Elfordleigh Hotel Golf and Leisure Club

The staff made this 60th birthday weekend feel special. Everyone we dealt with was warm, polite, and ready to help. The spa was peaceful, the pool was great, and the golf course looked beautiful. We spent a lot of time in the bar, which had a good range of drinks and cocktails. Every meal was good, and even lunch for 26 on Sunday came out hot, which can be hard with a group that size. We enjoyed all the facilities from arrival to departure. Thanks for a great weekend, we’ll be back.

The included three-course dinner was a real highlight, especially the braised beef rib, and breakfast had loads of choice. We also enjoyed drinks and a game of pool in the bar, which was quiet but had books and board games to keep us occupied. The spa was relaxing, with a sauna, steam room, two jacuzzis, and a good-sized pool. The women’s changing area was very small, though. Our room was clean and comfortable, and the recently renovated bathroom with its walk-in shower was lovely. Staff were polite and efficient, and things stayed immaculate and well organised even with a wedding and lots of check-ins on our arrival day. The one-night break with dinner and breakfast was great value. We’d hoped to stay at the hotel next door, but were glad we chose this place for our couples’ night away in May. We’d definitely return, 10/10.

We’ve stayed here three times a year for four years, usually for four nights in February, May, and September. My partner first found the hotel for my 50th, and we kept coming back with our dogs Alfie & Belle. This September stay was so disappointing that we won’t return. On checking into room 1, The Belfry, we were hit by a strong smell of body odour and urine. There was also dog poo trodden hard into one of the four steps outside the room. In past stays our room smelled of bleach and disinfectant, but this time it seemed the cleaners had cut corners. We complained straight away to the new dark-haired receptionist, who said she would tell general manager Mike and ask him to see us. Over the four days, I was told he had looked for us once around 11am, even though I’d said we’d be out then and back in the early evening. I asked every morning to speak to Mike. The receptionist said she’d told him and would email him with my mobile number so he could call. By checkout on 22 September, he still hadn’t contacted us about the complaint. Our dog bowls, which used to be provided with a few biscuits at check-in, were missing for the second year running, so we had to ask at reception. We left the “please make up room” sign out every morning, but the beds weren’t made and the bathroom bins weren’t emptied. The only things done were putting two biscuits and milk in the room and emptying the bedroom bin. The bathroom wasn’t cleaned on any of the four days. At checkout we told Sam about the smell, the poo on the steps, and why we wouldn’t come back. We paid £692 for four nights’ B&B, then close to £100 each night for dinner in the restaurant, and nobody, including the general manager, followed up on the strong smell in the room. We were especially shocked that the dog mess had been left trodden into the carpet. There were also shards of glass and lots of cigarette butts outside, so we had to watch our dogs’ feet carefully. We’d always felt well looked after here and used to have good things to say about the hotel. This time we were deeply saddened and shocked by how far it had gone downhill. The owner, who usually comes over to say hello because we also do “holiday lets,” had gone home two days before we arrived. I’m guessing staff don’t pass every complaint on to him. I’ve never had to write a review before, but after this stay, I felt I had to.

The wedding I attended was well organised, with friendly, capable staff and superb food, which I think was catered from outside. It’s a bit out of the way, but that’s no real problem if you plan ahead.