Best Western Chilworth Manor Hotel

I booked the wrong month by mistake, March instead of February. Reception said they couldn’t help and that I’d need to go through Booking.com, so I accepted that and booked another night in a more expensive room. Booking.com then told me Best Western would decide whether to waive the cancellation charge. They refused and wanted the full amount. Is that really how a customer should be treated? I stay in hotels fairly often for work, and I won’t use GW again.

We book the cruise package, which includes a bed, breakfast, a three-course dinner, taxis to and from the ship, and secure parking. It’s currently £290 and well worth it, since it takes some of the stress out of travelling on embarkation day. I’d definitely recommend that option. The rooms could use a bit of a refresh, but they were clean and the food was excellent.

I was there for four days and the food was superb, including plenty of lovely vegan options. Simon and Owen cooked butternut squash soup, broccoli soup, mushroom risotto, celeriac steaks and cauliflower wings. Olena and Roberta in the restaurant were great, and Mea in the bar even ran the length of the hotel to get me oat milk. The whole staff were amazing. My room was a good size and had a really useful work area. It’s a pleasant area, though there aren’t any local shops if you’re without a car. I hope I get to work nearby again so I can return. Highly recommended.

Our first dinner in the bar got off to a bad start: my medium steak came out raw and my wife’s salad was missing items. They sorted it promptly, and the replacement meals were perfect. We had an accessible room, so the extra space was great, and service was quick with plenty of staff around. The hotel is grand and spacious, and the bar, restaurant and side rooms were very good. The location suited us perfectly. Parking was the main problem, with too few disabled bays. Our room was about 100 yards from reception, awkward for anyone with mobility issues. It was also at a corridor corner and end, with a lot of foot traffic, noisy guests and frequent use of the outside door by smokers and people exercising dogs. That door slammed loudly, and we had to keep the curtains closed because people could walk right past.