Macdonald Botley Park Hotel & Spa

We came down for breakfast at 09:40, which was a little late, only to find it finished at 09:15. Nobody told us when we arrived, and that seems very early for a hotel. We won't stay here again. The place looks a bit sorry for itself. Our room was okay, if dated, but the air-conditioning barely worked, made a lot of noise, and left the room muggy and unpleasant. The fridge wasn't cooling either. We put our celebratory Prosecco in it when we arrived, and it was warmer when we got back a couple of hours later. The dining area looked almost sadly dystopian in the evening, so we went elsewhere.

Breakfast was good, and the service there was much quicker. Dinner was less successful: our food arrived before the nibbles and drinks, which felt poorly handled. My sausages and mash were decent, but my husband’s burger didn’t justify its price, and we felt the meal let the place down. When we arrived, the WiFi was out and causing the hotel problems. It came back just as we were leaving 😒

Charlie at spa reception deserves a special mention. She and the rest of the team made us feel welcome and well looked after, and the staff were friendly and understanding from the outset. We’d been let down by another venue earlier that day, so their offer of a discount was a kind gesture. The day pass was already reasonably priced, too. We had a fantastic experience at Macdonald Botley Park Hotel & Spa and plan to come back.

The reception staff were lovely and helpful, but the rest of my first ladies spa day was a letdown. The afternoon tea we were given on our return visit was even worse than the first: dry food, stale, hard sandwiches, and scones so crumbly and dry that we left nearly everything. That return was offered after I emailed the spa with a long list of concerns. At first they offered free use of the facilities, which I wasn’t happy with, so they added another afternoon tea and bubbly. It still didn’t put things right. There were problems throughout the original visit, too. The pool area was covered with other people’s towels, and the lockers were awkward to use. We even opened a locker with our key card and found someone else’s belongings inside. The staff explained the facilities and how to book our 25-minute treatments, but didn’t tell us to arrive 10 minutes early to fill in a form. They didn’t seem too concerned about the form once we got to the treatment anyway. From being called through to settling in, having the massage, and finishing, our treatments lasted only about 12 minutes. Three of us felt the pressure was too light, so it wasn’t just one person’s experience. At afternoon tea, nobody explained what was on the plates, and ours didn’t match what other guests in the same package received. I gave the spa a chance to make things right, but the second visit was no better and possibly worse. I’d look at other places. These packages seem an important part of the business, and if the small things that bring in revenue aren’t handled well, I think it could cause problems in the long run.