The Celtic Manor Resort

The best parts were the food and breakfast. Our meal at Steak on Six was fantastic, and we appreciated the excellent breakfast the next morning. The room, though, didn’t feel luxurious for the price or the hotel’s reputation. The carpets looked tired and dirty, the balcony’s sliding door was extremely hard to use, and the bathroom was acceptable but very basic. The leisure facilities looked like they could be enjoyable, but were completely overcrowded. We changed into swimwear and tried to get in, but couldn’t use the pool, sauna, or jacuzzi. The lounge bar was extremely busy mid-afternoon, and service was poor: two portions of fries took over 40 minutes. I booked in November hoping for a high-quality, relaxing stay, but left disappointed after the time, money, and effort involved. They should review the overcrowding so hotel guests can actually enjoy the facilities.

The check-in time is 4pm, which is so late and nowhere near industry standards. A one-night stay costs over £250, so you’re paying for just 19 hours. I’ve worked in customer service and these roles for years, and staff need formal dining training, including basic acknowledgment and guest-service etiquette. This beautiful facility is such a shame. Celtic manor needs to look closely at its hotel, because it lacks too many of the services and characteristics needed to merit a 5-star award. I met up with friends from around the UK, while I came from Germany, and we were all very disappointed. The service was terrible. Staff seemed untrained in fine dining and waitressing, and we often had to find someone just to get a drink. They stood around chatting; we counted eight people at the concierge desk during checkout who appeared to be doing nothing. Only three of eight restaurants were open when we tried to book. We eventually got a 9pm reservation, then complained and got it moved to 8pm. Around 9, though, they were clearing most of the candles as if they wanted everyone to leave. The food at The Grill was subpar bar food, with no fillet on the menu. Mine was so bad I left half of it. At lunch, my chicken sandwich had dry bread on one side, and there was no cutlery for the coleslaw. The spa was packed, with no beds available and lots of kids, so it was hardly relaxing. One lift was broken, making the queues enormous, and the fire alarm went off at night because of a fault. In our room, 856, the toilet barely flushed and there was no toilet brush. A table lamp between the twin beds couldn’t be plugged in because there was no socket, so it seemed to be decoration only. As a result, only one person could control the lights. There was no water in the room or vanity box, no cotton wool, and so on. To top it off, all the guests have had severe stomach problems since checking out.

The private lounge on the 6th floor had a lovely atmosphere. The coffee machine was good, the nibbles were great, and the bar staff were awesome, really chatty. Breakfast there instead of in the main restaurant was excellent, with plenty of good-quality choices. We had a quiet room on that floor, with no children around. It was a very nice superior room with a balcony, though the weather wasn’t good enough to use it. The coffee pod machine was a nice touch and the bed was comfortable, so we slept well. The staff were still fantastic, especially the driver who took us to rafters for lunch. We hadn’t been to Celtic Manor for a long time, though, and the spa facilities disappointed us. Having to book a slot didn’t prevent it being far too busy. The steam room was boarded up, and the hot tub only seemed to have working jets at either end, with nothing in the middle. I was shocked at how many people used mobile phones in the pool area, particularly filming their children. It made things uncomfortable. We ate at Pad in the old Manor house one evening, quite a trek from the main hotel. The tasting-menu starters were amazing, especially the duck pancake's, the best we’d ever had. The mains weren’t as good, and the steak was a little overdone. I also thought the £25 parking fee was steep. At a hotel of this sort, being charged for parking came as a shock.

For my husband’s birthday we booked a spa package, which included a decent lunch and was good value. I had a brilliant facial with Nicola and felt wonderful afterwards, and he loved his massage. We spent the day enjoying the facilities, mostly doing nothing, which was the best bit. Celtic Manor is lovely, although a little tired in places and at times it seems to be aiming higher-end than it is. Still, we had a fabulous day and would go back.