more helpful and our room was ready well before time. This enabled us to settle in before the first round of golf. The golf course itself has to be one of the loveliest in the country, views to die for. We were extremely happy with the room which was large, clean and comfortable with a shower over the bath giving you the option for both. Staff throughout the resort were fantastic, helpful, polite and very personable. Food was excellent, competitively priced and the quality, in our opinion, outstanding. So many facilities, a fantastically large and well equipped gym, fantastic spa facilities and a choice of places to eat given the sports bar serves food also. The state really was 10 out of 10 and we can't wait to go back