Windmill Village Hotel, Golf Club & Spa, BW Signature Collection

The room was clean, the bed comfortable, and the staff seemed friendly in our brief interactions. The location worked well for our plans, but the exit onto a busy dual carriageway felt a bit dangerous. Parking was £5 per night, which seemed ridiculous given what we’d already paid and that the hotel owns the land. I wouldn’t stay here again. We hardly slept. Noise from people talking and walking past, doors slamming through the night, and the neighbouring TV were all easy to hear. Most frustrating was a loud, regular pump that came on at several points all night. We think it may have been a water pump responding to water use, or perhaps a toilet, but it kept disturbing us. The pool water was cloudy with clumps of hair floating in it, and the small changing area offered little privacy.

I’ve visited several times for work, and the service and food have impressed me every time. Emilie has served me on each visit and is a real credit to the business. The rooms are dated, but they work perfectly well for what I need. The S.p.A. and restaurant help make up for that. I’ve already booked my next stay!

We came as a group yesterday for my hen do and left really disappointed. We’d made sure to mention several times when booking that someone in our group had a gluten allergy, and stressed how serious it was. But there was no proper gluten free menu, just a printed sheet to mark beside items. We were rushed to order while queuing for robes, and nobody took names against the orders to keep things clear. The receptionist knew almost nothing about the menu and offered no reassurance, just “we should be able to do that gluten free” when I asked about dishes. After treatments, we went to the pool, which was absolutely freezing. The hot tub was freezing too and really uncomfortable. My friends went upstairs to set the table as a surprise, but staff hadn’t read the booking notes and had put someone else’s birthday balloons there with our bridal decorations. They didn’t understand when we explained those weren’t part of our group. We were scheduled to eat at half 1, but waited another half hour. The fries were cold, burgers dry and pizzas rubbish. Then, when the two pasta dishes arrived, staff didn’t know which one was meant to be gluten free. The kitchen hadn’t marked the allergy food, and staff could only say “I think”. There’s no room for guessing with allergies. No manager came to tell us what was safe, so we had to trust the food and hope it was GF. If they weren’t sure, they should’ve remade it instead of risking someone’s health. Natasha’s law has been in place for a long time and is a legal requirement, but it clearly wasn’t being followed here. I’m disgusted by how this was handled. We were the only table in the restaurant and the service was awful. We won’t be back anytime soon. I’d like someone to contact us and explain the allergy procedures, because they’re unclear, and staff need retraining. They gave us no reassurance that we’d be safe and seemed not to take allergies seriously.

The staff were awesome. I’m dealing with health issues and need decent food regularly, so they made me a lunch to take away. That helped a lot and meant I didn’t have to eat rubbish at the NEC. This is my second year in a row staying here for an event at NEC. The grounds are fantastic for a walk or golf, the rooms are nice, and the spa is fine for relaxing, with a nice steam room. The restaurant food is good, though more vegetarian options would be welcome. They’d removed the Rissoto I had the previous year, which was a shame, but that’s just my personal preference.