Much ado about ............... (Billesley Manor Hotel (Alcester, Warwickshire))

Member Name: Coxy1974

Product:	Billesley Manor Hotel (Alcester, Warwickshire)
Date:	03/04/07 (226 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Not too far away, ideally placed, good facilities

Disadvantages: A bit pricey for what we actually got

For Valentines day my partner whisked me away for a dirty sorry romantic few days away. He was a pain in the backside if I am to be honest as he wouldn’t tell me where we were going.

Despite him dropping several hints including references to Shakespeare, which went totally whoosh over my head, I didn’t guess until the day before we were going. The Shakespeare reference was obvious to me when he explained that he came from Stratford and the hotel we were to frequent was near there.

Anyway, I’m waffling and you’re probably wondering if I’m ever going to get to my point and tell you where we stayed and what it was like, so I’ll get on with it. Hurrah, I hear you cry. OK – we went to Billesley Manor in Alcester, near Stratford Upon Avon.

A bit about the chain

Billesley is part of the Paramount group of hotels and bears the mark of one of their signature hotels.

Paramount have 20 hotels across the UK and they are all 4 star rated. They were established in 1994 and are now owned by Dawnay Shores Hotels Plc.

List of Hotels in the chain

Paramount Basingstoke Country Hotel – Hampshire
Paramount Imperial Hotel Torquay
Paramount Old Ship Hotel – Brighton
Paramount Cheltenham Park Hotel
Paramount Daventry Hotel
Paramount Hickley Island Hotel – Leicestershire
Paramount Oxford Hotel
Paramount Walton Hall & Hotel – Warwickshire
Paramount Imperial Hotel Blackpool
Paramount majestic Hotel – Harrogate
Paramount Palace Hotel – Buxton
Paramount Redworth Hall Hotel – County Durham
Paramount Carlton Hotel – Edinburgh
Paramount Marine Hotel – Troon
Paramount Stirling Highland Hotel – Stirling

There are 4 that are their Signature Hotels which offer additional facilities and are of a higher quality than the others. These are

Shrigley Hall Hotel – Cheshire
The Lygon Arms – Broadway
Billesley Manor – Near Stratford Upon Avon
Combe Grove Manor – Bath

Visit the website at www.paramount-hotels.co.uk for further information.

Billesley Manor

This is a converted Elizabethan house and has 11 acres of grounds. It is certainly impressive when you turn into the long winding drive and then up to the hotel past outbuildings that are guest bedrooms, through double gates and up to the main house itself.

The hotel is 4 star rated and boasts

72 bedrooms
Indoor Swimming Pool
Sauna
Steam Room
Gym
Beauty Salon
Bar
Restaurant
Lounge area

As with all hotels they offer different room types. We had a Premium Double Room but others that are on offer are

Signature Double, Single or Twin
Deluxe Double, Single or Twin
Premium Double or Twin
Suite

All rooms have the usual things but in the Premium rooms you get an upgraded bathroom, walk in wardrobes and dressing area, mineral water, bathrobes and slippers and a CD Player.

The room we had been allocated was set back from the main house in what looks to originally have been one of the outbuildings or maybe staff quarters. There were about 4 rooms and ours was the only one on the top floor where there were conferencing facilities directly opposite our room.

We walked in and up a few steps into the main room. The bathroom was to the left with the bed to the right and the dressing area was around the back of the bed. The bed was huge and very comfortable. The view we had from the room was of the other outbuildings, which again house other guest bedrooms.

The room we had was light and airy with a cream carpet and cream walls. Good use of lighting has been used to ensure that the bedroom doesn’t feel overlit. The bathroom had natural tiles on the floor and walls with the shower being over the bath. It was clean and the bathtub was massive.

The main reception area is just inside the entrance to your right and to the left is a small lounge with a large roaring fire which makes you feel really welcome and does look rather grand. Through the doorway you turn left into the main part of the hotel to find the bar, another lounge and the 2 dining rooms. The feel of the hotel is very Elizabethan with dark wood being used, large open real fires and use of original features throughout. The furniture is all dark wood and there are little alcoves in corridors fitted with plush, padded seating to take a break and put your feet up. The gym and pool area are at the back of the hotel.

So what was it like?

The hotel was lovely, the staff were really friendly and helpful. The pool area was thoughtfully kitted out with nice & comfortable loungers, one of which was like a very large sofa.

The Sauna and Steam Room were located down the bottom end of the pool and both were very clean and working. We took full advantage of both. A constant supply of fresh water is available too in the pool area so you’re never short of a drink.

You do have to book into the gym/pool reception before you go in and get given a wrist band with a locker key on it and towels. As the pool etc is located at the back of the main house then we had a bit of a walk to get there as our room was located in the outbuildings which are either side of the main drive before you get to the house. This was a bit of a pain as other guests who were in the main house only had to pull on bathrobes to cover their swim attire whilst getting there.

We ate out at a local pub the first night but my other half had booked us a romantic meal for the second night, Valentines Day. During the day we had taken the 10 minute drive to Stratford town centre and parked near a Holiday Inn at a cost of about £2 for 4 hours. It was a little out of the main drag however, it was only a short walk away.

The centre is quite a good shopping centre with Debenhams, Marks and Spencer, WH Smiths, BHS etc all having shops here. I introduced my beloved to Lush – I knew there was one there as I could smell it before I saw it – and we both had bath bombs for the evening.

You can take a bus tour around the city for around £7 and also take a boat trip on the Avon (didn’t look at prices as it was way too cold for a boat trip). We walked along the main high street to where Shakespeare died. The house no longer stands but the foundations are still there opposite a church. The village is very picturesque and the Marks and Spencers shop is obviously housed in a listed building – it has such a grand fascade to the front of the building!

Back at our hotel we used the pool facilities again, had a sauna and back to our room to soak in our lovely bath bombs from Lush. I had a Jasmine one which has glittery bits in it – and boy did they get everywhere.

You need to dress for dinner as it is smart/ casual with no jeans, shorts or trainers allowed. You need to arrive early if you have booked a table and the Maitre d’ will come over with the menu and then come back for you to place your order for Starters and Mains along with wine selection. The menu on our stay was not extensive with there being 6 of each course but the wine list was very good with prices starting at £15 for a bottle of house white.

You are then shown to your table where it has been set up with the wine you have ordered and mineral water.

I had a Goats cheese and red onion tart to start. This was lovely with the pastry being crunchy, onion providing a slight sweetness to the sourness of the cheese. I then had the Chicken breast stuffed with cheese and ham – the presentation of which made it a shame to cut into the food. The chicken was perfectly cooked being white throughout and juicy. The cheese and ham complimented perfectly with a slightly sour sauce being drizzled over the top. Buttered, steamed vegetables completed the excellent main course.

For dessert I had a vanilla sorbet with mini chocolate chip muffins and cream. This was lovely, with the sweetness of the sorbet being complimented with the chocolate chips which had melted into the still slightly warm muffins.

The service was excellent with the Maitre d’ and other service staff serving you quickly without you feeling as though you were on a conveyor belt.

Local Attractions

Stratford Upon Avon town centre is just a short drive away with the RSC showing various plays & according to their website on the 28th & 29th April annual Shakespeare Birthday celebrations will be taking place. You can also visit Anne Hathaway’s cottage or Mary Ardens House, along with taking a peak at the Shakespeare Countryside Museum.

Warwick castle & St Nicholas Park are only short drives away too and if you fancy driving a bit further a field then Cadbury World is not that far away being situated in Bourneville in Birmingham.

About a 5 minute drive away is a very nice country pub called The Stag. We ate there on the first night expecting the menu to be traditional country pub food like steak and ale pie and stuff but what a treat we were in for.

The service was great, the food was excellent with local fresh produce being used. I had chicken in a red wine sauce with big fat chips and it was lovely. Certainly of a quality to be served in some of the nicest restaurants I have visited and it wasn't hugely expensive either being about £26 for dinner, dessert and drinks for 2.

So what did I think to it all then?

Overall, it made a great romantic get away. The hotel has the potential to be absolutely fantastic however, there were a few things which really disappointed me such as

Bathrobes – if you are any bigger than a large or size 18 then you will never fit into one of them and they are not fluffy but a chewing gum grey and stiff towelling.

Cleanliness – when we first got into our room (which we had to wait a while for as it was still being cleaned way past our check in time!) it smelled strongly of cigarettes (we had booked a non smoking room). I found the culprit under the bed – a recently discarded cigarette end so the staff must have been smoking on the job. Also we came back from Stratford at 2pm and our room hadn’t been serviced for the day.

Carpet fitters – when we arrived they were having new carpet laid in that particular section of the hotel. It was OK but the fitters didn’t warn us they’d put glue on the stairs and I got stuck to the stairs. They woke us up at 7am each morning we were there.

The shower was a bit hit and miss with regards to hot and cold water. I didn’t have the heart to brave it and had baths but my partner braved the scalding and freezing temperatures.

One of the spotlights in the bathroom kept flickering when we turned on the shower – maybe it was a disco shower?!

It may sound like I’m nit-picking and maybe I am but just these couple of things really did disappoint me, especially the discarded cigarette end as I have recently given up smoking. When you take into account that the rooms there are not cheap and for the 2 days it cost something in the region of £450 then I would have expected more. Also the hotel would really benefit from installing a Jacuzzi as I felt that this was one thing that was missing in the pool area and would have complimented the other facilities perfectly.

I enjoyed my stay and the sentiment behind it but would I go back? Not sure – they’d have to really tempt me I think. Especially as since then I’ve stayed at the Beech Hill in Windermere and found that to be fabulous for less money.

Rates

The website does not publish their hotel room rates but they do have some Easter weekend special offers on where you can book a room for as little at £59 per room per night which includes breakfast. Or you can try the Sunday option which allows you to stay on a Sunday evening with a late check out the following day starting at £69.

To contact the hotel www.paramount-hotels.co.uk/hotels/central-england/ billesleymanor or ring the reservation line on 0870 168 8833.

Summary: Has the potential to be an excellent place to stay