One of Warwickshires best kept secrets (Ettington Chase)

Member Name: gollygumdrops

Product:	Ettington Chase
Date:	07/11/00 (1740 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Great facilities, excellent food

Disadvantages: Business types

Ettington Chase is far more of a Conference Centre than it is a hotel. Set in the wilds of Warwickshire it is fairly easy to find, just off the Fosse Way. The building is quite impressive, looking like an old schoolhouse with a modern accommodation block tacked on.

Rooms are large and comfortable, with plenty of space to work. There are modem points in every room. You get a range of satellite channels, focusing on sports and news.

It is easy to relax here. There is a pleasant swimming pool, with a sauna and small gym. Outdoors types can play tennis or even practice their golf skills, but there are only three holes! Indoor sports fans get two full size snooker tables, darts and card tables in their own sports bar.

The hotel is all the more relaxing because mobile phone reception is awful, and no network can maintain a reliable signal here. The view is beautiful, miles of rolling countryside.

Food is excellent. Breakfast is served buffet style so you can help yourself to as much rabbit food, or pork products as you like. Lunch is also help yourself, with cold salads, a choice of hot entrees, hot and cold desserts and superb cheese. Dinner is slightly more formal with waiter service from the table d’hote menu. No room service is available.

You can stay just the odd mid week night on your own, but be warned that most folk here are on courses, meeting or ‘brainstorming’ sessions so there is an almost tribal feel! This can be overwhelming if there are eighty odd people from one company and just one or two in your party.

The bar opening times can be a little odd because of this. They tend not to open at lunch time and often close at 10:30 or 11:00 to make sure that students get their beauty sleep. There is an upside to this, sometimes a company will lay on an open bar so you can drink the night away on someone elses expenses! This is particularly satisfying if your bank is paying. <
br><br>
You can stay here on a B&B basis at the weekends, when the corporate types have gone home. This is often a great deal as the hotel has plenty of rooms to fill and you can explore Warwick and Stratford, hang out at Ettington village, or simply abuse the leisure facilities. You will need to check ahead as B&B is not available every weekend, but it is well worth looking out for.

Summary: