Balmer Lawn

Breakfast was great although the table we were at was quite unstable.

Room was a good size. Breakfast very good. Staff were exceptional.

Our double bed was two twin beds pushed together.

The property had good places to eat and the staff were very accommodating and helpful. The spa was very good and I had a great massage there!

It is very run down and old. Some areas look like they have not been cleaned in years. There was mold on the sticky mat for the bath which is easy enough to have cleaned. We also chose the housekeeping option and they never changed our towels in 3 days. They only made the bed and took out rubbish- wasn’t really much “housekeeping”. No fridges in the room so we couldn’t keep our toddler’s snacks or milk cold. For somewhere that is child friendly, it doesn’t make sense to not have a fridge. Coffee at breakfast from the machine was terrible. There could have been a better selection of fruit too.

When we first saw the hotel it looked absolutely lovely; the photos online make it look incredible! When we walked in we got the keys quickly. Was unaware we had to reserve £25 when we got there on our card. The staff member was nice. The outside of the hotel is nice to look at.

Sadly the rest wasn’t very good. The room was okay but for £252 (I paid less in central London on marathon weekend) you kind of expect a little more. There were no plugs next to the bed which is always a pain. Bed was a bit hard. Wish as well you could have a breakfast option as we were never going to take advantage of this. It is SO noisy. We could hear children running up and down the halls and lots of noise from outside and with a newborn it was an absolute nightmare (they knew we had a baby so could have placed us in a better area) and felt a bit awkward that people might have been able to hear him cry in the night based off what we could hear. The windows were open so far in the room that if I was alone I would have been unable to shut them without getting a staff member which seems a bit silly to do. We stayed for the new forest marathon which we do each year, we did look to go next year as it’s only one night and in a good area for us, but it’s gone up to £272 and we have to reserve £100 when we get there so we won’t be returning unless we really are stuck.