Bowood Hotel Spa and Golf Resort

We came for a birthday weekend, with dinner, a night’s stay, breakfast, and time in the spa including a treatment. The dinner was the standout, absolutely delicious and, though not cheap, fair value for the quality. Everything else we tried was to a high standard too. Staff were great from the welcome through to the spa and restaurant. We’d happily come back for another special occasion.

Our room was clean and tidy, and the bed was extremely comfortable. Breakfast and dinner were included, and we enjoyed both. Staff were good, though breakfast got quite busy, which is pretty normal. The spa was the big disappointment, especially since it was the main reason we booked a longer Easter break. It felt old and run down, and both times we went in the evening the area didn’t seem very clean. The pool was fine and the sauna worked, but the steam room never seemed to function despite staff saying it had been reset. The jacuzzi was very weak, then didn’t work at all on our second evening. Nobody even offered us the chance to book treatments. I wish I’d looked into the spa more carefully before booking.

We wished we could have stayed longer. After a great night’s sleep, breakfast with Betti was a treat. She made us feel welcome and laugh, and the fruit, cold meats, full English and smoked salmon were all excellent. Later, we walked around the grounds, enjoying views of the old house and lake, and spotted deer and red kites. This was the final night of our minimoon, and we were welcomed warmly, with a porter taking our bags up. We’d been upgraded to the Lansdowne Suite, a huge, beautiful top-floor corner room with views across the golf course on two sides. It had a modern four-poster bed, sofas, good tea facilities, a TV and WiFi, plus a mini-fridge with real milk, homemade cookies and a special box of homemade chocolates for our celebration. The bathroom was just as spacious, with twin basins, a big shower, a double-ended freestanding bath and lovely toiletries. We had a swim, tried the jacuzzi and relaxed looking out over the grounds. The spa wasn’t too crowded. At dinner, the dining room looked beautiful, and the three-course dinner, bed and breakfast menu had plenty of options. Everything was delicious and well presented, and our main server, possibly the head waiter, kindly changed a couple of dishes for us. The Cornish Orchards cider on draft was a bonus. A fantastic stay, and everything felt just right.

We had a pleasant night in the tower suite, with lovely countryside and golf courses around the hotel. The restaurant food was hard to fault. A few small things could make the stay better: the pillows were too soft, and more choices would help, as my wife couldn’t find a comfortable height and woke with neck pain. The pool was clean and nice, though small. A booking system for it, especially the jacuzzi, would help, since some people stayed in the jacuzzi for 40 minutes and we couldn’t find a quiet time. The toiletries were great. A little bar of complimentary soap would be a nice extra.