This has been a regular place to stay for our yearly visit to Alton Towers Theme Park. It is great for relaxing and playing in the large grounds at night. The accomodation varies in quality, avoid the roasting hot room above the Drying room...unless you like a sauna!

The breakfasts used to be absolutely excellent when they were "Full English", unfortunately, the bland continental style has replaced this and I always request they bring back the fried egg, bacon, sausages etc. as this was fuel for the day...My large group of kids and adults were all deeply dissapointed in the continental breakfast.

If you opt for packed lunches for a large group, be aware that you may not get a good mix of crisp flavours, so be prepared to distribute and do swappies to ensure all get a roll with something they will eat!

If you are a large group of say 10-12, then this is a cheap and ideal place to stay. Plenty to do in the grounds and in the games room. Sheila Warrington ("Warrington Coaches") lives right next door to the hostel and is an ideal choice for transporting your group to Alton Towers and are also good value.

Over the years, we have tried many of the rooms. The best largest room (Room 12) ...holds upto 14... has great ventilation in the summer and excellent views. Some rooms involve a long corridor walk to the showers or toilets.

Some rooms have very small windows and can get stuffy in the hot summer! Again...AVOID the room directly above the Drying room in the summer it is sweaty and hard to sleep at night...we had to request our second night be changed due to lack of sleep. But this room may be great in a winter stay though!?

These minor gripes aside, I would reccomend Ilam Hall as the perfect place to stay for groups of children. I considered the Alton Towers Hotels, but they cannot cater for large groups, only Familes.