Lea Marston Hotel, Barton Room

The reviews really tell a story about this hotel, which is one of a variety of experiences and quality standards. Our room was clean enough, the beds very comfortable and the bedding excellent. But some aspects of the room were disappointing: the lighting isn't brilliant, the bathroom radiator was turned off, with no way of turning it on, and oddly, there was no bathroom fan, so the steamy atmosphere tended to spread into the bedroom. But I understand that costs are escalating and revenues most likely not rising in proportion. In the circumstances our experience was perfectly acceptable for a two night stay. My wife told me her pool experience was good, the breakfast was good too, with plenty of choice and good quality. All in all I'd certainly stay here again.

My partner and I recently went to this hotel for a spa break. I appreciated the free parking and WiFi. The room was spacious and comfortable with plenty of storage and a TV. However, the sink in the bathroom did not drain properly. The grouting in between the bathroom tiles was mouldy. The heating stayed on all night and couldn’t be turned off. We couldn’t open the window much for security reasons because we were on the ground floor. The bedding was too thick, making it uncomfortably warm at night. The hotel had great amenities like a gym, pool, and sauna, and breakfast was nice. Unfortunately, dinner was disappointing. It was a set menu. The starter arrived quickly but the main course took over an hour to arrive, and when it did, it was essentially chicken and chips. Dessert was okay. The spa experience was also frustrating – our treatment was moved from Friday evening to Saturday morning with little notice, due to staffing. The dual treatment room we had booked wasn’t available, even though we had paid for it in our original booking. My massage was good, but the facial wasn’t personalised and caused a breakout afterwards. The spa break package is a great idea because accommodation, food and spa treatments are taken care of. So, less planning needed. Unfortunately, given the overall experience here, I wouldn’t return.