We had a voucher for Afternoon Tea, and decided to make a stay of it by staying over for the night…read moretoo.
The Afternoon Tea was nice, but not quite at the quality I would've hoped for. You were offered "tea or coffee" but with no choices of tea blend etc, so what came out was a teapot made with teabags (PG Tips judging from the tea elsewhere in the hotel), but that was no dealbreaker, just surprising. The sandwiches were ok, but nothing overwhelming, and on cheap thin bread. The scones were really delicious, I just wish they were bigger, or there were a few more of them. The cakes were pleasant, if a little dry. The posset (after we worked out what it was... we thought it was a subtle strawberry mousse) was pleasant. Afternoon Tea was served in a pair of beautiful Victorian reception rooms, but the musical accompaniment was odd... Walkin' On Sunshine by Katrina and the Waves, and a few other pop hits. Also a chamberpot was placed by the fireplace... so I'd assume the staff weren't familiar with what a chamberpot actually is! So overall not bad, but not great.
However, the hotel part of our stay was wonderful! Yes it's a bit of a pricy stay, but as a one off, it really was a lovely luxurious treat! We stayed in the Serenity Spa room, which had a lovely comfortable king sized bed, ensuite, conservatory, and an outdoor sauna and hot tub in a secluded yard just for our room.
The hot tub was lovely, we really enjoyed that, but we couldn't get the sauna to work. Also the shower in the ensuite was one of those all singing all dancing numbers with jets and sprays and waterfalls and allsorts. Very nice! The en-suite was modern and spacious, which was very nice, and in contrast to the main room itself which was Victorian elegance with chandeliers and high ceilings. The furnishings were warm rich colours, and although we thought the bed looked like it had a bit of a dip in it at first, it turned out to be veeeeery comfortable! It's a shame there was no plug near the bed, but there were others throughout the room and conservatory. The addition of a free-to-use mini fridge, bathrobes and slippers were nice too.
Breakfast was delicious and plentiful, both the continental and the full Yorkshire that we opted for. The grounds of the hotel are truly stunning, real Victorian English country gardens with winding paths and quiet seating areas, with some of the most beautiful views you'll ever see. Parking was free and roomy (we saw 7 cars parked there at one point with no major squashing).
It's also within just a few minutes walk of the main village and street.
If I had the money, I'd happily stay here again.