Eastwell Manor

We’d been looking forward to our spa day, but after a frustrating booking process, we arrived to find our session had been cancelled because of staff illness. We’d given the spa an up to date contact number when booking a few weeks earlier, so getting no message before driving all the way there was unacceptable. I understand people can call in sick, but the lack of notice was a real problem. One staff member tried hard to help us rebook. The manager then stepped in, showed no empathy and was quite short with us. Poor management. I received this voucher for Ashford East Well Manor, and wish the sender had chosen somewhere else. The basic customer service was so poor that it wasn’t worth the effort.

For £185 per person, we were left with a cold swimming pool and a tiny steam room. The outside hydro pool was closed, then the indoor one was shut too, and it had only been lukewarm at best. The sauna was broken, with no warning. The website promises large double beds with curtains dividing the poolside areas, but that wasn’t what we found. The pool area was worn and dirty, and at first there weren’t any beds free. The changing rooms were unclean and every locker seemed to be out of order, so we left our things in an unlocked one and hoped they’d be safe. We left early and spoke with management. They wouldn’t give a full refund, but offered another “complimentary day”. We’re still waiting for their email about it. The day was really disappointing. It’s advertised and priced as a luxury, high end spa, but felt more like a local leisure centre.

The whole site needs cleaning and refurbishment. The pool was dirty and cold, the smaller “warm” pool had a layer of foamy scum and wasn’t warm, the rusty, calcified rain shower only partly worked, the steam room was unclean, and the jacuzzi water didn’t look clean. Fire safety doors were rusty and worn out. The toilets and changing rooms were unacceptably dirty all day. I checked all the toilets, and none were clean. Although the cleaning rota had entries throughout the day, I didn’t see anyone clean anything. Faeces in the ladies’ changing room stayed there all day. The shower area was dirty and flooded, with used towels on the floor and dirty tissues on the surfaces. Some toilets had no toilet paper, some showers had no gel, and the changing rooms were run down, damaged and dirty. See photos for the changing rooms. We paid over £100 for a massage. There was no one at the treatment reception when we arrived, and a group of three women nearby didn’t acknowledge us. Barbara, who was the best part of the entire place, came over, sat us down and took charge. The others carried on chatting beside us about their private lives. It felt awkward and unprofessional. The woman who gave me my massage was lovely, and it was a nice experience, though she didn’t know some basic things about shoulder muscles. I wouldn’t say it was worth over £100. At breakfast the fruit compotes were fizzing, fermented and mouldy, and the cappuccinos were really large lattes. It didn’t feel clean enough. Lunch was badly handled: we waited nearly an hour with only bread, which we had to ask for, and I had to ask for drinks and starters too. The starters never arrived, we were offered the wrong main, and the right one didn’t contain what the menu said it would. It wasn’t terrible food, but not the quality we paid for. They didn’t have olive oil when we asked for some with the bread. I did have a nice smoothie. The staff weren’t well trained, but they were pleasant and tried their best. We spent £400 on a couples spa day with a massage. The front of house manager wasn’t friendly or competent. I was handed a damp, cold dressing gown and told I’d get a new one, but it never came. Barbara was the best aspect of the place, friendly, competent and on top of things. The front of house manager was no help.

A nice spot for relaxing, using the spa and walking the dogs. The room, though, felt dated and had cobwebs, and a few lights weren’t working. Dinner had a reasonable choice. Our dishes were too salty, but dessert was great.