Balmer Lawn

More details and family-friendly reviews on my blog 'The Frenchie Mummy' and on Instagram @thefrenchiemummy. So Google it and have a look there too. Merci! What a beautiful place! We saw it from outside with the impressive building and once we were in, I fell in love with the decor, very chic! The food was very good and both waitresses who served us were very friendly, happy to talk about the local area and things to do etc. We did not stay at the hotel but the spa looked good too.

This hotel was booked as a surprise spa break for my partners birthday. First impressions in the lobby were good but we walked into a tired dated room with a view of the roof below. Wallpaper was peeling off numerous walls and the ceiling, the light switches were filthy, plastic was peeling off the headboard, there was mould in the bathroom, grubby chair arms, a paracetamol packet was down the side of the bed. Towels were old and hard. Disappointed, we visited the pool area and found that to be the same, cold, uninviting, no cushions on the plastic loungers. We complained to reception and were offered other rooms, we refused as we were disappointed we had been allocated a room that wasn't fit for use in the first place and were put off by what we had seen already. We requested a refund and this was duly given. The reception/manager was helpful with our complaint and said he would speak to the cleaners. This wasn't solely a cleaning issue, but poor maintenance and upkeep. Certainly not what we expected from a 4-star rated hotel at over £200 a night.

We booked a room for a wedding at the hotel. We really enjoyed our stay. The wedding went well, the food was excellent and the breakfast the next morning was really great. The staff were excellent and a credit to the hotel. There are only a couple of comments. I would have expected there to be face cloths (flannels) in the bathroom for the amount we paid. The television reception was really bad. We only got a watchable signal on BBC1 and 2. We didn't spend long enough in the room to worry at the time. (Room 41). The other comment I would make is that the bed was a double bed, when it could have been a king size. A few extra inches or centimetres makes all the difference to a comfortable nights sleep. One thing you could consider in the future when you are doing upgrade work is to install a comfort hight toilet pan. They are much more comfortable to use when you are at retirement age and your legs and hips don't work so well.

Spent Easter at Balmer Lawn which also coincided with our Wedding Anniversary and recuperation from major surgery. Can’t think of a better place to aid recovery. We missed Maria on reception, however Jack and the other ladies were fantastic. Our room (no 7) has plenty of space and a lovely side view of the Forest. We ate in Beresfords each evening and the food was once again delicious. The spatchcock chicken for two was exceptional. Two mornings breakfast was A la carte which we really love but appreciate when very busy the buffet style is probably more practical. Food and drinks service was friendly and efficient. It is very difficult to pick out one team member when everyone works to such a high standard. Looking forward to a short visit in September as part of a longer holiday.

We visited Beresfords Restaurant with friends and received excellent service and a fantastic meal. The restaurant has recently been refurbished and was delightful. My friend chose to share the delicious whole seabass which was outstanding! The lamb was another highlight of the meal. Everyone agreed that the taste and the presentation of all the meals were excellent. We will definitely be visiting again.

Stayed at the hotel to celebrate my 40th birthday. I was a little worried due to some of the reviews, but we had nothing to worry about. All members of staff were extremely friendly and helpful. I had a massage booked at the spa and the time had to be changed due to staff sickness (can't be helped) but to say sorry for the inconvenience they gave me a gorgeous Espa gift box. Our room (room 12) was lovely with a very comfortable super king bed. We ate in the restaurant and the food and service were excellent. Breakfast was table service (for the cooked element) and buffet style for the continental etc. The cooked breakfast was really lovely. We also used the spa facilities when we were there, and we were happy with the pool/jacuzzi/sauna and gym.

Had a terrible stay earlier this month. Poor breakfast, which seems to be a common theme recently and an extremely dismissive and rude front of house called Poppy. Reading the reviews on here this seems to happen regularly and the owners response to every post makes it very clear that the terrible attitude comes right from the top. My major issue I am still awaiting a response on is finding soiled underwear in my bedroom. I guess you cannot guarantee the work of an individual cleaner but it was almost like they didn't believe me. I had to threaten to bring them down and place on reception. Still no apology or compensation, a response 'we will speak to the people involved' just does not not wash with me (excuse the pun). I'd advise guests to look elsewhere when visiting the forest. So many other options and in my experience all offer a better experience.

We stayed here for 2 nights and were disappointed in the attention to detail that we would expect from a 4 star hotel. 1, Robes supplied were too small and no slippers provided - We contacted reception and different robes were brought to the room, still no slippers?? 2, Breakfast on the first morning was poor, dried black pudding, inedible and dry bacon. They had clearly been left under the heat lamp too long. Second morning items were missed from the full breakfast and the sauces requested never appeared. This was mentioned to the waitress who did offer to provide however we were almost finished before we could get anyone's attention. 3, The tea tray was taken away after the first night and not returned so were just left with coffee pods. My husband had to go down to reception to ask for more because the phone in the room didn't work. 4, The face cloths were also removed after the first day and not replaced. 5, Disappointed that there was no safe in the room either. We ate in the restaurant both nights. I have to say the prices in the restaurant were very steep. £24 for a baked Camembert and £60 for a Spatchcock Chicken. I was disappointed not to see any locally produced products on the menu bearing in mind there is a farm shop and vineyard less than a mile down the road. Also the hefty service charge is a bit of a cheek, I prefer to tip based on what I think it deserves and not have this added. On a plus side the beds were comfy and the views were beautiful from the bedroom.

I asked by husband not to write a negative review of our weekend away last weekend. However having read the response of the owner I am very glad he did. Every attempt has been made to discredit his very honest assessment of our stay and every opportunity was given to your on duty staff to try to address our issues and deal with them without the need to leave a negative review. To confirm we stayed in January 23 and had a lovely time, we left a positive review. We then came in January 24 and had a disappointing roast dinner. You have tried to imply this was the same trip and that our second review contradicts the first. They clearly were not. Our disappointing experience evening meal you are correct, we should have flagged up at the time. Again my husband wanted to then and there but I told him not to. The waitress should have recognised she was taking away a plate of fat and asked if everything was ok. We did then report this to you Saturday at 10am, by Sunday 11am we had heard nothing. The breakfast was our main issue and again you have accidentally or deliberately confused our complaint. It was not a case of plating up food, there was no fresh meats, no fresh cheese, no fruit salad, no pan au chocolate and no apple juice or orange juice. My husband specifically asked if it would be topped up and was told it would be. Only one of the fruit juices was topped up before we left the restaurant 45 minutes later. There was no one on the front desk to escalate the complaint and reception was busy so we emailed all the details. With reference to paying for items in a supermarket it is a weird analogy. However if a supermarket had empty aisles we wouldn't spend any money. We would also take our business somewhere that could service us properly. It a supermarket sold us an item which was unfit for consumption we could take it back and get a refund. In the case of your food it was not acceptable but you still expected us to pay full price. The meeting my husband had at the front desk was not with a receptionist but with a member of management. Your team had 24 hours to look into our complaints but neither hadn't bothered or had dismissed them. We had booked this stay in November at allegedly best rate but you were selling the same deal £20 per night cheaper through March which rubs things in the noses of guests who had paid more. That you needed to reduce costs is no surprise after our experience. Rather than being quick to jump on our genuine review and disappointment please take things on board so that future guests do not feel short changed.