Bryn Meadows Golf, Hotel & Spa

The room was clean, but even after upgrading to a junior suite the amenities were basic, with just enough sachet milk for one hot drink each and no fridge. We chose Bryn Meadows for a relaxing spa break and called in the morning to confirm our Blas restaurant booking. They couldn’t find it, though they did seat us. Dinner was disappointing. We shared chicken wings, and two of the three were lovely, but the third was raw. The manager said it was the marinade when I raised it. I’ve cooked and worked in catering enough to know the difference. The mains weren’t much better: the chicken burger had ordinary mayonnaise instead of hot honey mayonnaise, and the beef chilli lacked flavour, tasting only of hot spices. The whiskey sour was mostly lemon. I’d asked for vodka instead of gin because of an intolerance and was initially refused. Those two cocktails and a Diet Coke came to just under £30. Breakfast arrived quickly but was very average, like a supermarket cafe. It was lukewarm, and the bacon and sausage were dry, as if they’d been sitting under a warm light. Sadly, the Swedish massage was average too, more like a full body massage than a specific deep Swedish one. I won’t be rushing back.

The grounds looked surprisingly good, and the staff were welcoming with second-to-none service. I’d never been there before and spotted the club while driving to a client meeting, so we stopped to see if we could meet there. Wish I’d brought my clubs along. Maybe next time.

Had a lovely day and night, with a spa treatment, and both dinner and breakfast were lovely. But when I went to strip the bed before leaving, I found stains on the pillows and mattress protector. A hotel of this standard shouldn’t let that happen.

The restaurant experience was just as disappointing as the rooms. We waited 40 minutes, got the wrong order, and even after they tried to correct it, it was still wrong. It hardly seemed worth raising again when they didn’t seem able to get it right. The rooms feel dated and need updating and a more thorough clean.