Splash Landings Hotel — Hotel in Staffordshire Moorlands

It's rare that I'll leave a review like this, but next time we go to Alton towers on a 2-day ticket. I'll stay elsewhere..

The positives:

The arrival hosts - very welcoming and knowledgeable, clearly enjoy putting a smile on people's faces.

The waterpark - This was great and a lot of fun (at an additional cost), and has to be pre-booked, I booked this stay 4 months in advance and had to book the waterpark for the moment the park opened (10am) on our arrival day even though we couldn't check-in til 1pm, and that would have been 3pm if id not paid additional again for an early check-in, because this was the only slot available, annoying but didn't spoil our fun.

The entertainment - Really good singers and great interaction with the kids at the disco.

Yan - Breakfast Hero, I'll explain later.

Negatives:

The room - it's just not worth the money. We had a beachcomber room. Whilst the bed was comfortable enough & the decor/theme was fun. It needs a good clean and a paint job, looks worn out. The hairdryer didn't work, literally smoking after 30 seconds use. The iron had a crack in it and just leaked water immediately. Mould around the bath unit, little orange stains on one of the pillows and an awful sewage smell intermittently entering the room. Not good enough for the price paid.

Dining - Flambo Jambos restaurant. Dinner must be pre-booked in advance, as must your breakfast that comes with your stay, without this, expect a hefty wait to be seated. All good if the booking system worked. The app wouldn't recognise my booking code so it wasn't letting me pre-book meals nearer our arrival date, and the front desk also couldn't assist with this and advised us to speak to the 'FMJ team' (Flambo Jambos I guess?). So we had dinner very very late that night, and at a fraction under £30.00 a head (the only option, an all you can eat buffet) it was really overpriced for what it was, and for what we ate with it being so late.

I'd had the same issue pre-booking our breakfast. Fortunately, I managed to catch one of the team (Yan) very early before they opened in the morning and he was able to book us a table for our pre-paid breakfast at a normal time, at the restaurant front desk. This was better all around, and we enjoyed this.

Staying on dining - Ma Garritas bar. On arrival day and still with time to kill after our swim, before we could check-in, we went to the in-house bar for a drink and a bit of lunch. It was just a weird experience. Id asked if they did almond or oat milk instead of dairy for my wife's tea (as she can't have it) the gent serving originally said yes, and off he went to make us our drinks before being stopped and overruled by his senior who said can't serve that here, that's only for in the restaurant downstairs?

Then it got a little weirder... The gentleman serving me literally dribbled saliva down his chin and down onto his shirt whilst taking my food choices without even noticing. I asked him if he was ok?.. and he just gave me a blank stare, with saliva still dangling from his lip. Then told me the price of my order. Which as you'd expect, put me off the lunch we'd just ordered. He then was unable to get the till system to work and was taken off by his senior. Weird/Gross. For obvious reasons I couldn't help but keep an eye on him to see if he entered the kitchen where our food was being prepped. He didn't.

Other facilities -

Arcade - it's ok, a small spot with some games/slots/coin machines, that is absolutely rammed with guests struggling to get a seat for dinner, or waiting for a time-slot. Quite a few games out of order though which was a bit disappointing.

Snack shop - overpriced. £4 for a bag of chocolates that you can buy for £1-£2 anywhere else. Kind of expect it though.

Overall -

With a very excitable little girl in tow, none of this really spoilt our visit to Alton towers, the park itself is still a lot of fun, as was the waterpark. I just don't think I'll ever stay at the on-site...

Just arrived at the hotel, was approached by a member of staff asking if i checked in online. I explained i haven't recieved any emails etc and I booked over the phone he walked me to the desk and asked a lady to check me in. Now check in time i was told was 3pm when discussed on the phone, they were clear any time from 3pm I would be able to check in and I asked many times to be sure. The lady at the desk responded to her colleague saying she would deal with me, after he walked away she continued blowing up balloons taking her time. Left me waiting a good while, didn't bother to approach the member of staff that walked me to the desk returned and told her she needed to serve me as I have been waiting for ages. She finally looked at me and said 'in a moment' came out to the front and snatched a wheel she claimed had been 'left out by staff and shouldn't have been there' (other children were playing with it the whole time I was waiting, she only did this when my child started playing with it). Then she continued pumping balloons! I have 2 children with ASD and preping is essential to them, along with a 4 year old that was getting rather inpatient too. Again i confirmed when booking the room would be ready by 3pm. She finally asked my surname, clearly pretended to type it in barely touching the keyboard from afar, quickly responded with 'yeah your rooms not ready alright then' ...indicating the conversation was over to brush me off! I was baffled baring in mind i paid for the ICE AGE room which is expensive and should've been ready in a timely manner. I tried to explain that i confirmed over the phone that 3pm it would be ready by and I have children with ASD that I've prepared saying 3pm. Left the park to get to the hotel on time but she just tried her best to practically yell over me saying 'NO IT'S FROM 3 ONWARDS AND NOTHING CAN BE DONE, BEST TO COME BACK LATER' walked away, carried on pumping balloons on the side. I had to reapproach her again trying my best to prevent a meltdown for my 2 children and my 4 year old. She simply didn't care at all and then said 'so could be anytime after 3pm it doesn't necessarily mean room will be ready at 3pm we can have it ready anytime after that too, could be looking at a couple of hours, try again 4:30-5pm'. I have never heard of anything so ridiculous in all my life. I travel a lot with my children and have always checked in at the time stated and have never been told it's up to the hotel to have the room ready whenever they feel like it. In other words I could be waiting until late evening with young and disabled children for a paid room that should've been ready at 3pm! This is the most outrageous service I have ever recieved in my life, most inconsiderate and appalling by far! The lady at the desk beside me hearing all of this asked me to come to her desk and surprise surprise my room was ready! As I was finally checking in a member of staff got the wheel back out and asked people that just arrived to start spinning a wheel they had won teddies, fast tacks etc. No one asked me or my children to do this so my partner had asked if we could too, we were told 'that was the last spin of the day come back tomorrow'. We had been there coming up to an hour with all the palava we had dealt with! During this I could hear the rude lady that was serving me first saying to another member of staff 'the computers not working' which confirmed to me she didn't even check if the room was ready! Finally getting the room key (you have to pay a £5 deposit for which was mentioned nowhere), got to the room. The standard of the room was awful! The blinds are broken, barely any light was let in the room, it was hurting my children eyes. They have needs needing to be met and I couldn't even let light in, one child has sight impairment too! Not much lighting in the room itself too. There's 3 tv's and 1 remote was missing! The room itself is small. There isn't any air conditioning and it...

We’ve stayed at the Splash Landings Hotel many times over the years (and at the Alton Towers Hotel too), albeit with decreasing frequency as prices have crept up. That said, we managed to bag a last-minute deal and were glad to return.||One of the biggest perks of staying on-site is early access to the theme park – one hour before it opens to the public. Top tip: you get this early access on both days of your stay, not just the day after check-in as we’d assumed. So do try to arrive early on your first day to make the most of it!||The room was clean and tidy, complete with the classic Caribbean theming that Splash Landings is known for. We were lucky enough to have a lovely view overlooking the outdoor waterpark – it genuinely made us feel like we were abroad. A small but appreciated touch: the complimentary toiletries smelled like sun cream, which added to the holiday vibe.||A special shout-out to Peter at concierge, who was an absolute delight. Warm, welcoming, and full of energy – meeting him was a highlight of our stay.||Breakfast was basic but decent – think sausages, hash browns, eggs and toast. We would’ve appreciated some healthier options like porridge, fruit or yogurt, but understand that most guests are probably after a hearty full English to fuel their day.||In terms of hotel quality, there was once a time when the Alton Towers Hotel was considered the “posher” option, but honestly, we’d say both hotels now offer an equal standard of accommodation and service.||For dinner, we booked the Secret Garden Restaurant at the Alton Towers Hotel. The food was nice, and the staff were friendly, but service was painfully slow. Fortunately, the manager was understanding and knocked 25% off the bill without us even asking, which we really appreciated.||If we had one main observation, it’s that the whole resort has become very child-focused. While that’s great for families, it does make it harder for adult guests to enjoy a more relaxed, quieter evening. Both hotels now feel more like lively kids’ clubs. Without sounding too miserable, it would be nice if the Alton Towers Hotel could offer an adults-only bar or lounge area – just a peaceful space away from the hustle and bustle.||We also took advantage of the complimentary crazy golf, which was a fun little addition to the stay. The course itself was colourful and entertaining, and it’s a nice touch to have something extra to do outside of the main attractions. That said, the experience could definitely be improved with better crowd management. There did not seem to be any system in place to control the flow of players, so we ended up waiting a long time between each hole. In the end, we gave up halfway through as it became more frustrating than fun. A booking system or timed entry slots might help prevent bottlenecks and keep things moving more smoothly.||Final tip: book your breakfast early. We ate at 7:30am and it was moderately busy but manageable. By 8:00am, the restaurant was absolutely heaving, with long queues forming quickly.||All in all, a fun nostalgic trip with lots to enjoy – just perhaps not the best option if you’re after a quiet,...