Mercure Newbury Elcot Park

Just had a short stay at 'The Retreat' Elcot Park. Whilst I found the staff helpful and accommodating, there were a couple of things that soured our stay... Namely the breakfast served on cold plates and served in very heavy le cruset dishes which were very heavy to move and as I am disabled and my mother is 88 with mobility issues this was definitely a downside... The lift was out of order so no trip to the spa for us..... The best part of our stay was the delicious Halibut we ate of Friday evening...

We went for a casual lunch yesterday. The team are always delightful and happy, especially Corina who’s sunny and “nothing is too much trouble” attitude is one of the reasons we keep returning. The food is excellent, especially yesterday’s Halibut which was cooked to perfection. I would highly recommend. Victoria

At first glance, when booking, this hotel appeared to be the perfect place to spend our money for a lovely experience. We won't be doing that again! The spa area is dirty, with the water full of hair and dead flies—which was the case every single time we visited, both right after opening in the morning, in the afternoon, and towards the evening. Furthermore, there was old grime on the tiles. The saunas were fine. The service is on the same low level as the cleaning; unless you book a wellness treatment and throw more money their way, you won't get their attention. The restaurant didn't do much better. Dirty tablecloths, and the chef can't cook a steak to order. Their premium meat—and the most expensive item on the menu—was tough and gristly, and the servers lack the finesse you would expect from a professional hotel restaurant. Plated food was placed randomly in front of guests rather than served properly, as you would expect at such an establishment. To top it off, the waiter started clearing the table before the rest of the party had finished eating. Free parking. No airconditioning.