Lea Marston Hotel & Leisure Complex Ltd, Sutton Coldfield

...me into the 4 star Lea Marston hotel for a 3 night stay.

===LOCATION===
Located in the North east of Birmingham, 8 miles from the International Airport, the Lea Marston Hotel is one the of the leading independent hotels in the area and luckily for me was located about 5 minutes from the office where I was required to be for the next 3 days. It's about a 20 minute car journey from the airport, near Sutton Coldfield and is set ...
.../> ===WHAT'S ON OFFER AT LEA MARSTON===

The Lea Marston hotel offers a variety of short breaks including; the family break, the romantic break, a Christmas break, Spa breaks and a murder mystery break or if you’re just looking for accommodation while attending an event at the NEC the hotel can provide accommodation for that too. Complete with 88 en suite bedrooms which is inclusive of 5 suites.


==The Family ... more

Last week I was required to take a trip to Birmingham for business purposes and the company I work for decided to book me into the 4 star Lea Marston hotel for a 3 night stay.

LOCATION

Located in the North east of Birmingham, 8 miles from the International Airport, the Lea Marston Hotel is one the of the leading independent hotels in the area and luckily for me was located about 5 minutes from the office where I was required to be for the next 3 days. It's about a 20 minute car journey from the airport, near Sutton Coldfield and is set on 54 acres of land. I flew down so a colleague of mine collected me from the airport and transported me to the hotel.

Unfortunately as I was there for business and did not have my own transport with me I was unable to explore the area or visit any local places of interest which includes the Bullring shopping centre located in Birmingham City centre, the Drayton manor theme park (although I think I'm getting a little old for theme parks), Tamworth castle and others.

ARRIVING AT THE HOTEL

The Hotel itself has secure car parking (although it didn't seem very secure to me) with barriers at both the entrance and exit. To enter the car park all you have to do is press the button and the barrier opens, it's not linked to reception or anything like that.

The hotel reception is not clearly marked out and as there is a couple of entrances into the hotel itself I was a little confused as to what entrance I needed to go in, but luckily I wasn't on my own and was directed to the correct door.

First Impressions

My first impression upon entering the reception area was 'ooooh this looks nice'. The reception staff were very helpful and friendly and they had me checked in, in no time at all. I was asked if I would be using the leisure facilities during my stay to which I replied “of course” and was shown exactly where to go should I require to use the gym or swimming pool.

WHAT'S ON OFFER AT LEA MARSTON

The Lea Marston hotel offers a variety of short breaks including; the family break, the romantic break, a Christmas break, Spa breaks and a murder mystery break or if you’re just looking for accommodation while attending an event at the NEC the hotel can provide accommodation for that too. Complete with 88 en suite bedrooms which is inclusive of 5 suites.

The Family break

As previously indicated, the Lea Marston hotel is a 4 star hotel in the North East of Birmingham and offers family break packages in either 2 or 4 night stays. The 2 night stay costs £149.00 and the 4 night stay £279.00 for your accommodation, breakfast and complimentary use of the leisure club for up to 2 adults and 2 children under 12 and also offering the additional option to buy discounted tickets for the Drayton Manor Theme park so that the whole family can enjoy a day out together.

The Romantic Break

As with most hotel accommodation you're almost always guaranteed to get a romantic package so that you can whisk away that special someone and Lea Marston is no different, offering overnight accommodation, dinner, bed and breakfast, complimentary chocolates in the bedroom upon arrival and complimentary access to the leisure club. A romantic break package will cost 109.00 per couple per night.

A Christmas Break

The Lea Marston even offers a Christmas break for those families or couples looking to get away from it all during the festive season. Options are for 3 or 4 nights.

A 3 night stay is priced on the website as follows

per adult £329.00
per child £159.00 (5-12 years)

A 4 night stay is priced on the website as follows

Per adult £379.00
Per child £169.00 (5-12 years)

The Christmas break package includes all meals, entertainment, use of the leisure club, complimentary golf for those guest that enjoy a morning or indeed afternoon at the Tee. The adults staying at the hotel will receive a welcome gift in their room, and the younger guests (16 years and under) will find a present. On top of all this, guests can enjoy a special discount on all pre-booked beauty treatments.

A Christmas brochure is available for download directly from the website http://www.leamarstonhotel.co.uk/info/index.asp?page=christmas_break_50, which details the menu that will be used and the entertainment that will be taking place over the festive period.

A Spa Break

Imagine you and your girlfriends indulging in some well deserved pampering perhaps for a birthday or even a hen party or maybe you just want to get away and treat yourself, then you can enjoy one of the spa break’s at the Lea Marston hotel. The Lea Marston hotel has a couple of spa break packages available and include;

The spa Sunday Package

Now let’s be honest. How many of us would be able to take a trip into Birmingham for a 1 night stay on a Sunday, unless of course you live there, I know I certainly wouldn’t, as I live too far away, however, guests can enjoy the following Spa package on Sunday’s only for a mere £80.00 per person (beware, this price is based on 2 people sharing so don’t plan on going by yourself if you want to take advantage of the price) inclusive of;

• Mini Facial
• Back, Neck and Shoulder Massage
• Use of the leisure club
• Dinner in Hathaways
• Luxury overnight accommodation on Sunday night
• Full English Breakfast

The Mini Pamper Stay

Or alternatively guests can take advantage of the mini Pamper stay for £110.00 per person per night which is valid on any night of the week and includes;

• Mini Facial
• Back, Neck and Shoulder Massage
• The opportunity to relax in the Health spa
• 2 course dinner
• Overnight accommodation
• Full English Breakfast

The murder mystery weekend

I don’t know about you but I enjoy watching a good old murder mystery on the TV so I think I would really enjoy a fun packed weekend right in the thick of it attempting to solve the crime that’s taken place in the very hotel you’re staying at. Not exactly a unique idea as there are loads of other hotels that offer this sort of package, but unique or not, it’s still a good option for those who enjoy the suspense and intrigue of a good old murder mystery. Prices per person per night are £89.00 which includes your accommodation, a three course dinner, full English breakfast, use of the leisure club and a full murder programme provided by murder weekends of Solihull.

My Room

Of course, as I was in Birmingham for business purposes none of the above packages applied to my stay. My stay was a basic bed and breakfast, and as I was the only female visiting Birmingham out of about 10 of my colleagues also staying in the hotel I wasn’t required to share a room, and had a lovely big double room all to myself.

First impressions

I didn’t arrive in Birmingham until early evening so I entered my room in darkness and at first couldn’t figure out how to turn the lights on not a good start , I was tired, grumpy and didn’t really want to be in Birmingham to be honest, and I’d just walked through what seemed to be a maze of never ending corridors to find the room I’d been allocated. I eventually found the light switch and the room was illuminated by two bedside lights and a couple of wall lights – very cosy I thought.

The first thing I saw was one huge window right in front of me looking out onto a makeshift courtyard, with a coffee table and a couple of chairs situated in front of it. Then my eyes were drawn to the huge king size bed that I was going to be sleeping in all on my own, which looked very inviting, I couldn’t wait to get into bed. The furniture was what looked to be oak effect and I had a wardrobe a chest of drawers and a blanket box complete with a television for entertainment.

I unpacked my clothes and made use of the hanging and drawer space and came across an ironing board and iron and there was also a refreshments tray by the door to the room complete with kettle, cafitierre, tea, a large pack of fresh coffee, milk, sugar and some complimentary biscuits. How unusual I thought not to have hot chocolate in amongst the hot drink selection, as not everyone likes tea and coffee.

The room was decorated in a very modern fashion, with a combination of creams and chocolates. With lovely picture panels above the bed, I found it very homely in an away from home sort of way. There was a full length mirror on the wall and some smaller mirrors situated above the drawer / dresser for easy make up application and outfit viewing outside of the bathroom.

The Bathroom

My bedroom was complete with an en-suite bathroom which I have to admit, compared with the bedroom decor, was quite dated, peach in colour, and reminded me of a bathroom suite I would find in my Grans house, but there were clean towels, an over bath shower, bathtub, toilet, sink, and complimentary toiletries, and was as functional as any other bathroom I had used.

Comfort

On first appearances the bed and the bedroom appeared to be very comfortable, until of course I slipped under the sheets with my cup of tea and my complimentary biscuits. I found that the mattress appeared to be split in two right down the middle. I was so disappointed as I was looking forward to a very comfortable night’s sleep, but found myself tossing and turning all night long, always finding myself right on the crease. To top it off, every time my neighbours used the bathroom I heard the noise of flushing and pipes through the walls.

I woke the next morning feeling un-refreshed and even grumpier than I was the night before. Anyway enough about the bedroom let’s move on to the leisure club.

The Leisure club

The Lea Marston hotel comes complete with its own leisure club called the Pinnacle Health club which is open to hotel guests and members. As I was staying at the hotel I thought I might as well take advantage of the facilities which include;

• A deck level indoor heated swimming pool
• A Spa Pool
• Sauna
• Steam room
• Gymnasium
• Tennis court
• Golf Course
• Beauty treatments.

I go jogging in the mornings when I’m at home but decided to take advantage of the indoor heated swimming pool while staying at the hotel. The leisure club opens at 6:30 in the morning so I set the alarm for 6:10 and headed on down for opening. You have to take a towel with you from your hotel room as they are not supplied in the leisure club and you also have to pay a pound for the locker you use which is refundable at the end of your session.

The pool was empty and I had a leisurely 30 minute swim. It’s not a huge swimming pool, only 20 meters but as it was empty it was easy for me to swim wherever I wanted. I had my shower in the changing rooms rather than using the bathroom in my bedroom both to save time and because I don’t particularly like over bath showers.

Breakfast

Breakfast is served in buffet style, in the stylish, elegant and contemporary Adderley Restaurant, where you can choose from cereals, hot selection for full English, fruit and continental breakfast options along with a selection of fruit juices. One of the things I found different in this hotel was the fact that you had to make your own toast. Most other hotels provide you with a toast rack if requested with your breakfast along with your tea / coffee, but in the Lea Marston it really is a case of eat as much as you like and get your own. The waiting staff offer you tea or coffee and then pretty much leave you to your own devices. I had a nice big cooked breakfast after my morning swim to prepare me for the day ahead and was very pleased with both the food and the service, although I did feel a little uncomfortable dining alone. My colleagues weren’t arriving until the Tuesday so I had spent Monday evening and Tuesday morning on my own.

Cleanliness

I’m pleased to say that my room was cleaned every day, and my refreshments tray re-stocked but my towels were not changed at all during my 3 night stay. The rest of the hotel seemed to be of an acceptable cleanliness standard, so not really any complaints there.

Dinner

Guests have the option of the both the Adderley Restaurant or Hathaways Bistro for their evening meals. I can’t really say too much about the Adderley Restaurant or it’s evening meals other than my breakfasting experience as I chose to dine in Hathaways Bistro along with my colleagues for my evening meals.

Hathaways Bistro Bar

Hathaways reminded me very much of a sports bar, with TV’s situated around the room showing various sports channels so you don’t have to miss the big game if you’re away from home.

The dinner menu in Hathaways is available from 6pm to 9-30pm and offers a selection of Bistro style food from sirloin and ribeye steak, beer battered haddock, salmon or pasta options and is modestly priced.

I didn’t find that the menu offered up too much in terms of selection, the choice was modest and there weren’t too many options on the menu that really appealed to me. Again you can download the menu directly from the website http://www.leamarstonhotel.co.uk/warwickshire/hathawaysrestaurant.asp, if you want to find out more.

Ordering at Hathaways reminded me a lot of eating out at a Brewers Fayre, there is no table service as such, you merely take a note of your table number and order your food and drinks at the bar. You can add your food and drinks onto your room or choose to pay for it using a credit / debit card or cash. Again I couldn’t fault the service, but found the food was mediocre and there was no wow factor for me. Perhaps had I made the choice to dine in the Adderley restaurant I may have been more impressed with the menu.

Departure

At the end of my stay I was checked out just as quickly as I was checked in and received the same friendly service with a smile. My 3 night stay including bed and breakfast and dinner for 2 nights came to a sum total of £285.00, which given my experience I did not feel was good value for money. Had the bedroom been more comfortable and not as noisy I think this would have been a reasonable price.

Final Thoughts

I spent a total of 3 nights at the Lea Marston hotel and have come to the conclusion that it’s decidedly average. It’s certainly not the worst hotel I’ve ever stayed in but it’s not the best either. Located in the middle of nowhere which without your own transport isn’t very convenient and although the service was excellent, the food was good, the bedroom wasn’t very comfortable, and the leisure facilities were nothing spectacular.
 

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