Tankersley manor

**Getting there**

From North and South-follow the M1
From East-take the M18 then join M1 North towards Sheffield/Leeds
From West-take M62. Leave at Junction 29, which becomes Junction 42 of the M1

If travelling by train, it is about 3 / 4 miles from Barnsley train station and costs about £9.

When we drove in through the large gates, what struck me initially was the number of car parking spaces. This is definitely one place which has set itself up as a conference centre.
The driveway curves round to the front entrance of a rather nice stone built building which was built in the 17th century.
There is a path and steps which leads to the door to actually get inside the hotel, which is bordered on all sides by well tended gardens although there weren't many flowers to be seen in January; I would imagine that it will be very pretty in the spring and summer months.
When you walk into the hotel, there are curved stairs straight in front of you and the reception desk is to the left. This was staffed by two people so even though there were a lot of people checking in at the same time, there was very little wait and it was all done efficiently and we were dispatched to our rooms.

Tankersley Manor has 100 bedrooms including suites and executive rooms.
I had a normal twin room which was located in the original part of the hotel, just at the top of the main stairs.
The room was comfortable and clean with twin beds placed very closely together (for good friends), tv, tea and coffee making facilities, iron and ironing board. There was a very low beam across the bed and running through the bathroom so jumping up in the middle of the night was not going to be an option.
The whole room was decorated very traditionally with a dark bed cover and extra blankets and duvet on offer. The room had a low stone windowsill which was lovely to sit on to look out of the window- the view was very peaceful, overlooking as the window did, the fields and forest areas.

The hotel has 11 main conference, boardroom and syndicate rooms which can hold up to 400 people, with most rooms having the option of blackout, telephone lines and dedicated conference staff.
The conference room we were in for two days was large enough for 60 people to move around in, either sitting at round tables, or in a semi circle.
The room was well heated and ventilated although the noise of the heater drowned out a lot of the talking- freeze or listen!!

The hotel has an in house bar which serves a range of drinks and cocktails. This is a very traditional area with a roaring fire, tables dotted around the place, and low stone windowsills. All very cosy but unfortunately with very slow bar service; not the fault of the two very pleasant staff behind the bar- they were just very understaffed.

**Food**

Of course, we were on a conference and so had only one option for eating. However, the restaurant does have an a la carte menu which has a range of dishes to chose from. The in house pub also offers a carvery and selection of snacks and sandwiches.

There is a spa within the hotel, offering body treatments, massage and relaxation rooms, swimming pool, spa, steam room and gym.
I had no time to actually use any of these facilities but had a little look and it does appear to offer a wide range of treatments including the ESPA treatments involving hot stones.

The Marston Hotel magazine lists the price as #59.50 per person per night for bed and breakfast over the weekend.
As with most short breaks and holiday, different prices can be found by searching different holiday sites.

• Parking- free car and coach parking
• Concierge- left luggage, dry cleaning
• Skiing- dry ski slope
• Family/children- High chairs, cots

**Verdict**