*Overview*

The Drayton Manor hotel is located in Tamworth, just off the M42, M6 Toll road and approx 15 minutes from the centre of Birmingham. It is literally on the door step to the Drayton Manor Theme Park, being 20 meters from the Parks entrance. The nearest train station is Tamworth, which is just 4 miles away.

Drayton Manor hotel
Drayton Manor theme park
Drayton Manor Drive
Tamworth
B78 3SA

Originally the building was owned by Sir Robert Peel. These days however it is a four star hotel set in 280 Acres of parkland and lakes.

I booked our stay here very last minute during the summer holidays. I popped into the local Thomas Cook on the Saturday and booked a room for the next night. I happened to have some Thomas Cook vouchers about to expire and decided to use them on a  "stay and Play" offer i had seen online. As always Thomas Cook were brilliant to deal with, althought slightly expensive. We paid for a interconnecting family room (2 adults and 2 children) which was £198.00, this price also included full breakfast and entry tickets for the Drayton Manor Park (the tickets were to be collected on arrival at the hotel) I have seen on the hotels website that they have different offers running regularly and I am sure cheaper deals could be found on other hotel websites. Of course rates also depend on the type of room being booked and this hotel has a variety of different rooms avaliable which i will discuss in more detail further on.

I must note that it took sometime to arrive at our destination. The general drive up there was fine but towards the end of the journey we were stuck in a traffic queue to get into the actual park. We finally arrived in the car park a few hours later than we had hoped. However, we were met with large flashing signs informing us that the theme park would be open until 7:30 in the evening, so we still had plenty of time to play.

I think the reception at The Drayton Manor Hotel had to be one of the nicest receptions I have even seen, and any parents dream! In the center was a large chair for resting those weary legs after a long journey. Dotted around the room where Thomas the Tank Engine themed characters, brilliant for keeping the kids occupied whilst queuing and sorting out our room at reception. There is also a Thomas the tank engine shop located in reception. However, we never went into the shop as I thought I would spend enough money  in the actual theme park. There was a small queue in reception but this went down fast and I was greeted quickly by a young lady. She apologised for the long queue in entering the hotel and park carpark and again I was told that the park would remain open until 7:30pm. The receptionist took my details and I was handed three key cards along with our park entry tickets. All the usual information was given, breakfast, check out times etc. I was also informed that as they were quiet busy they were recommending guest pre-booking a table in the hotel restaurant, we decided on 8:15. We decided to head to our rooms before going to the park. Both stairs and Lifts are located next to each other in reception. A room key card is needed to use the lift.

Along the corridors leading to the rooms hung pictures of Drayton Manor and more impressingly large 3D murals of Thomas the Tank Engine and friends bursting out of tunnels. Impromptu photo sesion ensued until the kids got bored and would not let me take anymore snaps of them posing in front of James or Emily.

As mentioned before we had booked interconnecting rooms. Both rooms were very clean and of a high standard and tastefully decorated. We had a lovely view with plenty of trees and greenery, it was also very quiet. In the first room we had a double bed and also a sofa bed. The en suite bathroom was well equipt with clean fluffy quality towels and the usual toiletries, shampoo etc. A small sign informed us should any additional bits be needed (eg. Razors) they were avaliable at reception. There was a shower over the bath. The second room had twin beds and another pull out sofa bed. The en suite in this room was for disabled access, it had a walk in shower. On using their bathroom one of my children mistake the pull alarm for the light switch and reception staff knocked a few moments later to check everything was ok. I was not too happy about the pull alarm just dangling from the ceiling with having a three year old using the room thinking it was a bit dangerous, so we had to move the cord out of the way and tie it to the shower rail to keep it out of reach. Both rooms had large flat screen tvs attached to the wall which included all the usual freeview channels. One thing I was particulaly happy about was the hair dryer, instead of the usual hair dryers in hotel rooms which take forever to dry your hair, this one was of a good quality and worked well. Both rooms also had a tea and coffee making facilities.

Other rooms available include a standard room which can accommodates two adults and two children, Double room with two double beds for up to four adults and Presidential rooms. Also available are Thomas the Tank Engine themed family rooms which include Thomas bunk beds each with their own dvd players and Thomas welcome pack. 

After visiting the theme park we took the short 2 minute walk back to the hotel to eat in the restaurant. We were seated at our table very quickly by the staff and given menus. Drink orders were promptly taken and delivered. The childrens menus were on paper "mats" with puzzles and pictures too colour in, pencils were provided, rather like what you get in pizza hut. Always good when children are kept busy in restaurants! There was also some Thomas the Tank Engine toys to play with but my daughters were not too interested. I was very happy to see that the restaurant catered very well for vegetarians, with plenty of choice! My partner and I both had a main each, the kids had a main each from the childrens menu, we ordered two additional bowls of chips this all came to around £45 including a few drinks too, which I think was a fairly reasonable price. The restaurant had a nice atmosphere and the staff were friendly and efficient. It was extremly child friendly. Next to the restaurant was a bar, but as we didnt visit it I cannot comment on what it was like.

The Buffet breakfast was served in the restaurant. A large variety of food was available. Hot food including beans, eggs, etc was served by staff and although vegetarian sausages were not out I asked and some were brought to my table a few moments later. They also had all the usual cereals, fruits, breads and pastries. 

Check out was at 11:00. Again staff were friendly and efficient.

I would recommend the Drayton Manor Hotel to anyone visiting the theme park. It is conviniently located and of a extremely good quality.