The Bridge

Liz and her team made everything easy and were incredibly welcoming. We had a fantastic stay at The Bridge in Prestbury. The hotel is comfortable and charming, and the restaurant food was delicious with excellent service. A memorable visit, and we can’t wait to return! Ben, Sarah and Rupert!

The room we had for our earlier Valentine’s Day stay, in the other part of the building, was more basic but better in our view. It had more space, better views and a bathtub, and cost less. This time we came back for our anniversary because we’d been so impressed before, so the disappointment is hard to overstate. We were put in room 5, which was advertised on booking.com as a gorgeous “finest room” with a bathtub, but that wasn’t what we got. For the £200 we paid, it didn’t feel like good value. The room was small with a tiny en suite, and the chain or box made a loud noise for ages whenever the toilet was flushed or we used the shower or taps. On arrival, nobody was at reception to greet us. When someone finally appeared, we were told the room would take another two hours to be ready. The hotel seemed very understaffed, and I couldn’t identify a single staff member who was remotely friendly. Both dinner and breakfast were below average. We were directly above the stairs, where a large crowd downstairs shouted and screamed, keeping us awake. It wasn’t the stay we expected.

The restaurant food was beautiful, and the manager did move us to a suitable room after we were first given a standard double with a badly scratched dresser. Still, £170 felt like too much for that room, and the hotel as a whole needs a revamp for its nightly prices. At first inspection, everything looked lovely and clean. Then at 2am I woke up wheezing and unwell because of my dust allergy. My husband pulled apart the two single beds that had been pushed together, and underneath there was about an inch of dust and two takeaway trays. I emailed management but haven’t had a reply. For the price, I’d look elsewhere for a stay.

The dining area was pretty, and the young staff were lovely. I especially appreciated the breakfast waitress. Having a dog bed and bowls in the room was a nice touch. The staff really saved the stay, so thanks to them. The rest of the interior looked tired and uncared for, with scraped paint and black mould in both the bathroom and bedroom. The toilet seat lid came off in my hand. We couldn’t turn up the room TV because it was barely audible, so we gave up. We’d been looking forward to the visit, but left a bit disappointed.