Picturesque surroundings,large rooms,very clean,historical building
Disadvantages:
Pricey for some
Recommend to potential buyers:
yes
Full review
Welcombe Hotel,Spa&Golf Course
I have recently spent two weeks in the most beautiful hotel I've seen in UK! The Menzies Welcombe Hotel, Spa & Golf Course. The hotel is a part of a hotel chain called Menzies Hotels! It is a 4**** hotel set in the middle of 157 acres of land, surrounded by a 18 holes championship golf course and attached to a spa complex with swimming pool, jacuzzi, gym, beauty shop & separate apartments.
You only need to travel about a mile outside Shakespeare's birthplace Stratford-upon-Avon and it is very well signposted by large blue signs from the main Warwick Road. It is trully large impressive manor house that will take your breath away as you enter! The reception and lounge are absolutely huge and filled with period furniture and massive oil paintings (all original)! The wooden staircase will take you up two floors into not too long corridors of bedrooms and suites!
Suites&Bedrooms
The rooms and suites are really large and very well organised. There are 87 rooms & suites all together. Some of them have names, i.e: Arden's, Caroline's, Charles's,Clopton's,Elizabeth's,Hathaway's,Helen's, Henry's, Isabella's, Warwick or Lady Caroline. How romantic! There are interconnected rooms available as well as double or twin rooms. Number of people can also be flexible as you can order additional bed to be put in your room. They all have televisions, telephones, tea/coffee facilities, hairdryer & trouser press. You can get an iron&board on request. The best, largest and the most expensive suites have the Italian garden view and are being sold for up to £800 a night. Those are as large as standard size flats with lounge (flat screen TV, fireplace..),four poster bedroom, two bathrooms and a study or a smaller bedroom. They all have bath&shower.
Prices of rooms and suites vary according to availability and wheather you're attending function, booked a golf package weekend including food or travelling privately. They start from £95 and can be anything up to £800 for the best and largest suites (which are very popular with celebrities and millionairs). You almost always get the best deal booking online!
Facilities
All residents have a free use of all hotel facilities (incl. bar, terrace, pool, gym,beauty shop,massages etc.). In front of the main building you can admire spectacular display of colours in the Italian Gardens which include a couple of little ponds, waterfall and a view over the golf course and surrounding countryside..
Spa - Treatments & Spa days
Beauty consultants use Clarins products with therapeutic benefits of plant extracts and essential oils. There is a wide range of treatments for face and body available, including several Pro-active Facials, Polish&Body Redefining, Detox Body Wrap, Fruit Salt Body Scrub, Pregnancy Treatments, Pedicure, Manicure, Wax,Tint and so on. Spa Day Experiences are available for residents and non-residents and include The Pamper Day, The De-Stress Day, The Ildulgence Day etc. The Spa days need to be booked in advance and include use of spa between 9am and 5pm. The Spa has a no-smoking policy and has gift vouchers available too. All is absolutely spotless and has dissabled access.
Timeshare apartments
In the Grade II listed coach house adjacent to the hotel, there is a development of 7 luxuriou timeshare appartments for any chosen week all year round.. They are the most recently built and are the most modern and comfortable flats I've seen.They are one, two or three bedroom appartment with two bathrooms, available on a shared ownership basis. You can purchase the week of your choice in the apartment you want, until 2056.
Dining
The hotel has a lounge, bar and a restaurant where you can enjoy a fantastic romantic meal or just snack or spend most of your afternoon sipping your afternoon tea lazily. There is a wide choice of foods and it is more 5 than 4****. There is also 24hr room service available. The menu also includes sweets, salads, sandwiches as well as hot meals and childrens menu.
In my experience, the service wasn't the fastest but the food was worth waiting for!
Golf Club
The 70 par, 18 hole championship golf course streches over Welcombe Hills around the Jacobean style mansion of the Welcombe Hotel. Both individual and corporate membership are available and both Gentleman and Lady golfers are welcome. There's a club house with a little pro shop, bar and restaurant attached and you can hire your buggy there. I don't play golf myself but on a course like this I'd give it a try next time!
The hotel also holds 12 banqueting and meeting rooms for corporate or private events of all kinds - weddings, birthday parties, meetings etc.
Give it a try when you're travelling to Stratford-upon-Avon or just fancy a country break!! You won't regret it!!!
You can make a reservations online on www.bookmenzies.com
A little bit of history of the Menzies Welcombe at the end.......
1182 The estate was included in the manor of Old Stratford 1590 Held by John Coombe. Connections with William Shakespeare 1614 Passed to nephew William Coombe. Attempt to enclose Welcombe fields 1667 Inherited by Sir Coombe Wagstaff, nephew of Williams 1668 From this date the estate passed through several hands until 1775 Sold to John Lloyd who enclosed remaining common land 1776 Inherited by George Lloyd son of John. Estate enlarged and improved house converted into a gothic mansion 1831 George Lloyd died. Succeeded by his brother,then his nephew Charles Thomas Warde 1838 Warde commisioned plans for rebuilding of Welcombe House in a grander style.Plans later abandoned on his move to Clopton House 1845 Welcombe estate purchased by Mark Phillips. Gothic mansion demolished 1862 William Andrews Nestfield surveyed the Welcombe estate. Plans for building a new house discussed with Nestfield Junior but not commisioned. 1866 Laying of foundation stone of new house.Designed by Henry Clutton 1867 1867-70 Work on house continued under the direction of Thomas Newby of Manchaster 1870 Mark Phillips took up residence. Died in 1874. Obelisk in the hillside erected in his memory 1874 Estate passed to his brother Robert Needham Phillips who died in 1890 and was succeeded by his daughter Caroline and her husband Sir George Otto Travelyan 1929 Estate put up for auction. Bought by the London, Midland and Scottish Railway for use as a hotel 1983 Bought by Venice Simplon Orient Hotels. Alterations to interior and grounds including 18-hole golf course and re-instatement of lake which had dried up 1990 Bought by Yamada Corporation of Japan but still managed by the Orient-Express. Restoration work carried out to terrace gardens 1994 Under the sole ownership and management of the Yamada Corporation of Japan 2003 Acquired by Menzies Hotels who own a portfolio of four star hotels throughout the UK
(Sources: Victoria County Hist,Tyack G,Bearman R,Shakespeare Bt/ro,Hunting P,Evans S,Stratford Herald)
hole par 70 golf course. Ideally located in the beautiful town of Stratford upon Avon just 5 minutes from the M40. Built in 1866 this imposing Jacobean style ...
