We won a 2 day spa break away for two last March at Crufts dog show to this hotel, we had never been before so didn't know what to expect it was only 30miles away from where we lived so great for getting there. So last week we booked our break away from the voucher that we were given in our prize package.
About Risley Hall Hotel
This hotel is part of the Oxford Hotels & Inns chain, Risley Hall is in their Oxford collection which is a group of 25 hotels. Risley Hall is surrounded by 17 acres of land it's an 11th century Saxon country house with 35 bedrooms 16 in the Manor House all unique and another 19 spacious bedrooms in the courtyard which is called the Willoughby Court. The Risley Hall hotel is situated just on the edge of Derby towards Nottingham, so both Nottingham and Derby which are two big towns ideal for shopping are not far away at all.
===Facilities==
*24 Hour Reception - There is always someone at reception and they were really helpful while we were there, you could either go down to them or ring them directly from your room. If was anything you needed or wanted they sorted it out quickly our television wasn't tuned in when we got there so we rang down and they sent someone up to sort it out quickly.
*On-Site Car Parking - Huge car parking area secure and away from the road, we found this great being car people we knew we could leave our car in safety. There was a small gravel car park just outside reception and also another larger car park to the right of the entrance nearer to our room if that was full.
*TV/DVD Player- In each room there is a television with DVD player built in this was in the living room area of our room and there was a smaller television in the bedroom area. There are also some satellite channels available at no extra cost.
*Iron & Ironing Board - Ideal for if you are staying on business and have a nice ironed shirt and trousers to wear each day these were situated in the wardrobe. There is also a laundry service with various costs for items there is a list of prices for this in each room.
*Disabled Access
& Facilities - Spaces specifically for disabled badge holders and also access to the bar area and rooms on ground level with easy access. As well as disabled access to all of the public areas. Wheel access to bar, restaurant, bedrooms, reception, conference rooms and all the leisure facilities. There are also disabled toilets on the ground floor.
*Safety Deposit Box - Lockable safe in each room for your valuables to be left in securely while you are out of your room.
*Cots Available - If you need a cot just ask at reception when you get there or when you book your break away and they will provide one.
*Tea & Coffee Making Facilities - Various selections of tea and coffee along with milk and a biscuit and obviously a kettle. * Wake Up Call Available - You can arrange for a wake up call at a set time if there is anything you have to be up at a certain time for, this service is offered to you at reception when you first sign in but can also be asked for by contacting reception.
*Hairdryer In Each Room - If you have forgotten your own hairdryer there is one in each room.
*Meeting Facilities - There are rooms that can be hired for meetings.
*Wedding Licence - Risley Hall has a wedding licence so if you want to get married there you can.
*Telephone In Each Room - This has free calls to reception other calls are charged and are quite expensive.
Spa Facilities
Risley Hall has a large spa area with a very nice indoor heated pool and Jacuzzi as well as a steam room and a sauna. We used these a lot while we were there and they were brilliant it was never busy only two or three people there at once, it is in a large conservatory with lots of light. It was clean and well maintained. There were lots of seats around the pool area and towels were provided by the spa. They have their own lockers and changing rooms, with showers, hairdryers and even shampoo.
They also offer massages and various other treatments including beauty salon and manicures. There is a full price list for all of these in each bedroom.
Our Stay
The voucher that came with the prize we won included,
Dinner for 2 in Risley Hall's award winning restaurant from the extensive Al la carte menu each evening with a £20 allowance per person.
Any of the following treatments for each person. -Back, Neck & Shoulder Massage -Risley Facial - Hydrotherapy Experience - Jessica Manicure - Jessica Pedicure
Full use of Pool, Jacuzzi, Steam & Sauna throughout your stay.
Champagne & Chocolates on arrival Buffet lunch for 2 on one day.
We booked our stay at the Risley Hall Hotel about a week before we went we got the days we wanted without a problem.
===Day One===
We arrived on the Tuesday at around 3pm you can check in from 2pm, it was very easy to get to as we had a Sat Nav but I can imagine following a map would be a lot more difficult. When we got there it was down a drive away from the main road, the car park and reception were well signed. We went to reception to check in the general appearance of the Hotel was brilliant it had nice gardens and a red carpet up to the reception doors. Check in was easy the receptionist was really friendly checked the voucher we had asked us if we would like newspapers or a wake up call and also what time we would like dinner. She also told us what time breakfast was the next morning. She then gave us our room key and told us where it was along with a bottle of champagne and chocolates. Got half way through eating the chocolates and read they were out of date, we told reception and they sent us a replacement of some cakes from the chef. We still ate the chocolates though I've never heard of anyone dying from out of date chocolate poisoning. Then we rang reception and told them about the television not being tuned in and they fixed it all most instantly.
So we went and found our room it was in a courtyard area which looked like it had not long been built it had a set of stairs to go up to our room. When we got to our room it was huge, it had a living area with a sofa, a chair, a desk, a large television, a fridge and a toilet in a small room next to it along with a sink. The other room was our bedroom which had a large comfy king size bed two bedside cabinets and another smaller television. There was also a wardrobe with thing like an ironing board and a safe in it. There was also a very large bathroom attached to this room with two sinks, a toilet and a large bath with shower unit on the wall. There were two glasses, various towels and also shower gel, shampoo and soap provided.
Our room was spotless and very welcoming there was an information pack on the desk in the living area with leaflets of attractions in the local area as well as information on what the Risley Hall Hotel has to offer. Our bedroom had a large window that over looked the hotels grounds which were really scenic.
We
Pictures of Risley Hall, Risley
Bedroom at Risley Hall
then sat down for a bit sorted all our stuff out then went to reception to ask where the spa facilities were, these were not far from our room just out the courtyard building over a small bridge across a pond and into the spa building. They had their own reception in there and you just have to sign in and they tell you where the changing rooms are and where the towels are. The changing rooms were also clean and had lots of facilities as mentioned before. We then went and spent some time in the pool and Jacuzzi area was completely empty with only us two there at first. The pool and Jacuzzi area was really relaxing the water was warm in the pool with both a shallow end and a deeper end. No children were allowed in the pool unless accompanied by adults and not if there are any spa treatments at that time. There are a few basic safety rules other than that you can just enjoy it there is no set time so you can spend as long as you want there.After spending sometime using the spa it was time for dinner you go to the bar area of the Hotel where they take your order and you can also order a drink while you wait, the menu didn't have lots of choice but there was something we both liked, the menu consisted of starters, main meal, desert and then tea and coffee etc after. When your table and food is ready you are taken to the restaurant area, it was a really nice restaurant with candles on the tables and looked like some time had been taken to lay the table. They ask if you want any drinks on the table. The food was outstanding it tasted and looked like what you would expect from a posh restaurant, it didn't take long between each part of the meal and it was all fresh and our main meal was hot but not too hot. The staff were all really friendly and plates were taken away when you were done and they staff politely asked if everything was ok with our meal.
After dinner we then went back to our room and watched television in the living room area and eventually went to bed.
Day Two
We woke up after great nights sleep and went down for breakfast we had a choice of cereals and some fresh toast brought to us, there were various things to put on the toast, also there was a table with various juices and yogurts, fruit etc. The staff also bought a fresh teapot of tea.
After breakfast we went back to our room for a while then went to the local town for a drive/look around there was quite a lot of shops near by and also cash machines and a petrol station locally. Once we had been out a while we came back as we had booked a Neck, Back & Shoulder massage each. We then went to the spa and waiting in there waiting area it was very relaxing with a couple of newspapers to read while we were waiting, we were not waiting long and then we went in and had a massage each these are all done by properly trained staff it was brilliant and relaxing and the staff were friendly. Before we went in we were given a form to fill in just for safety reasons that you can list any problems you have on and also provide contact for emergencies and doctors details.
After our massage session we went back to our rooms for a bit then got ready to go to the pool, once there we spent several hours there just relaxing as that's what we went there to do, basically nothing. There were a couple of other guests in there who also seemed really pleased with the spa and who had come there to visit some of the local attractions local to the hotel.
Then we asked about the buffet lunch but that was not on that day so as a replacement we had a choice from the bar menu which had quite a lot of choice and we both enjoyed what we chose and decided we would have preferred that to a buffet anyway.
We then went out again for a bit just generally driving around the local area, came back after our drive and spent some more time in the pool and Jacuzzi and also used the steam room.
After we had spent some time in there we went back to our room to get ready for dinner. We then went down for dinner but didn't really like anything on that day's menu but they then offered us a different menu to pick from. The same as the day before we waited in the bar till it was done. Dinner was nice again except the mash potato which was pesto mash not our kind of thing other than that it was great.
Then we did basically the same as the night before.
Checked out the next morning after missing breakfast as we were too lazy to get up for 9:30am.
We thoroughly enjoyed our stay there and would definitely go again, the whole time we were there and the staff were polite didn't have any bad experiences.
While we were away we only spent £7.26 on drinks and a few bits extra that weren't covered by our voucher.
The Staff
The whole time we were there the staff in every area of the hotel were brilliant and very friendly, approachable and helpful, the bar staff and restaurant staff all seemed to work well together to get your food to you as best as they could and when we asked if we could take our drinks upstairs they even offered to bring them up to our room. Spa staff was also the same a long with the reception staff. There was always someone around to help. Our room was made up by the time we were back from the spa on day two and looked just as clean and tidy as it did when we first got to the hotel.
A few more details
The cost of a night at the Risley Hall Hotel is around £135 per room per night depending what type or room you book. It's definitely worth that much all though we wouldn't spend that much on a room personally.
You can also buy gift vouchers like the one we had to suit how much you want to spend and what you want included.
Nottingham Castle City of Caves Sherwood Forest & Country Park Newstead Abbey Brewhouse Yard Museum Keddleston Hall
Don't know if they allow pets all though we did see a dog in a room while we were there.
All in all it was a great break away and we both thoroughly enjoyed ourselves, and would both definitely recommend it to anyone interested in staying there. Definitely a 5 star rating from me.
Will be adding photos as soon as it is posted so look out for those too.
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