In 1666, King Charles II made New Park Manor, in the heart of the New Forest and was his favourite…read morehunting lodge on his return from exilein France apparantly! We attended a wedding reception here and it was a really lovely venue. The grounds are probably most impressive, with a huge terrace and even a swimming pool. The reception room was rather standard in comparison to the beautiful old style rooms and ceremony room. We found the staff to be very friendly and they even gave us a lift back in the early hours as all the taxi companies had closed (it was a Sunday!). Not the cheapest of places - x5 drinks cost £25 a roundOUCH, but a very nice venue and a lovely setting for a wedding.

Wow, what a huge disappointment. Whoever did this hotel's website was brilliant at taking…read moreflattering photos and writing estate agent-ese in describing the place. This is the kind of place that gives English hotels a bad name. I can see easily how tourists will get taken in by the beautifully presented website and feel like they've been seriously ripped off when they get shown into their cupboard of a room, before being fleeced in the bar. A lot of people come here for the spa attached to the hotel. It's really not worth making a special journey. The spa is tiny, has very few facilities, and isn't all that relaxing, due to the fact that there's at least one door that slams itself shut very loudly whenever anyone walks through it. The spa dealt with, onto the hotel. We were put into what is basically an attic room, and a tiny one at that. To be fair, the website makes no secret of the fact that these rooms 'feature sloped ceilings'. It doesn't tell you, however, that you are tucked into the slope so much that even my wife, a tiny 5'0" woman, found it difficult to navigate around the room. For my part, I was unable to stand up to pee and anyone taller than an average two year old child shouldn't expect to be able to take a shower. For £135 per night (and they usually ask for a minimum 2 night stay at the weekends) you really expect much better, even at a hotel that thinks it's at the premium end of the market. On the positive side, dinner at the hotel restaurant was passable, if overpriced by 25%. The food was well cooked and presented, although I was very disappointed that when I ordered a side dish of new potatoes I wasn't informed that the main dish I'd ordered already came with potatoes. For anything other than dinner, travel into one of the nearby towns and avoid eating at the hotel bar. The tuna used for one of my open sandwiches tasted like it came out of the tin, and the crab mayo for my other sandwich was massively over-seasoned, to the point of being inedible (I'd have sent it back except that staff had disappeared, possibly out of shame). The biggest laugh came with the pretentiously arranged 'fat chips' that we'd ordered: 12 soggy chips for £3. The only reason this hotel gets two stars is because it really is in a lovely location, and I suspect if you're willing to pay through the nose, the more expensive rooms might be passable. The staff here are really friendly and willing. It's just such a shame that the hotel they're working at doesn't deserve them. If you want a good spa/hotel, Pennyhill Park (http://www.qype.co.uk/place/80859-Pennyhill-Park-Hotel-Spa-Bagshot ) is head and shoulders above this place.

Brilliant family celebration We chose The Manor for my 80th…read moreBirthday Celebration, as we had stayed there before and always found it welcoming and comfortable and good value. My plan was to have a weekend with my partner, my children , grand children and sisters and their husbands (Total 31 people in all) with a lunch on the Saturday with 10 more relations who could make the journey and back in a day. As it happened the numbers were ideal as we were able to use all the bedrooms and have the hotel to ourselves for the weekend, with a few of the people staying a few extra days before and after. The atmosphere was very relaxed and every one had a fantastic time. It was a great opportunity for my grandchildren (teenage or a bit older) to get to know each other and have fun together - some live abroad and others at some distance from each other. The lunch on the Saturday went off very well with everyone very much at ease. The food was very good with a varied menu that I had agreed in advance with Tim the owner and the Dining Room suited our number very well. The next day we celebrated the 60th birthday of my son in law who had driven over with his family from Austria and we had another celebratory lunch, this time there were 17 of us and again we had a lovely meal. The hotel rooms were very comfortable and there was enough flexibility to have a few extra beds for some children. Tim and his team were very friendly and helpful and made everyone very welcome. A special mention to Helena and Angie, and Matt the chef. Highlight for me were the lunches and also the breakfasts where everyone was able to mingle very happily in a totally relaxed atmosphere. For me it was the highlight of my year and I have to thank Tim and his Team for making it such a happy and memorable time

I stayed recently for a weekend getaway and loved the hotel. The rooms were clean, a good size and…read morehad a nice contemporary design. The staff were efficient and a good balance of informal/formal. The food was great. This hotel offers so much with it being in such a great location for outdoor pursuits, however, they have their own lovely grounds if you fancy a bit of a walk. Look out for the summer when I am sure lunch and dinner will be served on the terrace.

After hiking around the New Forest, we were craving New Forest ice cream so we walked down a little…read morepath to the Secret Garden. There are mismatched cushions and arm chairs in a gazebo with floral bunting and little chairs and tables around it on the grass. Our dining neighbours' drinks looked really nice and their afternoon tea menu looked lovely as well. I have a feeling the Secret Garden is more about their twee ambience but we enjoyed it all the same!

Gorgeous hotel on the edge of the New Forest. The main reception rooms are set in a beautiful,…read morehistoric building - although most of the guest bedrooms seemed to be much more modern. Rooms were clean and very comfortable, if rather 'chintzy'. There's a gym etc and spa - with swimming pool, sauna, steam room and whirlpool. Breakfast is served in a room overlooking the beautifully manicured grounds and consisted of a cold continental buffet and then waiter served hot food (choice of full English, kippers, porridge etc). The hotel is very near the ferry terminal for Isle of Wight ferries and a short drive to Lymington itself. There's a nice pub though on the way to Lymington (called the Waggon and Horses?).

Have had a timeshare here for the last 20 years. Alway enjoy coming here in November. Great base…read moreand alway enjoy sitting by the fire with a gin and tonic. Always a great selection of places to eat in Lymington at the Stanwell hotel or at the Cloud in Brockenhurst. Fantastic shops in Lymington and a great Market on Saturday.

For a wonderful long weekend away, you can't get any better than the Balmers Lawn Hotel…read more The Mrs and I booked a two night stay here after seeing an amazing (and I mean A-Maz-ing) deal via a deals sight. This deal included two nights stay with late check out, a three course meal in the Beresford's AA rosette restaurant in the hotel and massage at the Saltus Spa. While they're all under the same roof, they all need praise in their own right. The Balmer Lawn Hotel. Perfectly situated in the Few Forest, it's a great location for both relaxation and planning trips into various areas of the New Forest for walks and adventure. There is a particular short walk (about 1.5 hours) that takes off from the car park and is perfect to strech the legs if you're not feeling particularly adventurous. The hotel itself is clean. Very clean. We were very kindly also given a free upgrade into a four poster room, which was great for the novelty value. Robes, tea, tea pot and biccies provided it's a perfect room to unwind in after a wander around. While Balmer Lawn hotel, is very big it dosn't feel it, with all the facilities easy to get to. As we went in October (not a particularly sunny time of the year) we took good advantage of the heated pool, jacussi and sauna each day. The pool never seemed to get too busy which meant complete relaxation. Breakfast. This was probably my least favourite part of our stay. The breakfast was by no means bad, however as a vegetarian, the selection was a bit boring. There's only so many fried eggs and baked beans a person can take. If you're a meat eater, the sausages looked great - and there is an option to order off a menu for scrambled eggs etc. Overall the hotel with its friendly staff and intimate facilities is a perfect place for a relaxing stay or for peaceful solace after a day of hiking around the gorgeous surroundings. The Restaurant I'm not normally one for posh nosh. I like my food like I like my theatre, fresh and unpretencious -however I had trouble choosing from the menu and had an absolutley lovely meal. Eating in London can mean that quality does not equate to price and you can end up paying a lot for what is not very nice. However I can see why this restaurant has it's flowers :P My main course of cod was just gorgeous. And aside from the utterly delish and tempting food was the service. Who I believed was the restaurant manager (a slim tall man with glasses) was incredibly friendly. Saltus Spa I really liked the great drift-wood sculptures and furniture all around the reception and relaxation room. The two lovely ladies that gave me and the Mrs our Full Body Aromatherapy massage were so sweet, but also very professional. The asked if we would like to have our massage together or not and our preferance of oil and pressure. Very informative and relaxing. This was actually the best massage I've ever had and came out feeling like I was floating. After our massage, water and luxury chocolate were avaliable in the relaxation room. I would completely reccommend the Balmer Lawn Hotel, who often have their own offers on their website. Check it out.

Once advertised in one one of those ghastly Groupon circulars I had signed up to, which I readily…read morecommitted to junk mail. Just imagine booking a holiday via Groupon to find you're vacationing with with a bunch of voucher wielding cheapos who barge past you at breakfast to squirrel the croissants in their beach bags at the buffet. Somehow I stumbled on the Balmer Lawn's details again, after the offer had expired, but they were only too happy to accommodate our large party with an equally competitive offer! B I N G O! Just a 2 hour drive from the Big Smoke and you're in the beautiful New Forest, said Google Maps. Screw you Google Maps! Don't drive! There is a train station 10 minutes walk away and a handful of excellent pubs to refresh you on arrival should you find the train via Southampton an ordeal. After being stuck in traffic for three hours, driving on the open road of the New Forest leading up to the Balmer Lawn is something to behold, everything you want in a country resort. It's a beacon of quintessential British grandeur with darling little New Forest ponies and cows grazing on the grounds, gentile clacks of cricket bats being played on the lawns with the bright whites of players dotted in the sun and a welcoming patio bar area with the soothing trickle of a fountain to offer it's soundtrack whilst gazing on this perfect vista. With road rage from the drive tightly bound in my shoulders I could realise my dreams of swanning about the establishment like Little Britain's Bubbles de Vere, getting a massage and generally enjoying a lot of lolling around. It's grand reception walls are lined with it's history, there's a documented photographed survival through fires and floods and 90s floral motifs which this establishment sadly has not recovered from. It is perhaps these touches that make it cling to it's 4 stars, just about. So after my ghastly journey I wanted to sling my luggage on a luggage rack and raid the mini-bar. I could do neither. No luggage rack, NO MINI-BAR, I almost called down to reception to ask if there was a problem, but none of my neighbours had one either. Leaving my bag askew in search for an evening cocktail, we were pleasantly greeted by great bar staff, happy to cater to our picky whims. Not so knowledgeable on well known cocktails, so some training wouldn't go amiss, however we were still delighted and entertained by the bar staffs efforts. They had cucumber for Hendicks Gin so +points, but not knowing what a Negroni was, 0 points. The grounds and pools, yes pool-S, were fantastic. Where I'd worried about competing for the jacuzzi and sauna among Groupon wielding sunglouger hogging types, we pretty much had the place to ourselves in early June! So we enjoyed pool keepie uppy til our hearts were content and dive bombing and ducking each other and all other usual pool faux pas in the outdoor heated and indoor pools like 10 year olds allowing us to leave all our city stresses behind. Food service here, however wasn't terribly fine. In a maddening farcical two hour wait for a half dozen sandwiches, we had to reorder thrice! Some communication on what could have been the problem in the kitchen would have made us a little more understanding and we could have just gone to the pub next door as there was clearly an issue, possibly down to running out of bread? Sadly we wasted a lot of an afternoon for a swift repas. Come supper time there was a fairly decent menu, offering typical British local food, I had the Pigeon (a tad over done) and balsamic lentils, but most excitingly of all I ordered their Panache of vegetables. The meal was served with every ounce of warmth and panache that they could pull the stops out for, but when I received my PANACHE of vegetables. I was surprised at their Flamboyant Confidence in serving me what was basically microwaved carrot and cauliflower. No Frills. At. All. Hilarious. Picture attached. Otherwise feeling truly pampered a la Bubbles De Vere, Balmer Lawn's staff did everything to make our large group feel welcome and cared for, even so far as to pack us away with sausages AND croissants from the breakfast buffet for our afternoon walk. The only squirrelling away was done by the, well, local squirrels.