Whatley Manor Reviews

We drove all the way from London to WHATLEY MANOR, the location is really rural bit quiet. IT IS A VERY BEAUTIFUL MANOR SINCE 1929. We booked a suite room and upgraded to extra single bed for my son and cost 150£, which is considered very expensive. We booked for 2 nights and it cost us 1500£, [ breakfast included ] in my opinion is very pricey for this location. I think their selling points are spa, sauna, thermal room , hydro pool but for Asian , it is too common for us.The beds are very comfortable, room is very spacious and cozy, provide good quality amenities. They have really beautiful garden good for walking and reading books. Beside price, everything is good.

Absolutely incredible hotel! The staff were all helpful and friendly. The room was gorgeous and comfortable. I'd stay her again in a heartbeat! We spoiled ourselves with the Dining experience, and it was fabulous! I'm coeliac and it's there first time I've felt truly catered for. The spa facilities were also excellent.

This is a truly wonderful English country hotel, and one that sticks to its traditions and roots. It is certainly a place at which I will stay again, if in the area. The welcome was very friendly and super-efficient, with a real personal touch. There was also ample parking, as well as someone to park the car should you so wish. I think they might invest in another couple of charging stations, though, since the numbers of plug-in hybrids and EVs will only increase and there are only two chargers at the moment. The room was fabulous; large and very comfortable. There were free soft drinks in the mini-bar and a very good range of amenities, together with ample hanging and shelf space. The bathroom was looking a little tired, and in need of a refresh. However, I liked the products that were on offer, and appreciated that there were no fiddly bottles of (eco-unfriendly) soap, shampoo and conditioner. Breakfast was absolutely excellent, and we really appreciated the fact that the room was always made up and ready once we had returned from breakfast. The lounge area was a treat; spacious and comfortable and the perfect spot for afternoon tea or to read the papers or a book. There was a slight tendency for staff to hide in the bar area, and a slightly more proactive look-out for customers in the lounge was sometimes needed. The gardens are also an absolute delight.

It was a long time bucket list item to visit Whatley Manor and our stay definitely lived up to our expectations. From the first moment we received very professional but at the same time friendly and personal service. The room was fantastic and the gardens are obviously stunning. We also very much enjoyed the well equipped gym and spa. Food at Greys is delicious (both for breakfast and dinner) and the gluten free afternoon tea is a must (especially the scones). We would love to visit again.

We stayed for one night to celebrate our wedding anniversary on the "Starry Night" package which included a half bottle of sparkling wine and tasting menu. We booked a Classic Room which overall was fine but lacked some basic facilities, i.e. there was no dressing table with mirror to sit at and do your hair/makeup and the room was north facing and very dim with having no decent lighting. There are no overhead lights, just 3 dim table lamps and a 90's style standing lamp which uses the only really accessible plug, therefore to dry your hair you have to plug the hairdryer into the standing lamp socket (and pray there is enough daylight to see what you're doing as you can't use both) and use the wardrobe mirror as shown in the attached pic. We had fresh milk in the fridge for tea/coffee and more was brought without being asked which was a nice touch. The bed was very comfy with good quality linens and we slept well. The grounds and garden are beautiful, so well kept and perfect for a stroll before dinner. We visited the spa on on arrival (early access was included in the package ) and facilities were very nice and clean and we enjoyed a light lunch which was very tasty before I had a pre-booked facial. The treatment was fine (I've had more facials in my time than I'd like to admit!) but did feel it was overpriced even taking the location into account. The highlight of the stay was the 7 course tasting menu. We chose the matching wine flight to accompany it and the whole evening was just splendid; quality, taste and presentation of the food and the friendly professional staff to deliver the whole experience. Actually being in the kitchen for one of the courses was a genius touch, so clever! Overall we very much enjoyed our stay and would return but at this price point being able to see and blow dry my hair easily should be included in the room rate!

It can be a little bit worrying going back to a place where you have had a previous wonderful experience - will it live up to expectations? Expectations were even surpassed. Whatley is an amazing place from the building itself to the people looking after you; from the reception, the lovely lady cleaning the windows, the gardeners – the dining crews - absolutely everyone and not forgetting chef Ricki Weston – they all have time for you. The hotel is pure serenity – if you cannot relax at Whatley, then you’ll never relax anywhere. Please visit – relax – above all, feel treasured - enjoy!

An absolutely exquisite manor hotel with many amenities and exceptional staff. From our arrival where Sebastian squired us around to introduce us to the hotel to our departure, staff were accommodating, professional and yet accessible. We had a superior room with a very comfortable bed and seating area. The bathroom was stocked with everything you could need. Afternoon tea was wonderful and they did a fabulous job accommodating my gluten/cow dairy allergies. One piece of feedback- The artificial scent which permeated the Manor was brutal on my allergies. It was strong and even included in my laundry. (Which I could not wear upon its’ return) Please consider a natural clean scent. We would totally love to return but after three days of exposure to the scent (and a dozen allergy pills) I would have to consider that.

This is a great example of what a country manor in the Cotswolds can be like. The rooms are large and comfortable and the grounds are simply amazing. Beautiful gardens all around the property to enjoy. The breakfast was more than enough to last the entire day and the service was excellent too. We thoroughly enjoyed our time here.

We had a two night stay with the culinary package to celebrate a special birthday, and it was everything we could have hoped for and more. I was actually a bit overwhelmed by how amazing it was. A real touch of luxury, excellent service, delicious food, and beautiful grounds. The room was warm and cosy, bathroom well equipt. A nice touch was a little birthday cake waiting for us on arrival. Breakfasts and dinners were perfect. We had a full day at the spa and the massage was lovely! Good facilities (although small) and nice that drinks are brought to the loungers. We had lunch at the spa too and it was good. Not the same quality, but did the job! If I had to find an area for improvement (and believe me I am scraping the barrel) it would be to say to get better spare razors...I forgot mine and the hotel were kind enough to provide, but it was so basic it practically scraped the skin off! Just a small thing, but maybe it's worth considering? I would go back in a heartbeat!

We only did an overnight stay but from start to finish it was a great experience. We took advantage of their Thursday night offer which was dinner in the Michelin-starred restaurant + B&B plus 1/2 bottle of fizz which for this quality was excellent value! The room was spacious overlooking the courtyard with a very comfortable bed. Unsurprisingly the dinner was superb we opted for the wine pairings which the sommelier matched brilliantly. A good breakfast the next day finished a lovely stay. Our first visit an dit will not be our last.

We had the most wonderful time celebrating my husband's 70th birthday. The accommodation, food, service, spa and ambiance were all faultless. We experienced the tasting menu in The Dining Room and "experience" is the word; this is food as art and a full-on sensory experience. One of the most attractive aspects of this hotel is that it is a small country house hotel (although the spa beats those in most other much larger establishments), as a result you feel as though you have arrived at a friend's lovely home in order to relax and/or celebrate your special event. It feels private and other guests do not impinge on your enjoyment as there are so many different areas in which to relax and be by yourselves. Whilst it is not cheap it is definitely, IMHO, excellent value for money for a special celebration. I hope that we will be able to return in the future and, in the meantime, I would recommend it without hesitation to those seeking an authentic experience.

We spent a wonderful afternoon at Whatley manor to celebrate my mums 80th and my daughters 18th. We had the most amazing afternoon tea and relaxing time. We enjoyed exploring the stunning gardens and were lucky to have a sunny dry day. The staff were friendly and looked after us wonderfully. The afternoon tea was superb.

Whatley Manor is a converted 17th century manor set in acres of beautiful grounds. There's a real feeling of understated elegance here, helped by the fact that the staff are so professional and welcoming. In fact, I think you can tell a lot about a place by how happy the staff seem and without exception everyone we talked to at Whatley Manor loved to chat about their work, whether it be the history of the building or the dishes on the menu. (And who can blame them? More of which in a moment...) From the wait staff - and indeed the chef himself - at the restaurants, to front of house, we were made to feel welcome at every point during our stay. A particular shout-out is due to Michele Mella, the charming general manager, who drove us in his own car to our friend's wedding, 25 minutes drive away, when the local taxi firm cancelled on us at the last minute. Not only that, but they refused to charge us for it. Now that's service. Rooms are spacious, comfortable and quiet, with none of the creakiness around the edges you can sometimes get from older hotels. The spa is gorgeous and the gardens even more so. They're lovely wander around, including a butterfly garden and some thoughtfully hidden away little reading nooks, complete with lanterns for you to light once the sun goes down. We ate at The Dining Room on one night and the more casual Grey's on the other. Both are excellent but The Dining Room is truly superb, more than deserving of its Michelin star. Allow three hours or more for the full experience but I promise it will fly by. Anything I'd like to see done differently? No... although we did have a very interesting conversation with Michele about his idea of turning part of the dining area into a wine bar serving little tapas style nibbles. That would be a great addition, a space with a more intimate vibe than the spacious (and, it must be said, very comfortable) lounge bar. I have no idea if it'll happen, but I guess we'll just have to keep coming back to check whether it does. And that's definitely no hardship at all.

My friend and I stayed to celebrate our big birthdays and took advantage of the Sunday Spacation deal. The room was lovely and spacious and a wonderful big bathroom with Molton brown goodies. Beds were very comfortable. Room was a little on the warm side for two women of a certain age! The Dining Room experience was excellent and going into the kitchen was a lovely surprise. Staff were very good and very knowledgable about the food. Service was excellent. We have visited the spa a number of times over the last 10 years and whilst the staff were lovely and experience still nice, there are a couple of things to note: 1) Algae growing on the top tiles of the pool near the opening to the outside part of the pool. Clearly needs a good clean; 2) Sun beds inside need moving and cleaning underneath - clear to see dust when in the pool; 3) It would be nice as a returning customer if the hotel acknowledged this. As a 5star hotel I think they should know who their returning customers are as part of the service and shouldn’t be constantly asking “Have you been here before?” A very expensive 1 night stay which I enjoyed but I think the hotel has some areas to address and are not quite as good as they think they are.