Coworth Park — Hotel in Great Britain

--- February 2024 update ---

We've decided to take the gracious offer from Coworth Park management following our previous experience, which they said didn't meet their standards. We were offered a night and dinner with their compliments as compensation, which we extended to two nights in February. This time, the experience was much better. We were upgraded to their Mansion House Junior Suite, which was spacious and spread over two floors. We had a gift waiting for our daughter, a Peppa Pig audiobook kit, which she still uses months later. A bathtub next to a window is always fun to relax in.

They addressed our feedback from the first visit. The kids club was renovated and cleaned. The singer and pianist were much better. The Adam Smith restaurant was open, and dinner was amazing. The pool was still warm and enjoyable.

Some things remained consistent. The sitter service was fantastic. We felt comfortable with the sitter who runs the kids club and her daughter. Our child really enjoyed her time with them. Both are charming!

However, some issues persisted, which is a shame given the previous feedback. The service at the drawing room was still awful. It was the same waiter, and we had to chase her for attention again.

The disappointing part was the attention to detail. No power sockets next to the bed. The USB socket didn't work. There was a strong smoke smell in the room from another room. The Nespresso machine wasn't set up correctly, causing it to flood the cup. The kettle was under a glass shelf, leading to steam covering the shelf. The spa robes were rough. Coffee capsules weren't refilled. The guest toilet door didn't lock. There was no coat hanger or mirror on the ground floor. No basket for towels in the guest bathroom. The shower water was just warm, not hot.

The service needed improvement too. We had to ask for the menu twice. The receptionist said we couldn't smoke cigars on the terrace, though they sell them (she was later corrected). No one attended to us on the terrace; we had to chase them, and they didn't check on us afterward.

These issues could be easily solved with more attention, care, and training. Despite this, we liked the overall experience more than the previous one, so it's a 5/5, especially due to the effort. We'll definitely come back, hoping this time the experience will truly be five stars.

--- September 2023 --- It’s a mixed bag.

The good: The hotel grounds are outstanding, with vast walking areas and well-maintained gardens. The A/C in the room was super quiet, and small gestures like a puzzle for the kid upon arrival were sweet. The babysitting and spa services were excellent, though the massage bed was a bit cramped for the face. The pool was perfectly heated and never too crowded. The staff was generally welcoming and kind.

The bad: The food was mediocre in both selection and execution. We dined at The Barn for dinner, The Drawing Room for lunch and dinner, and had breakfast at Woven (which was unfortunately closed for dinner). Service at the restaurants was mostly poor; we experienced long waits before and during meals, had to repeat orders, and some dishes didn’t arrive as described. Additionally, the music at The Drawing Room cut out for 10-15 minute intervals, which was awkward. The live female pianist and singer was out of tune, in contrast to an excellent male pianist the following night. The shower door was hard to operate, and the makeup mirror was unstable. Our outdoor area wasn’t cleaned for two days after we used it the first day.

The ugly: The prices. An espresso cost 6.5 GBP, and a burger was 28 GBP. This might have been more palatable if the food quality had been higher. The kids’ club also charged an extra 15 GBP per visit, which was surprising given the average maintenance of the property (some areas were dirty, and toys and equipment were broken).

I’d give this a 3.5 if possible, but I’m rounding up because we generally enjoyed our vacation. However, we had higher expectations from a Dorchester hotel that...

On arrival I wasn’t greeted to a 5 star experience, I choose to come here as it’s part of the Dorchester brand and as such would of expected a 5 star experience unfortunately this did not happen.

Welcome experience •Walking into the Spa a woman stood at the desk with a cold welcome and handed my food options straight way before anything else in a unrelaxed welcome, she asked me to choose before even sitting down. I had to ask if I could just take a minute and sit down and wasn’t walked to my chair and wasn’t offered a Complementary drink !. A very rush experience as a welcome and I walked back to the desk on my own to be handed my key once Id handed in my food order at the desk. I then walked my self to my dressing cupboard to find my own number having made it clear at the desk that it was my first time at the spa as a guest.

Finding facilities After i got changed and worked everything out on my own I then went to the desk again to ask if facilities were down stair as I had seen the sign. Again no one walked me down to show me the pool or the steam room.

No experience complaints I arrived around 9:20am ish and was left until 11:45 am with no Complementary snacks such as fruits etc and only option out was water and no service button and left at the pool with no service the whole time of my stay. It was very much a boredom experience with no magazines or QR codes to scan to read. I found my self yet again walking to the desk to ask if there was magazines or QR code to scan and a woman said she would bring me a iPad which never happened and I wanted around for 1 hour expecting it to come. I then found my self again walking upstairs to find staff if the only 1 option on the toilet at the pool as I wasn’t shown where the rest rooms were.

Signature package I walked to my the relaxation area again on my own reading signs on the walls, it was bright and high rise sofas. I’m accustomed to dimmer lights and a lunge bed experience as part of the relaxation area. The book shelf had out of date books Shop trinny and susannah how to dress books from over a decade ago. This was not to one’s standard of relaxation and there was nothing of relaxation about it and quite the opposite. I felt very cold and uncomfortable in my wet robe from the pool. A staff member noticed how wet and cold I looked and brought me a spa robe which I was taken in the nail polar to get changed !. The signature package it self at £335.00 it self once I got the the treatment room, I had to ask the young woman to turn the music down as my chair was under the speaker in my treatment room and was hurting my ears. I didn’t get the option of what relaxing oils I wanted or to smell and never got talked through the products. I didn’t get my feet soaked or hot towel on them on the arrival. The lights were bright in the room on arrival and I had to ask if she could heat the bed as I was still cold from my previous wet robe From the pool. There was no oils to smell and inhale and I had to ask to which the woman sprinkled onto the hole of the bed, any top spa would put this in water under the neck of the bed to inhale while having the message to relax. I was imagining my signature package being a full body massage and facial to be glowing and relaxed after but quite the opposite with only a back message at this price and facial. I’ve been having these packages for many years to relax me and this time I left the woman hands, elbows were not consistent and didn’t message the area correctly and I don’t feel this woman had experience in back message especially for the spine, before the treatment i mentioned I had skeletal issues to the spine and didn’t take care of these areas correctly so I’m left feeling worse. Shoulder and neck was very much all over the place. The facial was correct in terms of applying and removing the treatment etc. At the end of the treatment it didn’t end like a normal 5 star...

Hadn't been back to this hotel since 2019 and flew to London for business trip but decided to stay here for the weekend (two nights) on our way from a business trip in NY and to the week ahead in London. We arrived Friday morning on an early red-eye and because the hotel was sold out the prior night (buy-out) they asked us to make ourselves at home in the spa until noon when the main house would open up. They held our bags and directed us to the spa and the experience was sublime.||We were wondering what we'd do on the heels of a red-eye and without the ability to check in until 3 or use the main house until 12. Not to worry. The spa was heaven.||We went to the cafe; they arranged two 90 minute massages for us. After the massage we ate a light lunch, (DIVINE) and then enjoy resting by the pool. We ended up back at the main house around 2 and into our room by 3 and voila! Magic and after a thoroughly divine morning. ||They upgraded us to a junior suite in the stable area and once we arrived we were skittish about the two-story layout especially with stairs between the bedroom loft and bathroom which was downstairs off the living room. Both my husband and I were uneasy about that set up in the middle of the night as heading down stairs to the restaurant in the dark wasn't something were comfortable with. We asked if they had another accommodation and they were so gracious about making a move for us. We ended up in the main house in a perfect room! Voila! ||The room was spacious, airy, bright. Amazing bed, linen, towels, amenities. They had some snacks awaiting us, brought extra towels, coffee etc. as needed. || Within 24 hours of arriving I came down with a virus and they were amazing about extending our stay a night. Chef made me broth, otherwise very accommodating and helpful given unplanned circumstances of me flat on my back with a virus needing to cancel my onward stay in London. ||They made accommodations for us one more night but because they had another buy-out couldn't keep us on property for the rest of our stay. But they were super helpful in arranging for us to go to Heckfield Place. Honestly their service and hospitality helping my husband reserve the room, arrange the transfer, asking Heckfield to upgrade us so we had a larger room given I was flat on my back in room the entire week and my husband could benefit from a bit more space. They helped arrange for us to be accommodated by an early check in so I could just slip from one bed to another = magic. I was super sick the entire week and they made a terrible situation so much better. ||Rooms at Coworth Park just as we remember. Fresh, clean. Sparkle. Service in the restaurant amazing. Spa AMAZING - and then after 24 hours I became ill so little to report other than an amazing place to try to rest up and they helped us turn a bad situation into an easier one. Love this place and would go back in a heartbeat. Honestly a double stay at Coworth Park to Heckfield Place.... sublime! The staff at both properties is amazing. Both are magic and thank you Coworth for an amazing experience under the...