Ideal for a family

I disagree with some of the more recent reviews and agree with some things. This is where trip advisor is really wonderful in being able to see various sides of a vacation. Let me start by saying I booked my room via luxurylink. My stay was for 3 nights (Nov. 19-21) and included dinner one evening, breakfast and a spa treatment. I also must add that we traveled with our 2 children, ages 8 and 10. Upon arrival and check-in we were taken to our room which was #15 at the top of the manor house (main facility). The room was one of the largest for a family of 4 that we've encountered in Europe. The girls had very nice beds with down comfortors and their own TV and sitting area. Down a long hallway was the room I shared with my husband and it also had another TV which was wonderful for us come evening hours when the girls retired early. I do admit that the carpeting in the room was threadbare in spots and could stand to be replaced but overall the room was clean and well decorated. I only found a bit of mildew in the shower which I made the staff aware of upon departure. Our room was well heated and I found the entire facility very comfortable. We had temps in the 20s-30s during our stay and rain so it was pretty yucky outside. The shower water was also very hot. Dinner in the restaurant was very well done and the presentation of the dishes were excellent. They even had a nice children's menu. I agree that the wine list was minimal and the service was slow, but overall it was a pleasant dining experience for the food cost. The breakfast buffet in the a.m. was also well done. I also had a 1/2 hour massage and 1/2 hour facial and found the spa area to be very nice. There were limited hours for the children to swim in the pool but that was fine and the pool was very nice along with the steam room and sauna. This manor home is from the 1600s so the steps do creak but that is part of the overall package. Granted, we stayed on the top floor so we did have a quiet stay compared to those that may be on the other floors. Do I think this is a 4 or 5 star facility - no. A bit of remodeling needs to take place in the rooms for me to classify it as such. Being out in the country a bit more does make it less "tourist like" and far more enjoyable of a stay. I have family in the area so we visit quite often and I will return here given the room size and overall value for a family. Beware that they do add a 5% gratuity on the bill and we did the "tip as you go" so this was removed. We were also surprised to find charges for the newspaper that appeared outside of our door and for local telephone calls. There is also no safe, mini bar or wall hairdryer (one was found in the drawer) but they did have nice white robes for use and provided turn-down service. I think they are trying to be a luxury hotel but they do have a bit of ways to go in that respect but we did have a memorable stay.

Hotel is promises a lot more than it offers

The hotel is rundown, carpets threadbare. heating did not work, although it was freezing no fires lit in the common rooms.

The room was nice, but next to a cesspit which made a lot of noise, never mind the smell!!

The distance from the room to the Spa or other common rooms was far and one had to go outside, for 200 yards, not nice coming from the swimming pool and it is raining outsiede and cold.

Tje celebrated food was bad, far to salty and no attention to details, paper napkins.

The breakfast was nothing special, service inddifferent. I would not recommend this hotel to anyone.

Good food dreadful room

Stayed last weekend. Hotel itself is aesthetically pleasing and gardens are very pleasant. Enjoyed excellent meal in the restaurant and service was top notch. However, our bedroom was dreadful. 1980's peach decor with cobwebs and spider webs all over the place ranging from the shower head to the windows and mirrors. Peeling paintwork in the bathroom and no heat despite 3 requests to the front desk. The entire corridor of rooms was without heat and it was a cold weekend. Room was far from four star standards - more like a 2 at most. Would go back to the restaurant but wouldn't stay there again.

Style over substance

I recently spent a night at Billesley Manor to celebrate my wedding anniversary, and despite the obvious aesthetic qualities, my stay was overshadowed by poor quality accomodation and a short, but extremely expensive wine list.

The location is spectacular, and the gardens and main house promise much in the way of luxury.

The Spa facilities are excellent, with my wife extremely complimentary about the quality of service she received.

Unfortunately the hotel seems to have forgotten about the basic facilities which can make or break a weekend away, namely the room and the restaurant.

Our room was situated in the barn conversion close to the main house and suffered from being in close proximity to a stagnant pool. The stench was overwhelming at times, particularly in the afternoon.

The room was finished in a modern style, and the bathroom was extremely appealing ... right up until the moment you wanted to take a shower. The shower was the worst I have ever experienced with wildly fluctuating pressure and temperature both in the morning and evening.

Given that the hotel was full and was unable to offer us an alternative room, we eventually settled on using the facilities within the Spa.

The food in the restaurant was fine, but the main bone of contention was the wine list. The choice was limited, and those wines which were available were ridiculously over-priced, a fact which was exacerbated by the addition of a 5% service charge. We ended up paying £37 for a bottle of wine which can be picked up for less than a tenner at your local Tesco's.

I cannot recommend Billesley Manor for a weekend away, and I imagine it will suffer when the new spa hotel being built just down the road opens in 2005.

Idyllic setting

We have just returned from a weekend at Billesley Manor celebrating a wedding. It is a beautiful country setting and most of the staff are wonderful especially their resident barman James....deserves to be manager as nothing was too much trouble even at 2am. Ask for a room overlooking the fountain. Just so romantic.

Beautiful (if pricey) manor and grounds - spa provincial

Beautiful old manor house and grounds...impeccably kept, Breakfast was a true experience...and the staff was helpful and friendly. The only slight negative was that the spa was provincial and services were not to be expected from a first class hotel. Overall, the stay was lovely and a bit pricey. We loved the outdoor dining area, the paneled interior dining area, and the fountain and grounds. I suggest the country walk into stratford upon avon, about 5 of the loveliest and pastoral miles you could wish for. All in all, started our european vacation off with a smile and memories of this hotel are warm and impressive

Nice hotel and grounds, shame about shower and breakfast

Hi, I booked this hotel for a special trip for my girlfriend's birthday - we were going to see Romeo and Juliet at the theatre in Stratford.

The hotel itself is lovely and the grounds are too. We were in the nearby building which was modern and clean. Our only issues were i) The shower which switched between scaldingly hot and freezing cold (busy on Sunday morning maybe?!) and ii) The breakfast was a bit soggy and had to ask 3 times for coffee and toast by which time we'd finished.

Probably great- when quiet. Avoid when busy.

Tried to check in- very busy and had given our room to someone else.

Eventually gave us a standard room (had booked executive).Room had mildew in 1970's tiled bathroom and peeling wallpaper.Compensation, after some cajoling, was a bottle of wine. On plus side food was excellent. Strangely run establishment- would not go back.

Delightful

I would whole-heartedly agree with the above comment. My husband & I got married at Billesley Manor last Summer, and had a wonderful day & stay here. A lot of our guests also commented on the picturesque venue & the hight quality of service from the staff. An American relative also joined us, she loved the history & relics displayed throughout the hotel.

Pure Class

We visited the Billesley Manor Hotel in May 2003, to celebrate my wife's birthday.

The hotel is excellent in every way. Beautiful building, beautiful grrounds and topiary gardens, and excellent service. We had a four-poster room overlooking the gardens. It was large and luxurious, but still retained it's character. Wood panelling and creaking flor-boards added to it's charm.

The service was always polite, and immediate. As if the staff knew in advance when you would need them.

The food in the restaurant was also excellent, and again, the service was exceptional. Polite yet unobtrusive staff providing just what we wanted, when we wanted it.

I would heartily recommend this hotel.It's not cheap, but it's worth every penny of the cost.