Ringwood Hall Hotel & Spa

“Nice spa, nice grounds, hotel a bit tired.”

We stayed for 1 night prior to a wedding to enjoy the spa. This was the highlight by far and clearly where the money has been spent of late. The facilities were lovely and clean, the staff were friendly and attentive and it wasn't overbooked which was good as its not very big. The room (205) wa... Mais

We stayed for 1 night prior to a wedding to enjoy the spa. This was the highlight by far and clearly where the money has been spent of late. The facilities were lovely and clean, the staff were friendly and attentive and it wasn't overbooked which was good as its not very big. The room (205) was nice and spacious, quiet and accessed via a nice walk round the back of the hotel. It was looking a bit tired round the edges though and the bed, whilst big was like sleeping on a deflating air mattress which was disappointing. The grounds are lush though and very well tended to. The weather was good too so it was lovely to have access for the wedding. We only had breakfast in the Coachhouse food wise and whilst it was restocked regularly and they had oat milk when I asked, no one advised we could've ordered eggs. The staff otherwise were attentive and friendly, which was generally our experience throughout our stay. I'm not sure we'd go back, the spa was nice but the prices on the website felt steep for what we now know is there. Hotel guests get a preferential rate at least.

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“Ok as a stopover - some room for improvement”

We stayed here for two nights to break up a long journey to Newcastle, in preference to staying at a bland chain hotel. Starting with the positive, the grounds are the hotel’s best feature - the beautiful rhododendrons are impressive on arrival and there are various sections to the gardens, whi... Mais

We stayed here for two nights to break up a long journey to Newcastle, in preference to staying at a bland chain hotel. Starting with the positive, the grounds are the hotel’s best feature - the beautiful rhododendrons are impressive on arrival and there are various sections to the gardens, which are well cared for (the gardener does an excellent job). It’s easy to see why it would be a popular wedding venue on the basis of the grounds alone. Our suite (room 401) was located away from the main building and was very clean and had all we needed, despite the exterior of the building needing some tlc (windows need cleaning and the place could be made to look a little more inviting as opposed to generic outbuildings). The interior design would benefit from more thought and effort - the living space felt quite clinical, mainly due to the bright ceiling lights in the evening along with laminate flooring. This could be easily fixed by adding a lamp and rug. The table in the living area was water damaged. Also, the sliding doors of the wardrobe were missing and had been replaced by thin curtain material which looked naff. Dinner in the Coach House restaurant was okay but nothing special, although the staff were pleasant and attentive. Our biggest gripe was with breakfast. Despite having to pay an additional fee for breakfast and having seen a lovely breakfast menu online, I was disappointed that it was only a buffet breakfast. I asked for poached eggs and was told this was possible so it seems that they do provide breakfast cooked to order, it’s just that you have to request it as there aren’t any menus on the table. No vegetarian sausages at breakfast either. Again, however, staff were pleasant and helpful. We’re undecided on whether we’d stay here again - the location is handy for us but our experience didn’t match our expectations of a 4* hotel or how smart the hotel appeared online. It has the potential to be a great hotel as it’s a beautiful old building in lovely grounds but just needs a bit more effort to make it feel like a 4*.

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