Widbrook Grange - Bradford-on-Avon

Ian C

We had a 3 night stay with our friends (see Val L review) and did not feel it was up to the description and marketing publicity?||We stayed in the Artists Room at the top of the stairs and had to kneel down on the second to top stair to unlock the room as the handle and lock were positioned so low! Other negatives in our room were: 2 lightbulbs not working – one in the bedroom and one in the bathroom (replaced speedily once reported but not the main light which was orange and made reading after dark a near impossibility), no heating in the bedroom or bathroom ( we were informed the heating does not get turned on until 1 October but were given a fan heater), shower stopped running after a little while before returning to its normal pressure) each evening, signs of black mould around the shower tray, wardrobe doors had no handles, was stiff to open because it was tight against the bottom of the frame and the hook of the hook and eye arrangement came out of the door – we left them open for the duration of our stay.||Overall style and décor is the distressed look – I believe ‘shabby chic’ is the designer label; ours was more shabby than chic and appeared to be an excuse to put a mix of styles and quality together in attempt to create an eclectic feel. This didn’t work for us.||It was not all bad though. The bed and pillows were very comfortable. The dining room, dinner and breakfast food were good and the staff friendly and efficient. (The hotel are fortunate to have them in our view.) The bar worked OK but a bit on the small side.||The hotel offers dog friendly facilities and a separate restaurant – in a conservatory was available for owners who wanted to eat with their dogs – a welcomed arrangement for non-doggie guests. The grounds are interesting with plenty of outdoor seating – weather permitting of course. ||In summary, with the exception of the food and beverage quality and service the hotel does not deliver on its marketing description and price. Quirky is no excuse for tired and shabby; our room was tired and other common areas also need some refurbishment. The owners need to freshen the place up - including getting rid of the orange light bulbs in the bedrooms.

Clarry B

Generally we enjoyed our stay which was for my wife’s birthday. The Seamstress’ Room was atmospheric and we loved the roll top bath and comfortable four poster bed. ||Dinner was fine, although we were ignored by the waiter for at least ten minutes before being attended to. An American couple who were also being ignored got up and left! A couple who appeared to be regulars managed to get their orders in as soon as they were shown to their table so were served much quicker than anyone else which was annoying. Waiters should be trained to acknowledge diners and several drinks much quicker rather than ignoring them! My wife’s crab ravioli starter was very disappointing as it had precious little crab in it. My scallops were excellent. Our mains (lemon chicken and beef fillet) were very good.||After-dinner cocktails were good. |Breakfast was good but no-one had serviettes so us guests had to find them in a side cabinet ourselves - again, evidence that the young waiters are poorly trained.||On checking out our invoice was not itemised so we just had to trust that we hadn’t been over-charged for food and drinks. Again I feel that an itemised bill should be essential. ||Shame that these easily rectifiable details took the edge off our stay!

Carrie W

What a wonderful secret space! Beautiful grounds, delicious food, and gorgeous rooms! The pool was warm and we had it to ourselves. The staff were friendly and very helpful. Delightfully romantic and insta perfect! Each room has its own character, a lovely reminder of the hotels heritage. Would absolutely recommend this as somewhere to stay!

Grace Attwood

Wow! Where to start? Claire and the team did a fantastic job helping us have the most memorable wedding day ever in July.

Right from our initial visit to Widbrook, Claire went above and beyond to help deliver our dream day. Was always available during the planning process, super responsive and attentive to every detail.

We were sold on the beautiful venue which was able to create the intimate atmosphere we had been searching for. The space was versatile enough to cater for any scenario, ceremony room, restaurant, outdoor setting to name a few.

The head chef was top tier, understanding the many food allergies and dietary requirements some of our guests had, our guests could not stop raving about the food!

We could not have asked for a better wedding day and highly recommend it to any couple tieing the knot!

Marian G

We booked a 3 night stay here. The style is shabby chic, but sadly it's definitely more shabby than chic. The outside is unkempt with broken artefacts lying around, uneven pavement and plenty of weeds. The reception area is full of old artefacts, as is every corner available throughout the hotel. The lounge is dark and dingy with well worn chairs. There are two dining rooms, one in the conservatory for dog owners and a separate one for the non dog owners. |Our room was in the block behind the hotel. The room was large and clean, the bed comfortable and the tea tray well stocked.|The staff are friendly but could do with some further training in the industry. I was offered no assistance to carry our bags to the room, despite carrying everything myself as my husband was incapacitated. We wanted to use the pool, as that was one of the main reasons we had booked the hotel. Having gone to reception to get the code and towels we headed for the pool only to find that it was freezing. Far too cold to swim in comfortably. On enquiring later if it was always that cold, the same receptionist said that it had a broken boiler for weeks and they were waiting for it to be repaired. It would have been nice to have been told this when I went to get the towels. The same member of staff also told us that the stop for the bus to Bath was on the wrong side of the road, with a long explanation as to why. Luckily our common sense told us to ignore him.|Food is okay, the menu doesn't change, not even a daily special, except for the soup. I had the fillet of beef but wasn't asked how I liked it cooked and the lamb dish came out pink one day and overcooked another. I had a side order of roasted root vegetables which were so black they were carbonised and totally inedible. When I complained the waiter told me that was how they came up. I had to laugh because no respecting cook would have sent them out like that, they were inedible. Another table saw what they were like and agreed they were inedible. The food is nothing like the pictures on their website.|Overall, we were very disappointed and will not be returning.

Lucy Constable

Such a gorgeous hotel. We were bought a gift stay from my parents who stayed and loved it. We brought our dog and the whole experience was just amazing for her and us! Lovely walks, lovely staff and SO dog friendly which is such a change and so nice. She's nervous and we've never taken her to a hotel before but this was such a nice experience. Amazing food and gin and fabulous location with loads of walks. We'll definitely be back!

William B

There were a couple of negatives, but the positives outweighed this making our stay very enjoyable. A little tired in places, some maintenance required here and there and lack of flat surface from the car park to the outer buildings across the carpark for wheelchair access. There is an overkill of what you can repurpose as a light fititng and general repurposing within all the rooms making it messy rather than quirky and clever. That woman off the TV must have made a fortune here. Too much 'stressed' shabby and chic-leaning to the shabby side for my liking. Our room #11 was large, fantastic bed and pillows. Really good size TV (not Smart though), very good ameniites, despite no shower bathroom gel/soap for the first night. Very good quality tea used but not labelled in the breakfast room so everyone has to finger and read the very small print on the lables!! This woud not have been allowed two years ago!|Great location for Bradford On Avon, Lacock Abbey, Court Gardens and Bath. Exceptional breakfast and extremely hard working staff in the restaurant in the evening and at breakfast. In general our room like most hotel rooms could have a brighter centre light in in this room a brighter one above the mirror outside the bathroom so that one can sit and prepare . No chair here either! The negatives have been reported to the hotel so hopefully will be addressed and I won't mention here. Overall, an enjoyable stay and great location. The Secret Escapes deal made it even more pleasant with the meal and drinks deal. Well worth a visit. Would stay here again and pack my swim wear and give the pool a go.

Ieva Lakute

I booked an afternoon tea for 10 people for a baby shower. The staff were lovely, the food was gorgeous and it was great value for money too. Thank you!