For our first trip (and to start the 2022 season), we headed down south to Paultons Park and to see some friends while we were down there. As It’s a 290 mile drive down there, we stopped at the Macdonald Botley Park Hotel and Spa.
I touched on hotel reviews when I wrote the blogs for our summer holiday last year, so I thought it might be a good idea to add my thoughts on any other hotels we stay at in case other thrill seekers do the same!
The hotel has a 4 star rating, and I think it’s just about clinging to that myself. The hotel staff were all great, especially in the restaurant. Housekeeping was a bit lax though, as we found used glasses hadn’t been washed, stained carpets in the room, and just a general air of it’ll do, which put a dampener on the property for us.
The other negative, for me at least, is how dark the whole place felt. There were energy saving techniques used in the corridors which is great to see, but the lights that they use barely put out any light and it makes the corridors feel very unfriendly. The same for our room, where the window didn’t let much light in at all, even though we weren’t over looked by trees or buildings. I think it was just too small!
As it’s a spa, we did get free use of the pool, sauna and steam room which were excellent additions as it meant we could go for a swim and unwind after we’d finished at Paultons Park. Only negative here is once again, the pool was very dark and just didn’t feel as bright and airy as the hotel’s photos might suggest.
As for some positives, we had breakfast included and the service was excellent. The food was really tasty and there were a good few options, including vegetarian offerings. Neither of us are vegan so I we didn’t notice vegan options, but I’m certain they would cater for this if needed.
The beds, though very soft, were massive and I found to be quite comfortable too. Definitely sold on king size beds! There was a mini fridge in the room too, which was great, and everything you might need for a few days away. No electrical outlets next to the bed however.
Parking was free and there was always somewhere to park, no matter how late we arrived back. Not much to see in the grounds though.
Overall, the hotel as good, but not great. It could use some TLC here and there, a good deep clean and some improvements to the overall light levels about the place!
To summarize, I’d happily rate it as a 7/10, perfectly suitable for what we needed, just lacking a little to make it great! For the price, I’d still pick a Holiday inn or Travelodge personally!
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