Guest Reviews & Comments
Barnsdale Hall Hotel near Peterborough: Peterborough Hotels
21 Young couple - 09/04/07	80%
Good Points: The overall setting of the hotel close to Rutland water view is excellent. Facilities are all close to hand and well maintained. The hotel has an antique charm but with modern facilities. The hotel staff are polite.
Bad Points: There were some negative details the service ....the room alarm clock had not been adjusted to the correct hour, and as we used this to judge time we might have missed our evening meal booking. The view from our room was a little disappointing, but admittedly we did book a standard room.
Further Comments: The room view would be nice to know before booking, as the setting of the hotel is such a key feature. Guests may be prepared to pay the premium rate knowing that this will ensure a good view of Rutland Water - especially if staying for more than one night. The most significant negative of this hotel is the Bistro restaurant. The room looks old biddy-ish with very dated chintzy chairs and silly window blinds. Just because the hotel has some age to it and the Bistro is the more budget eating option, it needn't look old fashioned in the cheap sense. Look at your majority of guests and most are at the younger end of the spectrum. The place needs a serious design make-over in keeping with your client base. This is a shame as the menu is very good and bang up to date, and the food quality is very good. However, staff were not especially pressured but we ordered wine which was not bought to our table until the second course and we had to remind waiters of the wine order. The main course was a steak but perhaps of a type that is traditonally cooked rare. If this is so, advice from the waiter would have been helpful and we might have gone for a different steak or asked for it to be cooked for longer. In fact, we were not asked atall how we would like the steak done! Also, we were not asked what side orders we would like, but then chips and vegetables were all bought to our table together, which caused some confusion. These obvious gaps in what should be standard rules of service spoilt the occasion somewhat. The manager seemed a bit overbearing and awkward, as if trying to compensate for inexperienced staff.
22 Mature couple - 08/04/07	80%
Good Points: Good size bathroom, With a bath!!! Tea and coffee making equipment. Beautiful surroundings and well maintained grounds
Bad Points: Not a good view from our room, wine stock in restaurant didn,t match wine list at all
Further Comments: Overall, very happy withour stay and would book again
23 Business Trip - 30/03/07	90%
Good Points: Pleasant, comfortable room in a lovely hotel in a beautiful location. The staff were very helpful - the receptionist send a fax for me, to my workplace, and was very helpful and co-operative even though there were difficulties because I had the incorrect fax number. I appreciated her assistance and her professional approach.
Bad Points: As I was travelling on my own, attending a course the following day, I was unhappy about going into the restaurant on my own, so was unable to eat. As I was travelling alone, attending a course the following day, I was disappointed that there was no room service available for a snack during the evening. I did not wish to go into the restaurant on my own.
Further Comments: Other than the above points, there are no other comments I wish to make. I would have liked to make use of the leisure facilities, if I had had more time, but that was not possible on this occasion as I had a great deal of work to do.
24 Mature couple - 27/03/07	80%
25 Young couple - 22/03/07	60%
Good Points: The food was nice
Bad Points: The walls are that thin in the rooms you can hear everything from your neighbours, For some reason we were put in a disabled room ,which neither me or my partner are,this ment we could not have a shower as it was in the sink.The was also a big cap under the front door which let a massive draft in.room 245
Further Comments: over all i don't think i would visit the hotel again unless the standard of rooms were upgraded,being work up by a sreaming baby at 6am in the morning fron the room above is not my idea of a relaxing break away.
26 Mature couple - 14/03/07	90%
Good Points: The facilities on offer were first class and well maintained. I wish we could have spent longer so that my wife could have tried some of the beauty options on offer. The location was brilliant - a great view and the accomodation blended nicely into the surroundings.
Bad Points: The cost of alcohol and bar snacks was a tad on the high side. Newspapers on a saturday were ￂﾣ2 each! Since there was nowhere else within walking distance, you paid the price or went without.
Further Comments: I booked because of the facilities offered by the hotel and was not disappointed. The room was very good, particularly impressed by the bathroom. I travel in the US a lot and so the bed seemed a bit on the small side. The staff, particularly the restaurant staff were incredibly helpful. The choice at breakfast meant anyone's needs could be catered for. Anyone staying on a Friday should try the fish and chips - its the way fish and chips should be!
27 Mature couple - 07/03/07	90%
28 Mature couple - 06/03/07	80%
29 Mature couple - 27/02/07	90%
30 Business Trip - 23/02/07	80%
31 Young couple - 18/02/07	60%
32 Young couple - 04/02/07	90%
Further Comments: Overall, our stay was very comfortable but there was no hot water available in our room on one early evening.
33 Mature couple - 26/12/06	90%
34 Mature couple - 03/11/06	80%
Bad Points: Not a very good view from the window, but you don't stand looking out the windows all the time, if we had stayed longer we would have gone for a superior room with a lake view.
Further Comments: The only disappointment we encountered was that the brasserie did not have one of the meals as per menu, and we felt that it should have been advertised as such. Plus they would not run a tab to be added to our room account. However, the meal we did decide on was enjoyable.
35 Mature couple - 14/09/06	80%
Good Points: It was comfortable, clean and spacious
Bad Points: Not being in the same building as the restaurant, where we had breakfast.
Further Comments: As it was a late booking I was unaware of all the facilities and was pleasantly surprised.
36 Mature couple - 12/09/06	90%
Good Points: Clean, well furnished and welcoming accommodation. Dinner was very good
Bad Points: Nothing except breakfast could have been better (too much pre-prepared and the staff seemed poorly trained).
Further Comments: This is a quality country house style hotel with sports facilities, good evening meal and fair pricing. I would recommend it.
37 Young couple - 05/09/06	100%
Good Points: Great hotel and a fantastic short break. Ideal if want a few days away: nice setting, great leisure and sport facilities and good food and drink in the evening (recommend their giant yorkshire pudding). Our hotel room was very comfortable and clean. Overall: a great few days away and we will be returning.
Bad Points: Nothing too major. Only comment would be more adult only swim times in the pool but it was summer holidays and it didn￢ﾀﾙt bother us that much.
Further Comments: A great hotel in a nice setting with fantastic sporting/leisure facilities. We had a good few days away at this hotel. We were after a hotel which could offer us both relaxation and sporting facilities and it covered both very well. In terms of sport, you have a choice from lawn bowls to squash to crazy golf. The swimming pool setup is also very relaxing, with both a sauna and stream room available. We didn￢ﾀﾙt try any of the spa stuff (e.g. Floatation tank) because of cost. The local scenery is very nice with it being right on Rutland Water.
38 Young couple - 31/08/06	80%
Good Points: Beautiful scenery, easy to find and well signposted, excellent facilities including swimming pool, bowling green and crazy golf. Staff were friendly, polite and helpful and the food was excellent.
Bad Points: Nothing
Further Comments: Beautiful scenery, easy to find and well signposted, excellent facilities including swimming pool, bowling green and crazy golf. Staff were friendly, polite and helpful and the food was excellent.
39 Young couple - 30/08/06	100%
Good Points: we got ther and were showed to our room which turned out to be the windsor suite which was outstanding
Bad Points: nothing
Further Comments: wished we had more time there so we could have enjoyed the facilities more we were told we could use the lesure facilitys all day after checking out which i thought was exellent would go back again definatly
40 Mature couple - 29/08/06	90%
Good Points: Clean, quiet, good value at price paid, good breakfast.
Bad Points: Facilities attract many families with young children so parts of the hotel can be rather noisy but generally not a major problem. For the evening meal in the restaurant would have liked a wider choice with perhaps say a salad bar.
Further Comments: The hotel was in a very attractive setting within beautiful grounds and with lovely views over Rutland Water. Room was very quiet, breakfast was good and the hotel easy to reach from the A1. The facilities such as swimming pool, snooker, pitch and put attracted many families with children when we visited in August and some areas could be slightly noisy - this would not, of course, be a problem out of season. Overall we enjoyed our stay but would have liked more choice in the restaurant for the evening meal.
If you are unable to book a room at Barnsdale Hall Hotel then the nearest UK hotels around the Oakham area are: The Falcon Hotel Review, : Old White Hart Review, : Grange Country Guest House (Non Smoking) Review,