Whittlebury Hall: A nice grand hotel close to Silverstone (Whittlebury Hall)

Member Name: Jamwee

Product:	Whittlebury Hall
Date:	10/07/09 (97 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Good promotions, close to silverstone, has it's own spa, free nuts in bar

Disadvantages: We saw the long check in queue, bed was a little hard for my liking (that's just down to preference)

I stayed at the Whittlebury Hall with my girlfriend when I took her rally driving for her birthday. If you are researching this hotel and planning to go to Silverstone, I don't think there is a hotel closer. We were attending the rally school which was just around the corner.

I had booked a package which included 2 nights stay, breakfast and dinner on both days and the 'Heat and Ice' experience at the spa. I can't remember how much it cost me then, but at the moment they are offering this package for £65 per person per night - i.e. £260.

Upon arriving, the hotel is very grand and beautiful. You'll see this from any pictures you see online. We arrived early as the heat and ice experience was on the day of arrival - many reviews had mentioned long check in queues (which we did note later on) but when we arrived there was no queue, we were greeted by a very friendly young lady who took our bags, offered us a carry bag for our swimgear and pointed us in the direction of the spa.

The heat and ice experience wasn't anything exciting, but it allowed full use of the facilities. This included several 'experience' rooms - such as a steam room with salts added and what appeared to be menthol in another. Being a guy I can't get excited about a spa, but it was very relaxing and my girlfriend loved it. We spend time relaxing and then decided to head up to our room.

The rooms were very traditional, this is an overall feel the hotel gives. It was a nice room with everything you'd expect - coffee/tea, a TV, robes, Molton Brown soaps/shampoo, etc. The bed was a little too hard for me, but overall the roooms were very nice if a little dated.

The food was very good, although one night it seemed as if it had been cooked and reheated in a microwave. The service was better than I expected, it almost felt as if we were treated like royalty. The waitress seemed very apologetic when she came over to top up our wine or ask if everything was OK. It's nice to have good service, but it can be taken a little far - although I'm sure there are some people for whom good service would not be enough and they would expect the best. We were there because it was a good deal!

I have read lots of varying reviews for this place and as with everything, peoples experiences will be unique to their visit. I can honestly say that I cannot fault the establishment. We did see the long check in queues and perhaps if we had to wait in it this would be a different review but everyone we dealt with was more than helpful and had a smile on their face. We thoroughly enjoyed our stay there and I would not hesitate in booking again!

(To add: We went for a drink in the bar one night before dinner and they have free nuts on the tables, excellent addition!)

Summary: Nice traditional hotel with very friendly staff at a reasonable price.