My review is based on my most recent stay, in August 2007. I've stayed there three times, and I…read morewill discount my first stay, in 2005. The hotel was in the midst of some reconstruction then, and I had a horrific allergy attack in my room.
The hotel has been renovated in sections for a couple of years, so the quality of room, bedding etc was a matter of luck. Some of my colleagues got rooms with thin bedding, but I never had a problem. The layout is very strange, but typical for the area. The front is an old mansion, with corridors of rooms built on to the rear, and attached to an old church next door. While the entrance area is impressive with a huge staircase leading up to the rooms, it can be quite an ordeal getting to your room if you're on an upper floor in the rear with heavy luggage, with narrow halls and single steps going from one section to another.
I did not formally dine there, but had breakfast daily, and enjoyed the small bar off of the reception area. As a yank, I quickly acclimated to undercooked scrambled eggs and bacon, because it was quite tasty. There breakfast bar selection was well above that normally found in an American hotel.
During my last stay, we were very impressed that the bar manager opened up the unused ballroom at our party's request, so we could watch Germany vs England metric football on a large screen. And I enjoyed talking to him about the subtle differences between the ales and other beers that were on tap, sampling many. We also spent some time drinking outside in a lovely garden area, with benches and shade trees available.
Over in the old church building, I took advantage of a very nice exercise room, with weight machines, free weights, treadmills, etc. The pool was beautiful, but I had to get out after a few minutes because of heavy chlorination eating away my corneas.
Don't be afraid to ask for directions from one place to another, because otherwise you could easily find yourself walking outside around the hotel to get to the pool, for example. The hallways were rather byzantine.
One of my favorite "features" of this hotel is the location, right in Alderley Edge. You can walk up the road The Edge itself, which is a good hike, or cross the street into the town, and dine amongst the wags.