Tortworth Court, Wotten-under-Edge

...in the Cotswolds was chosen, Tortworth Court www.four-pillars.co.uk/tortworth/

++++++++++Booking++++++++++
The stay was booked through the Four Pillars reservations line on 0800-374692 this was quite a painless process. All that was required was a credit or debit card to secure the reservation, a booking reference was issued. The price was very good value at £49 per person per night for a double room with dinner, and breakfast ...
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++++++++++Location++++++++++
Tortworth Court is located in the Cotswolds, at Wotton-under-Edge. You can see a satellite image on local.live.com http://local.live.com/default.aspx?v=2&cp=51.630971~-2.443828&style=a&lvl=1 8&tilt=-90&dir=0&alt=-1000 as you will see the hotel is a grade 2 listed building and at the time of the image was undergoing refurbishment. There is a low category prison next door but it is well hidden by trees ... more

It was half term and my girlfriend and her sister's birthdays, so it was suggested that we went away for the weekend. A hotel in the Cotswolds was chosen, Tortworth Court www.four-pillars.co.uk/tortworth/

++++++++++Booking++++++++++
The stay was booked through the Four Pillars reservations line on 0800-374692 this was quite a painless process. All that was required was a credit or debit card to secure the reservation, a booking reference was issued. The price was very good value at £49 per person per night for a double room with dinner, and breakfast included.

The hotel is part of the a small chain called Four Pillars www.four-pillars.co.uk , the chain has all its hotels based in the Cotswolds. Booking can be made through their website but you are more likely to get a good deal by calling them on the above number. The deal we were on couldn't be found on their website and appeared to only be available through their central bookings line.

++++++++++Location++++++++++
Tortworth Court is located in the Cotswolds, at Wotton-under-Edge. You can see a satellite image on local.live.com http://local.live.com/default.aspx?v=2&cp=51.630971~-2.443828&style=a&lvl=1 8&tilt=-90&dir=0&alt=-1000 as you will see the hotel is a grade 2 listed building and at the time of the image was undergoing refurbishment. There is a low category prison next door but it is well hidden by trees and cannot really be seen unless you are looking. The grounds are very nice and would be lovely in the height of summer, with a number of nice walks to be had down to the lake.

Access to the hotel is very good with the M5 less than 5 minutes away. Nearby is Slimbridge Wildfowl & Wetlands trust, we didn't visit on this occasion but have said if we go back in the summer when the weather is better then we will. About 30 miles away is Cheltenham which we did visit to look around the shops. In Swindon there is the Swindon Designer outlet http://www.swindondesigneroutlet.com/consumer.asp?url=mcarthurglen.com we stopped there on our way back home on Sunday. Of course, Wales is close as is Bristol and Bath.

++++++++++Formalities++++++++++
The reception counter is very large with a very grand staircase behind it, when we arrived there were three people working and we were seen to very promptly. Our reservation was found with no problems. The credit card style door key and guest card to use at the bar etc were issued. We also elected to use the express checkout option, this allows you to leave with out returning to reception, a copy of your account is posted through your door and automatically charged to your credit card.

The standard check out time is 11:00, and checking out was painless, as we had opted for the express check out.

++++++++++Room++++++++++
The room we had was a very large and spacious, a couple of arm chairs in the room to sit and watch TV if you wished. There was also a very good sized wardrobe with electronic safe and a desk area that could be used to do work or get ready at. The En-suite was also a good size and had the usual freebies such as shower gel and shampoo. The TV had all the terrestrial channels and some of the Sky channels such as news and Sports news. Broadband, which was not complimentary at the hotel, was provided using WIFI from SwissTel, the reception in our room was good.

The room was a fair trek from the reception area which is in the main house, but our room was in one of the out buildings. It was a bit of a maze to find but there was a nearby car park and a direct key entry in to that section of the hotel so quite convenient. The view from the room was not spectacular, over looking on of the car parks for the hotel but was pleasant enough. You can pay for an upgrade to a connoisseur room which have more satellite channels, better complimentary toiletries and the rooms are typically in the main house.

++++++++++Facilities++++++++++
The hotel has 189 rooms and has a number of communal facilities, which I will describe, the lobby is very grand as it is the focal point of the listed building. It is as you would expect with lots of oak around and very spacious. There is a large amount of free car parking on site, some of which can be close to your room.

There are two main restaurants on the site, Morton's which is located in the main house and the Orangery which is located in an old Orangery separate from the main hotel.

Morton's restaurant is a fairly limited menu and seems to cater mainly for the people with inclusive evening meals as you can choose anything from the menu. Two courses are included in the room rate, but you may pay the extra for the third course. The restaurant is located in three rooms one of which is the old library which is very grand.

The Orangery is an A la Carte restaurant which has a lot more selection than Morton's, however if you are on a deal which includes dinner they will give you a cash allowance towards your bill which is quite good. The actual restaurant is quite impressive as the roof is glass and very spacious. If you want to eat in the Orangery I would suggest booking in advance as it is not massive and gets quite full.

There are a couple of bars on site one of which is in the atrium and the other is located of the side of reception. They are average bars with a fair amount of seating available for guests, the price of drinks was about right for a hotel, not particulary cheap but not a complete rip off, I paid £3 for a pint of Carling lager.

There is a leisure club on site which you can use if you are staying at the hotel, I didn't use this but my girlfriend did. The facilities available are a small swimming pool, gym, steam room, sauna, and a spa bath. There are also beauty room where you can have a facial and other treatments done.

++++++++++Opinion++++++++++
This hotel was very good value for the price we paid as it included breakfast and an evening meal. We did feel that Morton's restaurant was a bit of a production line with your food being brought out as soon as you ordered it and the main as soon as you finished your starter.

I would return to Tortworth again if we could get a similarly priced deal bt I would be reluctant to pay the full price that is advertised on their website as I don't feel that it would be good value.
 

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