Sandon Holidays from £183

Excellent stay ,good location near attractions ,great breakfast ,clean and tidy ,comfortable bed.

The hotel is clean although some of the public area carpets could do with updating. The rooms are clean and well-maintained by professional and curteous staff. The hotel is a bit old and some features in the rooms show their age. The beds and pillows are hard and the duvets are heavy, in the winter, the latter would be fine, but in the summer a lighter option would have been preferred. The bedframes creak with every movement. The rooms are hot and the windows do not open much; good job there's a fan in the rooms for some air. There is ample space within the Executive Double room for work, with a large desk and sturdy chair, but I recommend bringing some seat or back support if you need it. It's worth noting that the 24hr business centre mentioned on Expedia, is only available if you book a conference room, so if work is the focus then this extra space in the room is an added bonus. The bar and restaurant are very limited in both choice and opening hours. While there are some takeaway venues on campus and 2 pubs offering bar food nearby, there is very limited choice for dinner, so think about investigating places to go in the city centre. The continental breakfast is overpriced at £11, and the cooked (full) option is better but book it at reception the night before to get it for £15, not £18 on the door. The gym and pool are great and included in the stay. The staff are the heart and soul of the place. They have kind, professional, attentive and they follow up on things.

So, the setting is lovely, and great for golfers and leisure but not so great for a couple looking for a short break. The bars are set up for the members, golf etc. Its ok but the restaurant menu is the same through the bars to the restaurant which is disappointing if you want a fancy meal. The first night we chose the restaurant and it is ok but a little tired. Staff are friendly and no issues there but the menu is lame and hardly any choice. Burgers and steak but everything else is not great. To offer a chicken mayo sandwich on the menu is not ideal. As for everything else it's average. I dont believe this place is 4 star and I think the room was also tired and in need of new decoration and modernising. We stayed in room309 and the wallpaper is starting to loosen on the joins and the bathroom is thick with silicone and repairs around the bath. The bath perimeters are filled with a quadrant and silicone sealed thick around the bath handles. I would also like to say, why don't cleaners bleach sink wastes? Easy to do and stops the black mould in the overflows and smells rising. I think this hotel spends its maintenance budget on the grounds for golf rather than anything else. It is fine but I would of liked to know this before our stay as im not a fan of golf.