Greenwoods Hotel Spa

I love the hotel and the manor rooms are lovely, but this time I’ve dropped my rating from three stars to two because nobody called me back. Booking by phone needs to be easier. I can reach the receptionist, but they say they can’t take a reservation, and then I have to wait for a return call. People may call during their lunch break and be unable to answer later, by which time you’re closed. Please find a way to complete bookings when people call. A few sauna points too: could you get the lights working again? The sign says not to pour water on the coals, yet there’s a bucket and ladle. It might also be worth moving the coals to make more seating space and reduce the risk of someone falling into them. I’m personally fine with the setup, but I’m surprised a commercial sauna has them so accessible at face height without protection. These are just suggestions. Getting the basics right would make a difference.

The meal was a real highlight: the dining room felt elegant and relaxing, and the food was superb. I also enjoyed a restful day at Greenwoods, with a lovely spa and attentive staff. My one concern was cleanliness. The grime building up on the door in such a busy area was gross, and the details need more attention.

The building and location are lovely, but the spa day was anything but relaxing. The pool is large, though every lounger was taken, and there wasn’t even a spare small chair for our towels. We were told the spa was at capacity and had no space, so we stood around waiting for a bed and eventually had to share one. The steam room and sauna were packed, with loud conversations, and we left after a few minutes. The little jacuzzi was out of the question too. In the pool, people swimming laps kept splashing us whenever they pushed off the wall, even though there was a swim lane. The changing rooms are small for a spa that seemed to have 40 or 50-plus people in it, and about half the lockers didn’t work. We had to wait for somewhere to put our bags while changing. The floors around the pool and showers were filthy. We tried five times to get into the relaxation room away from the main spa, which only has three heated beds, then gave up. We both had full body massages. Mine finished ten minutes before my friend’s, though the massages themselves were nice. Lunch was part of the package, but we were put in a bland side room and the food was unpleasant. Having to get dressed in day clothes to eat, then wait again to change back, was a real pain. It was probably the least relaxing spa day we could have asked for.

The Sunday lunch was nicely presented, and we paid extra for dessert, which was exceptional. There’s a charming walk around the grounds afterwards, and we had more drinks in the lounge bar. They were serving afternoon teas that looked delicious. The pricing left me puzzled, though. Two courses are listed at £34 and three at £39, but we were offered dessert for another £8 each, not £5. We didn’t ask about it. Greenwoods seems to have all sorts of prices and deals across different sites. I’d return for lunch, but probably not for the spa at that price. We paid £89 each for a spa day through Wowcher, including a two course lunch. The site didn’t show an expiry date until we’d paid, and the short expiry meant we had to book a weekend slot that cost £20 more. The spa was clean and had a pool, jacuzzi, steam room, sauna and two relaxation rooms, with three loungers in each. There were plenty of loungers by the pool, and it was fairly quiet on Sunday. We didn’t use the gym, which was empty. The relaxation rooms should be larger and fit more people. Coffee by the pool was lukewarm, and because we booked late, there were no treatments available for us. The changing rooms and showers need updating, and the relaxation music got repetitive. We also had to change back into day clothes for lunch, which was annoying.