Sprowston Manor Hotel, Spa & Golf

There was plenty of hot water, and the hotel might work best for groups of golfers using the surrounding course. The rest felt rather faded. Windows and light fittings along our corridor were dirty, and our room’s windows and frames badly needed cleaning too. Breakfast and dinner were often lukewarm, in our opinion. Our group had more than 24 people, so we had to choose dinner the night before. Room assignments also seemed a bit random. We were spread across three floors for the four nights.

The suite looked stunning, and the place smelled lovely as we came in. Cleanliness was very good overall, and we enjoyed the pool, steam room and sauna, though the pool drains smelled mouldy and mildewy. The staff at the desk didn’t seem keen to be there. The hot tub was out of action, which was a big disappointment for a spa hotel. The bed made the two-night weekend stay miserable. We only got one pillow each, and they were lumpy and misshapen. The mattress felt like lumpy concrete, and I couldn’t sleep either night. By the second morning I was hobbling in pain. We don’t get weekends away often because we have two toddlers at home, so I’d really been looking forward to this. We went out both days, otherwise the stay would’ve been terrible. Breakfast was lovely the first day. This morning, though, they said our table hadn’t been booked and suggested we eat outside the restaurant, where there were only small coffee tables and chairs or sofas. We’d paid and booked like everyone else, and it wasn’t our mistake. They eventually let us in, but made us feel unwelcome and discussed the issue right beside our table. We just wanted to eat and leave. Really unprofessional. One evening I called reception for extra pillows, as the room manual instructed. They told us to come and collect them ourselves, even though our room was ages away and we were already in our PJs. We’d paid a lot per night. A nearby room had towels brought to the door, so I don’t understand why pillows couldn’t be delivered. We won’t be staying again.

At Sprowston, I’d arranged an appointment by phone with one of the Event organisers to discuss a private special lunch. When I arrived, the receptionist had no record of it and had to call around to find out who I was due to meet. Then she shouted questions to me across the whole reception. It was cringey, and I got no apology. I was made to feel stupid because I couldn’t remember the name of the woman I’d arranged it with. I certainly won’t be returning.

The staff were nice and helpful, but the overall experience was nowhere near four-star. The facilities felt tired, the interior was plain and worn, and the fireplaces had fairy lights instead of real fires. Receptionists were absent most of the time. There weren’t any grounds to walk around, since all the green space belongs to the golf course. The pool was okay but rather shallow, and no bathrobes were provided, making the walk from the room awkward. The sauna was disappointingly cold, there was no outdoor pool, and the Jacuzzi was out of order and seemed to have been for a while. We had to book a time for every breakfast and dinner, even though the restaurant was mostly empty, which felt restrictive. The two restaurants turned out to be a golf “clubhouse” with a very basic menu of sandwiches and pizzas, and the hotel restaurant, whose food was underwhelming. Sides were limited to things like fries, chips, salad and vegetables, and the meals were basic too. It felt as if the chef’s main qualification was simply showing up. The prices, though, were four-star. Breakfast was okay, but the ingredients seemed cheap and basic, with little choice and few healthy options. Our room was fine otherwise, but there were no sockets by the beds, the furniture was loud and squeaky, and it wasn’t cleaned daily as you might expect from a four-star place.