De Vere Hotel Oulton Hall

Had a lovely day spa and afternoon tea at Oulton Hall with my sister and sister in law as a birthday celebration. The Spa area was lovely and the staff were all very helpful and professional. Pool and steam rooms were all fabulous and we really like the relaxation room where you could chill out. We made the most of the spa area in the morning before our massages/facials, which were wonderful and made us feel very chilled, then headed to the Drawing Room for Afternoon Tea. We were very warmly greeted by the lovely Issam who showed us to our sofa and were served by the delightful Robbie. They were both attentive without being in your face and brought endless pots of tea as required. I particularly like the way the Afternoon Tea menu included the CVs and experience of all 3 Butlers: Issam, Robbie and Yousef. I think that is a lovely touch from the hotel and shows how much regard the hotel has for them. Well deserved. All the staff we encountered were a real credit to the hotel. We had a lovely day at Oulton Hall and look forward to the next one!

We stayed here for 2 nights while attending a family funeral nearby. The hotel is beautifully decorated, with immaculate grounds and friendly staff, so our first impressions were very good. Our double room was a good size with a comfortable bed, but the bathrooms definitely need updating. The shower screen was so small that water went all over the floor after every use. The biggest issue however, was the location of the room we were given. There was a plastic privacy screen covering our window, so we couldn’t see outside. We later discovered this was because there was an unsightly service area with bins and laundry carts directly below us. Unfortunately, this meant A LOT of noise, particularly between 5-8am on both mornings. There was frequent banging, vehicle noise and other general activity outside, which woke us early on both days. Not what we needed during an already tiring and emotionally draining stay. I appreciate we only booked a classic double room, but I don’t think any paying guests should be allocated these rooms without prior warning. They should be offered at a discounted rate due to noise levels if they have to be used. I’ve seen multiple other reviews from guests also complaining of this same issue, and the hotel responds sympathetically saying they’ll look into it. Clearly this isn’t happening and suggests the hotel either doesn’t care or take the issue of guests’ comfort and quality of sleep seriously. For this reason we wouldn’t recommend this hotel if you’re looking for a relaxing nights rest! Breakfast was also a huge disappointment. Two of the three coffee machines weren’t working, resulting in a 15-minute queue just for a coffee. With the machines out of order, table service for hot drinks should have been offered instead but we didn’t see this happening. After having waited so long in the drinks queue, we then discovered there was no bread for the toaster, no milk for cereal and no eggs left. There was no urgency to restock what had run out so we gave up waiting and made do with what was there. Tables weren’t being cleared after use either, and when we left there must have been 10–15 tables covered in dirty plates and cups. The whole experience felt chaotic and disorganised, which wasn’t what we needed on the morning of a funeral. We decided not to have breakfast there on our second morning and just left. Overall, I’d say this is a nice looking hotel, but improvements are needed. I’m sure many guests have very positive experiences here, and we were perhaps just unlucky with the location of our rooms and the issues at breakfast. However, these basic things should be right for every paying guest and ultimately left us with a negative view of the hotel, so we wouldn’t return or recommend to others.

My therapist was Medina and my treatment was one of the best I have ever had. She made me feel relaxed and put at ease and she was very attentive. Definitely worth a try and I will be coming again