Durley Dean

The room was freezing cold. We were given a bunk room in the semi-basement, with literally half of it below ground level. The bunks were right by the window, with no radiator or nearby heat, so the January cold came straight in. Our child couldn’t sleep on the bottom bunk, so one of us adults had to take it, wrapped in blankets and an outdoor coat. It was colder than anywhere I’ve stayed, even Switzerland, and I kept waking when my arms came out from under the duvet. The pool was small and had debris floating in it, and the changing room had almost no space. The shower was the worst part: it only gave lukewarm water. We were shivering as we rinsed off in that cold room. Afterward, my eldest, who has sensitive skin, started scratching uncontrollably, something that usually only happens when the water quality is poor. There were problems in the room too. The shower had no bathtub, just a partitioned area, and it was completely blocked, flooding the whole bathroom floor. The maintenance staff were excellent, and the janitor came straight away and tried to clear it and apply treatment. But when we washed our second child, it flooded again. He had to come back and remove a pipe before we could finally use the shower. The Wi-Fi was practically nonexistent, with a weak signal that kept dropping. We could use mobile data, but the kids’ tablets kept buffering, so they couldn’t watch videos during their rest time. We ended up trying to calm frustrated children instead of relaxing. The bunk beds and pool may make the hotel seem appealing for families, but based on the cold room, pool hygiene and poor infrastructure, I can’t recommend it for a family trip. There may be good points I missed, but I’d think twice before booking.

We were kept awake until 3am by loud knocking from somewhere upstairs, below or next door. At 5am, drunk neighbours started arguing loudly around the surrounding windows, and that went on for about an hour. Then at 6am we were woken again by the loud boiler behind the wall next to the bed. We gave up and started packing to go home, especially as the spa was out of use and there was nowhere to relax. My fiancée and I booked the Durley Dean hotel for 10 February 2026 to 11 February 2026 to celebrate our new engagement, but the stay fell well short of a good standard. The spa, one of the main reasons we book, was out of order and we hadn’t been told when booking. The sauna wasn’t hot at all, we were shivering in it, and the steam room was switched off and closed. When we arrived, the first room we were given was completely unclean and still had other people’s belongings in it, an immediate red flag. We were moved to another room, but its door was broken and the key wouldn’t work. Every time we went out, we had to go back down for a new key and try again. This happened four times in less than two hours. It was hardly relaxing, having to go up and down the stairs throughout our stay. We’re absolutely gutted. We wanted to celebrate something so important to us, and the stay ruined it.

The pool was the highlight, and we all enjoyed it. We’re already planning another trip for 2026. The hotel is ideally placed in Bournemouth, with the beach nearby, and our beds were comfortable. The bath was lovely and hot too. We had a perfect breakfast with lots of choice. This was our second visit, and we can’t thank the team enough. Our conjoined family room was the right size for everyone, and they provided a cot for our baby at no extra cost. They also left a lovely anniversary card and present, and the staff remembered us, which made it even nicer. The hotel called the day before to warn us about a Christmas party and possible noise, which was thoughtful, though we didn’t hear much and it didn’t bother us.

The one bright spot was the gentleman who served us. He was kind, attentive and helpful, and really tried to make the experience as good as possible. We’re grateful to him. The scones were very yummy too. We only received a cream tea, though we’d thought we’d booked afternoon tea. That wasn’t their fault, but the difference could have been explained better at booking. I brought my daughter for her 13th birthday, hoping for a spa and afternoon tea day for the two of us, but sadly it was really disappointing. The place was very dirty. There was no parking available nearby, and we had to pay £10 for the spa, on top of the £15 if staying at the hotel. The steam room wasn’t working and we hadn’t been warned. The pool was tiny and cramped if more than one or two people wanted to swim, though it was pleasantly warm. We tried to stay as long as possible but lasted an hour, with nowhere to relax between the pool or spa. There was no jacuzzi, so it wasn’t the spa day we had in mind. We checked ourselves in downstairs, and the process felt impersonal and self-service.