Fawsley Hall

I would go for 3.5 here if possible. A lovely location, doubtless. Service good throughout, though we bristled at being castigated by the lady who "welcomed" us into dinner by accusing us of being late to our table, whilst we had been enjoying drinks in the bar immediately adjacent for 20 mins waiting to be seated... Our room was unspectacular, despite having opted for a classic room "with feature" as an upgrade . I am still unsure whether the "feature" was the spare bed around the corner ( pointless, and out of sight) or the expanse of bare wall in front of our bed. No view, nothing special. Very comfortable bed, however. The Hall itself (stunning) was closed, with lights off when we went down to dinner at 7.15 on a Sunday evening... Why? This is the establishment's selling point, and the place everyone wants to sit with their pre dinner drink. A huge oversight. Food was of a good quality generally, whilst not being stunning. Hard poached eggs at breakfast were a disappointment. Afternoon tea was delightful. The spa is pleasant without delivering the luxury experience we hoped for given the price of our break. Treatments were, however, excellent . My advice here is that, having paid a substantial price for your break, don't expect to be treated as anything special. Welcome drink? No! Homemade biscuits in your room? No! Chocolates after dinner? Don"t be silly! Cost cutting is, clearly, the name of the game. I wanted to love this, but was, sadly, not altogether convinced. The high price and lack of value we felt it presented is represented in my score.

Beautifully restored manor house in lovely quiet surroundings with wonderful scenery. Friendly and welcoming staff, lovely clean, spacious and comfortable room (standard room with feature) with a coffee machine and a great shower and dressing gown and slippers provided. Wonderful dining rooms and hall and nice food. The spa was clean and not too busy and the outdoor jacuzzi was great. Thanks for a lovely relaxing stay!

This place holds very many fantastic memories and after this weekend, continues to tick so many boxes - across a broad spectrum of criteria. But…where it disappoints, it arguably shouldn’t do. First off and separately, I’ve read the most recent reviews of Fawsley Hall ; 2 sides to every story but too bad that the sofa bed guy wasn’t offered ‘something’ of a goodwill gesture - a simple and inexpensive pacifier like a spa treatment, would have been ‘decisively easy’ to offer. That it wasn’t is just poor judgement and reflects badly on leadership. The road directly accessing FH is a little unpredictable and certainly builds anticipation. Once parked, our welcome was warm & engaging and after a straightforward check in, we were soon ‘in residence’. A quirky room across from the main building, it delivered on comfort and in-room facilities. A nightlight for the stairs leading up to the bathroom would have been appreciated. The countryside surrounding the estate is soft & gently beautiful and some great walks taking in the nature, are literally on the doorstep. Don’t miss the quaint church 100 metres away - small, impactful and perfectly formed. Inside the Hall and there’s a grandeur at play that’s remarkable, not least, because for all its loftiness, nooks & crannies and imposing ‘stately home’ paintings, there’s a cosiness too. And so to Dinner. ‘Drinks’ in the bar was a pleasant enough experience - tasty and nicely different ‘snacks’ alongside service however, that was frustratingly & functionally forgettable. Sadly, the service didn’t up its ante once inside the Brasserie, itself somewhat lacking in atmosphere when compared to the Tudor rooms. The waiting guy did his job but in doing it, gave nothing of himself, which resulted in something of a stilted, one-dimensional interaction. And the food - pretty expensive for ‘just OK’. Presentation was good ; taste was lacking. Poor seasoning perhaps but not the case for the ice cream which was woefully bland. Same too for the scrambled egg at breakfast, albeit everything else hit the spot, including some really pleasant engagement from the staff. Rounding everything off was the Spa - nicely indulgent and a worthwhile complement to the general hospitality.