Cliveden House

Well I am not sure where to start - it was one of the nicest hotel stays I have experienced (I travel a lot and stay in lots of hotels) The staff are so well trained and none of them miss a beat. Shortly after I made the reservation online I received a call to ask me if there was anything special we were celebrating (my husband and I have been together 30 years) or if there was anything we wanted to prebook such as spa and dinner reservations (I have never had a call in advance before. The arrival was equally smooth, we had barely stepped out of the car when the doorman asked if he could unload our luggage. The check in was quick and almost as soon as we arrived to our room the doorman was putting our bags and my garment bag in the wardrobe for us. We had been upgraded to a deluxe room which was spacious with a sitting area. There was also ample coffee pods and a kettle. - so many hotels cant even provide these items these days or 1/2 coffee pods. We both had a massage and I had the sleepy one which was one of the most relaxing I have had. Before dinner in the Astor Grill we had drinks in the cosy bar, dinner was great. Breakfast was very great and the setting was very grand, I dont think I have had breakfast in such a grand setting. After breakfast we did a lovely 2 hour walk around the grounds and along the river. As we had a guaranteed late check out we made use of the spa again in the afternoon. I dont think any member of staff put a foot wrong- hats off to their training manager.

The hotel manager was very rude! We had a family member who was not well, and he was yelling at us telling us to leave our hotel room at our check out time. He didn’t want to have his staff help us pack and look after us with our problem. I have never seen such rude and terrible service and would expect more from a well known hotel. He couldn’t care less about us after we had just spent thousands on 2 suites for a number of nights. This hotel needs a big firm like the Four Seasons or Mandarin Oriental to take over and get much better manager and staff.

Booked the afternoon tea for the wife's birthday and it did not disappoint. The staff were very friendly, the atmosphere relaxed and the views through the big window were superb, all in all a very pleasant experience. Definitely recommended.

Wonderful stay, beautiful building and grounds, staff made you feel so welcome and food in restaurant was lovely. Need to go back in summer to eat in outside restaurant and have another amazing walk around the grounds. Experience even better as we were upgraded to a suite where Meghan Markle stayed before her wedding to Prince Harry, so have a lovely story to tell.

The afternoon tea experience was excellent - we went for my birthday and we were seated at a fantastic table with an amazing view. The service was brilliant and the afternoon tea itself was delicious - so pleased I could specify I was pescatarian in advance and this was catered for.