St Michael's Manor Hotel

The buffet breakfast was limited and underwhelming, which added to a very disappointing stay. For a room costing £300+ for one night, I expected much better service. It didn’t feel like a four-star experience and seemed very overpriced. When I arrived, there were no staff around and it took a long time to even find reception. Once I did, no one was there to help. Nobody offered to carry my luggage, so I struggled up the stairs with my bags. In the evening I called reception about four times because I’d forgotten a toothbrush, but no one answered and there was nobody to ask. I had to go out to the shops myself. At checkout, there were again no staff around and no help with my luggage. I was very dissatisfied and wouldn’t return.

The hotel’s the reason we’d return to St Albans, even though there isn’t a huge amount to do in the small town. We arrived on Sunday night and the staff welcomed us with a free upgrade to a park-view room. Rochelle at reception gave us a useful guide to the area, but we chose to eat at the hotel. The steak was lovely, with good red wine and hot bread rolls, served in the bar extension beside the fire station. It felt like dinner at someone’s home. There was a staff party that evening, but the music stopped at 10:30 pm as promised, so we slept peacefully through the night.

The food was great, especially the gorgeous scones, for my birthday festive afternoon tea. The atmosphere was disappointing, though. There were only a few bookings that afternoon, but everyone was put in the conservatory despite quite a few empty tables. We had to ask for festive music to make it feel even slightly seasonal. The room had only sparse decorations, and the tables weren’t laid for Christmas.

The hotel has stylish rooms with good appointments and lovely hot water, and the young staff were energetic. Dinner and breakfast were both great. It’s close to St Albans’ main tourist sights and sits on the river Ver. The large gardens are beautifully maintained, with a lake you can see from the hotel terrace. They’re working on some minor maintenance, and with a bit more attention to that, this would be a five-star stay.