Background:
This was the second part of my summer holiday. I really love watching cricket and I was keen to watch my favourite County Sussex play at the beautiful town of Arundel. This Hotel The Hilton, Avisford Park was recommended by my sister who has stayed here during business conferences in the past and knowing my sister it must be pretty good as she has very high standards in everything.
Booking:
Booking can be made in a number of ways via the Hotel using the hotel web site below or by telephone. I did it via a Hotel comparison site which meant I got a cheaper daily rate, but I phoned the Hotel a few days before we arrived to make sure they had our booking. I would always recommend you shop around as you can get improved prices by doing this and even the Hotel Receptionist recommended this when I asked her.
About the Hotel:
The Hotel is part of the Hilton Group of Hotels. They are a market leader within the industry and one of the most recognised International names around. They have an impressive 530 Hotels in 76 countries across the World. I always associate them as being at the top end of the market and their name is associated with quality. Probably usually out of my personal price range but ideal for business users as the facilities are of a very high standard. There are a total of 139 rooms, family, De-Luxe and Doubles, but surprisingly no single rooms!!
It is set in an amazing 89 acres of beautiful gardens and Parklands.
How to get there:
The Hilton Hotel, Avispark is based in the town of Arundel, in the County of Sussex on the South coast of England. I say based quite loosely as it is a distance from the actual town centre is a couple of miles. The road links are good with the Hotel just off the A27 with other popular holiday destinations Worthing and Chichester within a few minutes drive. To get from London use the M25 and M3 it is about 90 minutes away. The nearest main airport is Gatwick and that is 45 minutes away. It was well signposted and even I couldn’t miss it!!
Tariffs:
When I first checked the excellent web site below for booking my short break I was very concerned I would not be able to afford it. As I was greeted with a cost of £144 per night, which was frankly way out of my price range. However by using price comparison sites for Hotel Accomodation I was able to get it down to £78 which seemed much better and something I could live with.
Other Landmarks:
Probably the most famous landmark is Arundel Castle approximately 3 miles away from the Hotel. Other attractions obviously besides the cricket are Fontwell Park Racecourse, Chichester Festival Theatre, Amberley Museum, and Bignor & Fishbourne roman palaces.
My opinion:
--The Hotel:--
This Hotel is ideally situated if you want to get away for a few days. It is set away from the busy A23 and has impressive surroundings. The only thing is because of this and the fact the Hotel is 2 miles from Town you really need a car to get around and you could feel a little isolated here.
It is set in an amazing 89 acres of beautiful gardens and Parklands.
As a result of this it is very easy to relax completely and forget about the outside world. Indeed I woke up each morning to the bleating sounds of the sheep in a field near my bedroom at was an unreal feeling.
Check in:
Check in time was 3pm and on our arrival we were greeting in a very polite and helpful way by a member of the Reception Team. He explained a few of the features of the Hotel, our rooms and where the restaurant was. He was very professional and I really felt he took time and effort to explain everything we initially needed to know and my impression probably as a result of this for all the staff was positive.--The Facilities—
Very impressive in a couple of words. This Hotel is based in beautiful country surroundings. The gardens are beautiful to look at and walk round. As well as luxury bar and restaurant there is a Health Club, 18 hole Golf course, plus excellent Conference and Business rooms. Plus an indoor and outdoor swimming pool, putting green, Croquet, Tennis Court and numerous outdoor children’s games, such as Connect 4 and Chess.
With the Health and Beauty studio being available to residents and non-residents alike. And although it was not something I looked into the services seemed comprehensive, these were all extras but I would imagine very popular for clients having a weekend away and wanting to pamper themselves.
There were disabled facilities with several ramps allowing access to the Hotel’s facilities, although I was surprised there was no lift to help with carrying baggage around and I did not see a Porter during my stay.
Conference Facilities:
Very good, I could not fault this and those delegates I spoke to thought the rooms and their facilities were first class. There are a grand total of 17 meeting rooms with air conditioning, that can accommodate between 8-550 people. And although I did not witness it myself I could see by the pictures in Reception that this Hotel holds Wedding Receptions and based on the beautiful location I think it is ideal for this.
Bedrooms:
The rooms were bright and decorated to a high standard. I felt they were a bit impersonal and there was little space the swing the cat had I chosen to do so. They were classical decorated and wood was definitely the theme. There was an impressive 32” television in the corner that immediately grabbed your attention as you entered the room. It was easy to work and had basic channels plus the option of pay ones, but disappointingly no teletext service. I felt the bed was soft and comfortable with high specification sheets that felt luxurious and it took centre stage within the well organised and attractive room.
Other features was an alarm clock, hairdryer, fan, internet connection , tea and coffee facilities and advise on what services were available at the Hotel. For me the internet connection was not something I was prepared to consider as there was a £15 for 24 hours service, fine I think for business travellers but expensive when on holiday. I don’t know if the Hotel staff saw me coming but I was surprised to see an iron and ironing board in the cupboard, where they trying to tell me something?
The bathroom was slightly disappointing, it was I thought a little too small. It was clean with several shampoos and body locations for patrons to use. You had a choice of bath or shower and I found whatever time of day there was plenty of hot water. The shower was easy to operate and had enough power so that your shower was not a disappointment.
There was evidence in places such as around the windows that a coat of paint was required or the classical wooden frames needed replacing. Additionally there was evidence of warn carpet in places in the bedroom. These were minor points but easily identifiable.
Bar Area:
This was appealing in design and looked clean and with a good variety of beverages. However I did think the drink prices were very expensive I ordered two drinks and it came to £12, which I thought was unreasonable. There were two large flat screen televisions that showed the latest action from Sky Sports, but there appeared no area for quiet contemplation or reading.
You could obtain meals and bar snacks in this area, throughout the day and evening and based on the busyness of this service it was popular with the customers. The prices were far more competitive than the main restaurant and the variety of choice and vegetarians options was impressive. With a typical sandwich costing around £6.00.
Just outside the Bar Area was a Sun patio, that was ideal for the summer. It had plenty of seats and tables and looked out onto the beautiful lawns and well maintained gardens, that looked an absolute picture of colour in July when we stayed and a real sun trap.
Restaurant:
As a facility it looked superb, it was well set out and had a real quality and professional appearance. There were always plenty of Waiting Staff to satisfy requests and it seemed a well run operation.
Breakfast:
This was impressive, it was well organised with a very comprehensive buffet breakfast. There was so much choice of fruit, full English Breakfast or Continental. Always my favourite meal of the day it was a wonderful start to the day and set me up really well for a hard day falling asleep at the cricket!!
Dinner:
I ate a couple of nights in the restaurant and while the food was excellent in quality it really wasn’t for me. A three course meal cost £26.95 which I thought was expensive for what it was, the service was good but I did notice the serving staff made more mistakes than I would have expected. Such as not providing things and not cooking the food to the specification of the customer.
The thing that shocked me and disappointed me, on the second evening of my stay, I went for Dinner and noticed the menu had not changed from the day before. I thought this was simply an oversite but when I asked I was told it was the same menu as the day before but it would change the next evening. I was not impressed so I ate out that night in protest at this very usual and disappointing occurrence in my view.
Staff:
My dealing again with the staff was limited but they were clearly all trained to a high level of Customer service.
With smart uniform and always polite and helpful when asked a question or query. They were always on hand to see if you wanted a drink or food when in the Lounge and I did not feel under any obligation to just say no and carry on reading in peace. When ever one passed you you they would say ‘Hello’ and ask about your stay. Excellent and very knowledgeable about the local area probably the most best I have encountered at a Hotel.
Check Out:
This needs to be completed by 12:00pm. What I really liked and appreciated about this was the morning you are leaving you receive your bill put under your door before Breakfast. Allowing you to see instantly what you have spent and so the process when you pay at Reception is quicker and more efficient as you know exactly in the itemised bill what everything is so no surprises or delay in the check out process.
The Web site:
If you are considering staying at this Hotel I would certainly recommend a visit to the web site below. As this is one of the most useful and honest reflections I have seen about a Hotel. It has excellent details and some wonderful pictures as well.
Overall:
I think the quality of the Hotel was reflected in the fact when we stayed the Gloucestershire cricket Team were staying at the Hotel. I do not think they would have selected a poor Hotel and for me their choice was excellent as there was so much to do and see and in the main the quality always shone through.
Hotel Details:
Address: The Hilton Hotel, Yapton Lane, Walberton, Arundel. Sussex BN18 0LS
Telephone: 0124 355 8300
Email: reservations.avispark@hilton.com
Web site: Hilton.co.uk/arundel
Conclusion:
I would definitely stay at this Hotel again. It was slightly inpersonal in the sense during the week it is really a business person’s Hotel, but with outstanding facilities it has something for everyone and it is very child friendly. For me personally it was expensive so my real hope is that I will be sent to business or on a conference here so I can stay here again. It is a family friendly venue with more facilities for all the family than I have ever seen at any Hotel I have stayed at.
Thank you for reading my review.
This review is published on Ciao and Dooyoo under my user name.
@CPTDANIELS August 2010
Wonderful Hotel in a fabulous setting 
