Imagine staying in a city hotel, close to the centre but with a lake in the grounds. Impossible?…read moreNo, I stayed at the Kenwood Hall Hotel in Sheffield, as it is now known recently and although I had walked past the entrance many times when I was younger I didn't realise what lay behind the gates. The original gates are now closed and a larger entrance is just up the next road, there is plenty of parking and even room for a bus!
The original hall is still used but the more modern building has been sympathetically designed to fit in with the older building. The 12 acres of parkland including the lake gives the hotel a restful feeling, and we were lucky enough to have good weather and enjoyed a walk around watching the squirrels and the ducks. There were seats and tables outside and even in September it was warm enough to enjoy a drink in the sun.
This is also a conference centre and has several rooms for meetings and parties and dedicated staff who deal with this side of the hotel.
Once a Swallow hotel, it changed to Marriott but now is part of the Principal Hayley group.
As we walked in to Reception we were immediately welcomed and registration was quickly dealt with. The reception often had two members of staff dealing with guests, and although we didn't need help with our case it was offered. There was plenty of seating in the reception and adjoining bar area, stairs led up to function rooms and lifts were through the swing doors. It was modern and very clean.
Altogether 110 rooms, I was lucky enough to have a room overlooking the garden and lake. There were six in our party so I got to see 3 rooms and although the twins were similar the double was more like a suite with separate lounge area, and large armchairs.
18/10 Restaurant - Sheffield is famous for steel and the name of the restaurant is taken from a type of Stainless steel. We booked a table but although the hotel was quite full it wasn't too busy. Service was quite good and we had a little time between courses which if I'm not in a rush I like. At both ends of the room was a small raised area with a few tables which allowed a larger group to be away from the main dining room.
The restaurant was also used for breakfast and then had a buffet set up behind the table area. There was a choice of cereals, plenty of fresh fruits, yogurt, fruit juices, cold meat and cheeses, plenty of hot dishes, bread, rolls, Danish pastries and waffles made to order. Small jars of jam and marmalade were already on the tables as was milk, and pots of tea or cafetierres of coffee were left on the table to help yourself.
We ate in the Lounge bar on our second night as we only needed a light meal, there was a choice of various sandwiches, served with crisps and salad from about £6.25, Quesadillas, Classic Burgers with fries etc. Wine was £5.20 a glass, beer £3.30 a pint and Coke £2.35. The only difficulty was there wasn't enough room to put all our plates on the table but our knees worked OK!
For guests who like to be active there was a small pool and Jacuzzi and a small gym with weights and cardiovascular section. Also a Spa, but I'm afraid there wasn't time to sample this. It did seem to be well used though.
We paid £75 per person for the two nights for bed and breakfast, it is advertised as £79 per double room but offers are available, and you can get a reduction for online booking.
A great place to stay in Sheffield, because it is quite close to the city and the shops, museums, theatre etc, but with plenty of parking. Excellent food and beautiful surroundings. Where else can you stay in a city and listen to an owl hooting at night and be woken by a cockerel in the morning?
