Review rated by 74 Ciao members on average: very helpful
This review received a counterstatement by a party concernedRead Comment
The Botley Park Golf and Country Club is owned and operated by Macdonald Hotels, a group with some 70 hotels across England, Scotland and Wales. The hotel is situated just 15 minutes from Southampton Parkway railway station and Southampton (Eastleigh) Airport and five minutes from junction 7 on the M27.
Website and Booking -------------------------- I did not book this hotel in the conventional sense, as I was actually part of a Wedding Party eight weeks ago...and therefore my friend (the bride) took care of the booking for me. However, normally bookings can be made via 0870 400 9090 or via the website www.macdonald-hotels.co.uk
As a wedding guest, I was offered a Wedding Break rate, which was £79 for a double executive for single occupancy, including a complimentary three course dinner with coffee on the Friday night prior to the wedding. This compares favourably with their published leisure break rate of £95 BB and £110 DBB (single occ rates including £30 single supplement) for the particular season. I did try and see if they had any cheap rooms via www.laterooms.com and www.lastminute.com, however none were forthcoming, presumably due to the fact that the hotel had two weddings in for the Saturday night, and one on the Friday. The double occupancy Wedding Rate price is £98 including the complimentary dinner for two.
Booking on line is straightforward, as is requesting a brochure. I had requested a brochure prior to receiving the formal wedding invite. My brochure was with me within a few days.
Location and First Impressions -------------------------------------
First impressions were excellent. I was picked up from BOH airport by the (at this point!!!!) very laid-back Groom, and the 30 minute drive through to Botley is pleasant, culminating in tree lined avenues, before pulling up outside the front door to the hotel. Car Parking is excellent, with car parking for over 250 cars, and as this is a Golf and Country club, the hotel is set in 176 acres of parkland, making that country retreat feel that little more special.
Check in was swift. The reception was manned by two staff and there were no guests waiting, when I arrived somewhat later than scheduled at around 3pm.
The reception
is very modern and airy, with tonnes of seating space in the form of comfortable lounge sofas and high back armchairs. There is also a concierge on duty.
Just off the reception there is an informal bar area which serves snacks and which overlooks the 18 metre swimming pool and spa pool. At ground floor level, a long corridor provides access to the hotels 100 bedrooms. Also from this level you can gain access to the Espa Spa rooms, Squash courts and gymnasium.
Bedrooms were accessible via stair access, and there is no lift in the hotel, however ground floor rooms are available if required.
As this is only a two storey hotel, and with 100 rooms, the hotel was sprawling in its shape and some rooms did seem to have a fairly long walk in order to reach them.
Service was pleasant and friendly, card was swiped, and I was given directions to my room within minutes…
The Room ------------ WOW, was my first impression, and hopefully one to which the pictures testify. My room was a double executive room, and which was furnished in a contemporary style using brown and cream hues. Some wings of the hotel were undergoing full refurbishment and my room seemed to be in a refurbished area, evident from that “new home” smell that was present down the corridor.
My comfortable double bed was flanked by a wonderful headboard which was modern in styling. The ample wardrobe space was clearly fresh and new and contained more than enough solid wooden hangers to last even me for the two night stay. The fresh white linen was complemented by a caramel and cream covered throw, and the heavy curtains did a good job in allowing me to sleep in each morning.
The room was more than adequately lit, with a combination of ceiling, desk, and bedside lighting. In terms of general comfort, I had a desk/dressing area and two regular chairs in addition to the bed. In room entertainment was provide by the way of regular and some sky TV channels plus radio. There was an amply stocked minibar, and a tea/coffee tray, including some fabulous Macdonald Hotels shortbread. In addition to instant coffee, I also had a percolator and ground coffee at my disposal. a hairdryer, trouser press, and ironing board were also available.
The bathroom was exactly my kind of styling, with its modern white suite and tiling with a smattering of black marble and stainless steel power shower and taps. There was (and I don’t say this very often….) an excellent array of towels, including decent bath sheets that you can completely wrap oneself in; after a bath or shower. The in bathroom toiletries were supplied by a Scottish Soaps company and were of excellent quality. The over bath shower was completed with a screen, which did the job reasonably well, however the floor was subjected to a mere small soaking, (as opposed to a flood experienced in my most recent hotel review….)
The room was air conditioned, although I could not get this to work, and was later informed by a fellow wedding guest that it was not working across the hotel due to the upgrades (which I stress were completely inobtrusive to the stay). The air conditioning fixtures were of the modern electronic style and no doubt will be very efficient when the system is finalised. In the meantime, I had to resolve to leaving the window open for the entire length of my stay, and my obligatory Saturday morning walk around the grounds would testify that most rooms had the same idea. This felt like a warm hotel, although that said, it was a particularly warm weekend.
The room also had datapoint access, as well as telephone. Access to the room was via security cards.
I also visited one of the suites on numerous occasions, seeing my friend, including indulging in the Sat AM Champagne and Strawberries, while hair and make up were perfected. I actually
Pictures
In the grounds at Botley Hall
felt that this room was not as contemporary as mine was, presumably not having been decorated as recently. However the room had separate lounge and sleeping areas and had a HUGE bathroom, complete with separate bath and shower.
Wining, Drinking, and Dining ------------------------------------Obviously over two days, I dined in the hotel on several occasions. My first occasion involved a bar snack at the bar. I ordered a club sandwich which was delivered within ten minutes and was one of the tastiest club sandwiches I have experienced at around £8. A glass of house white cost around £3.30, while a round consisting of white wine and a southern comfort and lemonade was around £7.50 from the function room bar.
Breakfast was served in the main restaurant and I found the seating service to be swift and the restaurant always looked clear, and not consisting of tables full of the previous diner’s remnants. The buffet breakfast consisted of a selection of cereals, fruit juices, yogurts and cheeses, pastries and a hot buffet which was generally unattended. I cannot testify for the scrambled eggs, as I prefer to cook my own, or have eggs cooked fresh, however the fried eggs were fine. On the second morning, a more private area was set for the wedding guests, although interestingly I was not asked if I was part of the wedding party (although the couple in front of me were asked, and were not part of the wedding). This made me feel a tiny bit uncomfortable as I was dining alone in any event and when I got up to get my breakfast from the hot table I spotted the bride’s parents in a separate dining area, who presumably were wondering why I hadn’t joined them…!
I also had my Friday night evening meal in the same restaurant. Initially I had sat down to dinner alone, and the service was swift and efficient (which is normally what you want when you are a woman dining alone). However after I had finished my starter the groom came down to eat, and I joined him and two friends. This slightly mucked things up, as it meant two tables merging into one, and made a few timing issues for the kitchen. I ate buffalo mozzarello and tomato starter followed by a filo pastry vegetarian main and superb cheese for pudding, washed down with a decent new world Sauvignon Blanc at £10 per half bottle. The food was impeccably presented, although the confusion about the two tables meant a time delay in serving our puddings together. One of the groom’s friends ordered the cheesecake, which looked to die for and I was incredibly jealous…The Table d’hote menu is £18 per person for three courses and coffee, and represents good value for money for a meal of such quality.
And finally I ate the Wedding Breakfast, which consisted of a wonderfully presented melon and roast beef main, or vegetarian alternative; finished with a slice of the most desirable wedding cake, and served efficiently and most importantly WARM given the numbers that have to be catered for at these events.
Other facilities ------------------ The hotel has an Espa spa with all the wonderfully indulgent treatments that you would expect of a spa of this genre. It also has two squash courts and tennis courts outside, as well as the Golf course itself, which costs £25 to residents who should hold a handicap certificate. I didn’t find an awful lot of seating areas within the grounds, however there is a patio area near to the golf and VITAL leisure centre, and this includes a bar area, which can accommodate morning coffee as well as drinks.
The hotel offers same day dry cleaning services, and can accommodate the normal services expected of a four star establishment including flowers, administration, room service etc. Full breakfast delivered room service cost £12.50 per person.
The hotel has nine function suites in their conferencing and banqueting facility, including a room which is sanctioned for marriage.
And finally the conference and banqueting manager on duty worked incredibly hard yet unobtrusively to give us the fantastic day which we all enjoyed, and top marks for him!
Although a large hotel, the extensive grounds give a feeling of space, and a private lawn was available for the wedding party, upon which was erected a bouncy castle and a face painter for the kids…..and the adults if desired.
(Things We Wedding Guests are not Meant to Know…Shssssh) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- The wedding itself cost at least £65 per person, based on the information gleaned from their website, and which compares with the £75 per person which the bride told me was their estimated expenditure, when we met up for dinner a few months back. Sheesh. Glad it wasn’t me footing t’bill.
In a nutshell --------------- Good - Luxury Cleanliness Friendly but unobtrusive service
Not as good - Bath screen could be a weeny bit bigger My more pedantic dining guests were not completely satisfied with the restaurant service on the Friday night
Definitely recommended
Contact Information ------------------------
Botley Park Hotel, Golf and Country Club Winchester Road Boorley Green Southampton Hants SO32 2UA
Ph: +44 1489 780 888 Email:enquiries@macdonald-hotels.co.uk www.macdonald-hotels.co.uk Tel 0870 400 90 90 Central Reservations
(Give me a moment and I will load the piccies…or an hour as I am still on dial up…but worth the wait..)
by (26%):
by (73%):
by (1%):
20.01.2005 22:36
Weddings dont you just love em... sounds a nice place x
25.11.2004 12:10
very interesting. never stayed there but I am looking for somewhere for some pampering....
28.10.2004 18:31
A wonderful review and very informative. It sounds like you had a wonderful time. Kate xx