Beech Hill Hotel & Spa

“Wonderful hotel and spa in a beautiful location”

Excellent few days at the Beech Hill Hotel. My wife and I have mobility issues, we had read reviews complaining about the number of flights of stairs around the hotel and no available lift. A call to the hotel was made and our concerns were alleviated. We were assured that we could have a ground ... more

Excellent few days at the Beech Hill Hotel. My wife and I have mobility issues, we had read reviews complaining about the number of flights of stairs around the hotel and no available lift. A call to the hotel was made and our concerns were alleviated. We were assured that we could have a ground floor room which would be on the same level as the reception, bar and restaurant. In addition, the main car park is down a steep slope and adjacent to the Spa facility, the hotel would provide a reserved parking space for us at street level throughout our stay. Sure enough when we arrived there was a reserved sign with our name on just outside the entrance. Check in was easy,the receptionist friendly and informative and confirmed our room was on the ground floor. She advised us of available time slots for Spa access but did say that entry was down several flights of stairs. Our room was accessed by walking across the lounge/bar area and a short corridor. The room was bright, one wall a window overlooking Windermere. The room was well equipped,decorated with ensuite facilities, king sized bed a little on the soft side for me, but no real issue. With two comfortable chairs it was a pleasure to just sit and watch activities on the lake below us. A bottle of wine in the bar before dinner hich was in the delightfully refurbished restaurant, very tasteful decoration and a team of well trained, young waiters who worked seamlessly as a team, a pleasure to watch. There are several tables alongside the windows overlooking the lake and wherever possible the staff would try to sit guests at these tables. We were surprised at the comprehensive and varied menu available having been very disappointed with some hotel restaurants previously. It was no problem deciding that we could eat 'inhouse' throughout our stay which meant I could share in with the wine. The food was freshly prepared, tasty and attractively presented. Continental breakfast is included in the rack rate with cooked breakfasts available on request at an extra charge. The staff were quick to collect guests entering the restaurant and whilst escorting you to your table clearly explained where everything was located, once seated they said they would be back in a few minutes to check if we wanted to order and cooked breakfasti tems. For us the continental offering was more than sufficient, a selection of cereals, diced fresh fruits, yoghurt, fresh baked bread rolls,pastries, croissant, sliced cheese,sliced ham, bread for toasting and even an automatic pancake machine with a variety of toppings. The hotel is situated a little way outside of Windermere,a bus stops directly outside should you decide to leave theca behind, parking can be a real issue at times around the lake district. We spoke with the reception team about the Spa access having noted that it was adjacent to the lower car park a the whether or not there was access at that level. They said there was an emergency exit into the car park that could not be opened from the car park. One of the receptionists then said let's speak with the Spa staff, what time slot would you like? Time decided she then spoke with the Spa tem explaining our mobility issues and asked if it would be possible to have the emergency gate opened to allow us access at the prescribed time. This was agreed without hesitation. The spa is delightful,a 40ft pool,sauna, steam room, two jacuzzies outside overlooking the lake, treatment rooms and a gym. Dependent of the package you book there is an additional charge of £20 per person for a two hour slot. The booked timings does mean that the staff are able to control the number of people using the facility at any one time to avoid overcrowding. The charge seems to be common to other hotels in the area offering Spa facilities. We had two glorious nights at the Beech Hill Hotel,all staff we encountered were friendly,helpful, well trained, informative and a credit to the hotel,The billing system one of the most comprehensive I've encountered making checking the final account very simple. We've encountered many hotels we would not return to Beech Hill Hotel is definitely NOT one of those.It will be our pleasure to return there,probably not in the to distant future

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