Best Western The Dartmouth Hotel, Golf & Spa — Hotel in South Hams

With a rating of 3 stars, the Dartmouth Best Western falls into the realm of "acceptable," primarily owing to its mixed attributes. £450 for a night encompassing a 3-course meal, spa access, and three treatments per person initially seemed promising, aligning with the expectations set by the website and pre-visit interactions with the hotel.

Upon arrival, the hotel's immediate impression is one of wear and tear, indicating a need for refurbishment or, at the very least, a thorough cleaning and fresh coat of paint. Despite our flexibility in accepting dated accommodations, the discrepancy between the pricing and the quality of the facilities became apparent. The Best Western Dartmouth, priced similarly to superior establishments, seemingly lacked the expected level of sophistication, aligning more with budget options priced at £60 to £90 per night including evening meal and breakfast.

The dining experience was a significant disappointment, considering the investment made and the fact that it was my wifes birthday. The 3-course meal, integral to our luxury spa and hotel stay, disappointed with its subpar quality, resembling more of a café offering than a premium dining experience. The separate set menu in which we were limited to the disappointment was only added to the disappointment. Breakfast, while delayed, showcased commendable service from a staff member who had not been there the day before (glasses, dark hair).

On a positive note, the spa treatments proved to be a redeeming aspect, offering value for money with well-maintained and clean facilities. However, the overall service failed to elevate the experience. Despite a substantial expenditure of close to £500 for a romantic spa retreat, the staff's subdued demeanour and lack of proactive engagement left us feeling unnoticed.

The following day, we stayed at a Hilton, priced similarly to the Best Western for bed and breakfast pricing, highlighted a stark contrast in customer service, warmth, facility quality, and attention to detail. We got a little gift in our room, and the staff were lovely throughout and very attentive. And when we mentioned it had been my wife's birthday the day before, we got complimentary drinks.

In essence, while the Best Western excels in its potential as a golfing venue, boasts a commendable spa, and provides satisfactory room accommodations, the overarching concerns lie in the dated and dilapidated state of the hotel, the basic quality of the food offerings, and the disparity between the perceived luxury and the actual experience, all while maintaining rates that suggest a more...

I Booked what I thought would be a relaxing spa day for my daughter and I. This was part of her 21st birthday present. On arriving at the country club the first thing that I noticed was how dirty and sticky the hand rail was on the stairs down to the spa. Also the white wood dado rail was very dusty as were the spa promotion boards on the stairs. Once inside the reception area we could see lots of young children splashing around in the pool and it was very noisy. At this point I would have left, but I did not want to spoil the day for my daughter who had been looking forward to our relaxing day together. We given gowns, towels and flip flops. My gown had no loops for the belt which was rather annoying as each time I went to take it off the belt fell to the floor. On a positive note I must say that all the staff were lovely and I had a deep tissue massage which was good. The therapist found all the tight muscles and worked hard to loosen them. My daughter had opted for a head massage. She said that the door to the 'quiet area' had been wedged open and while she was having her treatment she could hear noisy children going past to the changing rooms.

The changing facilities were filthy, the cubicle smelled of urine, there was swimwear stickers on the wall and it looked like it hadn't been properly cleaned since it opened. This was 10am it should have been clean. One hairdryer was broken. One toilet near the bar had no tissue in at all although the holder could accommodate at least two. I saw a lady come and mop the floor in the changing room with a mop, but there was no water in her mop bucket let alone detergent. There were dead flies and wasps along the far pool side together with grit and dust. Dusty relaxation area and throws that had seen better days. I paid £130 + for this experience via Groupon....

Potential to be amazing !

Hotel is dated and needs upgrading- although the rooms are very good with space and comfy beds. The overall look of the hotel needs a bit of a facelift but this will come with time.

Bar needs a bit of a facelift but is functional - could do with a seperate dining space.

Pool table was a bit messed up and cue was broken. And other than the golf they offer little in terms of entertainment.

Good showers and beds so the sleep was perfect.

With a bit of investment and tidying up this place could be amazing !!

Spa is basic but effective - one big positive of this place is the food !! The food was fantastic and the meal included in the package was great value for money. Breakfast is basic and not the greatest but three course dinner was superb

Location is a bit secluded which is both a blessing and a curse - some of The roads in and out are terrible !!

Golf

Really hard to score this one !!

Tee boxes are awful and in my opinion let the course down a bit- the bunkers are also out of sorts and seem to have the wrong sand in ?

Barring those two issues the potential of this course is brilliant - lots of undulating fairways - tricky tee shots - tight fairways - small greens. This really is a gem of a course in terms of layout and it’s a shame the tees were a bit ropey and the general repairing of other players pitch marks was a bit of a an issue.

Played off both the blues and the whites - really does change the course up and we had two days of completely different weather - day one wind and rain off the whites brutal test-

Day two sun and calm - off the blues- really enjoyable and still tricksy.

Would love to go back in the future and value for money wise...