Meon Valley Hotel, Spa & Golf

The staff were welcoming, the hotel was clean, and the food was delicious. We stayed before a cruise from Southampton and the car parking was very well organised. I wasn’t told that using the spa facilities would cost extra, though. Oscar deserves a special mention: great customer service, helpful answers, and excellent recommendations. Nothing was too much trouble. I’d definitely recommend staying here.

The leisure area is spacious and has plenty to use, including a pool, sauna, jacuzzi, and steam room. Our bed was very comfortable, and housekeeping were thorough. Reception staff were helpful and pleasant, too. The hotel sits within a championship golf course in the beautiful Meon Valley. It’s usually quite quiet, though at times you’re surrounded by golfers, which isn’t surprising. Our room looked a little tired, especially the carpet, but it was good to see the mattresses being changed.

The bedrooms were clean and comfortable, and the course was well kept and enjoyable. The staff we met were friendly and did their best. Still, the stay felt like it was being run on a shoestring, with cost saving taking priority over the guest experience. Some of the problems seemed to come from management decisions. We came as a group of 16 for a Masters-themed golf weekend. The bar shut around 10.30-11pm and there was no Sky Sports, which cut short the social side of the trip. The evening meal was a basic, forgettable buffet. Breakfast ended at 9am, unusually early for a leisure break, and the kitchen was closed from 3-5pm, so after our round on day two there was no food available. Many of us missed breakfast, then couldn’t get a meal after golf. We were also charged £5 for spa access, which hadn’t been clear in our booking details. On both days we asked the pro shop for longest-drive and nearest-the-pin markers, but they never put them out. That was disappointing for a group event. The overall experience fell well below our expectations and was “below par” compared with the many other golf resorts we’ve visited over the past decade. We wouldn’t return or recommend it for a group golf weekend. The group consensus was to pay a little more or go back to one of the other venues we’ve used, which seem to get it right.

I’d avoid the hotel. We stayed one night with bed and breakfast and added dinner. The place wasn’t as clean as expected, and dinner was a mess: staff seemed unsure what was going on, and a very limited buffet arrived an hour after it was supposed to. The chef said staffing problems and an event had caused the delay. There was no customer service afterwards. First aid wasn’t available at reception despite the notices, and wedding displays covered other fire safety notices. A colleague visited with a group of families on the weekend of 7/8 June and reported similar problems. Events and understaffing meant no food at the bar; the buffet dinner had sold out, so they ordered pizza. They also had room and cot availability issues, and saw guests refused prepaid package deals, including prosecco on arrival and a three-course dinner. The general feeling is that the golf may be good, but you shouldn’t use the hotel. Nicole Bailey, the Events Manager, is now ignoring my refund emails, so I’m having to use section 75 with my credit card company.