Palace Hotel & Spa Buxton

Breakfast was amazing, and the hotel was spotless throughout. The room had a lovely view, and the bathroom was fabulous, with excellent shower pressure. I didn't use the spa because it cost extra and was in an annex beside the hotel. There were plenty of nice places to sit and relax while enjoying the view. The hotel itself was amazing, with a central location for shops, restaurants and the theatre. The room was spotless and well equipped with an ironing board and iron, hairdryer, fridge and TV. There were spare pillows and bedding in the wardrobe, as well as towelling robes. Tea and coffee supplies were plentiful, with little packets of biscuits. Absolutely five star.

The pool was a nice size and warm, and the steam room and sauna were just as you'd expect. We had access to the leisure club as part of our stay. The hotel is perfectly placed for exploring lovely Buxton, and we'd absolutely come back. We booked a Friday and Saturday night weekend offer with breakfast and dinner included, despite the poor reviews, and I'm glad we went ahead. The room was a good size, clean and lovely, with a comfortable bed. Breakfast was the usual help-yourself buffet, with plenty of food and hot food served hot. The sausages were good, not cheap and nasty. Dinner was a tasty three courses with a nice range of choices. Drinks were quite expensive, but that's what you'd expect at a hotel bar, around £5 to £6 a pint. Thanks, Palace Hotel, for a fab weekend away!

The room was very dated and disappointing, especially beside the lovely reception area. There was no fridge, and the kettle had to sit under the TV unit because there wasn't proper space. The TV struggled to get a signal for most channels, and the window looked onto a flat roof. The room itself was freezing. It had an original single-glazed window and one old radiator, whose heat couldn't get through the thick curtains blocking the cold air. The bathroom was cold too, with a small radiator that only moved up a couple of numbers on the thermostat. Dogs can be booked into some rooms, but the hotel isn't very dog friendly. They're not allowed in the bar or restaurant, or to be left alone in rooms. I noticed dogs in the little conservatory in the morning. If someone had told us, we could have avoided having McDonald's for tea. The 'Spa' was nothing like the website photo. There was a pretty cold pool, sauna and steam room, with damp, missing or open ceiling tiles, dirty floors and dusty air vents. On the walk to the ladies' changing area, the floors were cold and soaking wet. There's no jacuzzi, sadly. For a four-star hotel, I've stayed in better three-star places. The ladies who serviced our room were lovely and friendly.

The twin room was clean and relaxing, and the complimentary fudge, cookies and bottled water were a lovely touch. The hotel is grand and large, so I expected it might feel cold, but it was actually too warm. Breakfast was very good, and all the staff were friendly. I really enjoyed my one-night stay and will definitely be back.