Macdonald Hill Valley Golf and Spa

The staff were amazing and made sure I was looked after while on my own. Big thanks to Isla for taking such good care of us. I had a spa day, and both the facilities and treatment were good, with a delicious afternoon tea. The day before, I relaxed in the room with room service, then walked around the golf course before dinner with my husband when he got back from work. Really enjoyed our two-night stay at Macdonald.

The restaurant was lovely, with delicious food and drinks, and having breakfast brought to the room was a nice touch. It arrived barely warm, though. In the room, the main light was quite dim, but there were plenty of lamps and the full-length wardrobe mirror had bright lights overhead, handy for getting ready. A plug by the bed would have helped. The setting is beautiful and good for walks, with plenty of parking and an easy trip there. Staff were friendly, check-in was simple, and the spa felt tranquil. The massage was good, and there’s also a pool, steam room and sauna. There isn’t a jacuzzi, and the kids in the pool on Fridays until 6pm can make it quite loud. Still, it was a really good experience and I’d go back.

The spa treatments were excellent, which was the main reason we came, and the golf grounds were really nice and well cared for. The local town is historic, so we passed a few hours there too. Inside, though, the place felt dated, and there wasn’t much else to do beyond the pool and similar facilities. It looked posh and quiet when we arrived, just right for a spa break. Dinner was hit and miss, some plates looked nice, others less so. The £7 mac and cheese tasted of nothing, and although we were asked if we wanted water for the table, we somehow missed that it cost £5. Breakfast was warm at best, not hot. Honestly, you’d be better off eating elsewhere for less money and better food. For what we paid, we barely enjoyed the stay and might as well have gone to Spain. I’d call it a solid 3*, though others might like it.

The restaurant and food were quite good, but one of our party had his starter spilled all over him by accident. We got a bottle of wine as compensation, yet were still charged the extra cost for the food outside the DBB deal, and nobody offered to cover the dry cleaning he needed that day. Service was slow at times, especially at the bar in the evening when we were the only guests, and again when we stopped for coffee the next morning between our walk and game on the golf course. At checkout, nobody even asked how things had gone. Apart from the wine, there was no effort to make up for the problems, and the aftercare was very disappointing. We’d stayed at a few Macdonald properties before and been pleased, so we expected more. Reception was very cold, and the corridor to our room was freezing. We’d booked a super deluxe king room while our friends had a standard double, but the rooms were identical apart from the bed. Our room was supposed to have a Nespresso machine, but it was missing. We asked for one, though the mugs didn’t fit on the unit anyway, so it was no use. The only other difference was bathrobes and slippers, which our friends got at the spa regardless. We had a little patio, but it was midwinter, so we didn’t use it. The rooms felt tired and dated, with stains on the walls and curtains. There were no sockets by the bed, just one double socket near the TV. The shower control came off in my hand, and I couldn’t get the water warmer than cold. I asked reception if I could use another room’s shower instead of moving, though I said we would move if that was easier. They said we’d be downgraded, then let us use the accessible room next door. Its shower over the bath wasn’t great, took ages to warm up, and kept going cold while I showered. My husband and I had to run back down the freezing corridor in towels, which wasn’t ideal. The bed was okay, towels were small, and seating in the larger room was sparse. It was a very basic room for something called super deluxe. The bar felt like a care home community room, with all the chairs lined up against the walls rather than arranged to make you want to sit and have a drink before or after dinner. All in all, a pretty poor show. We won’t be back or recommend this hotel.