Eastwood Hall - Nottingham, United Kingdom     

We booked our weekend break on the strength of previous reviews as we had originally planned to stay in central Nottingham. Thank you again tripadvisors as we had a lovely - and probably much more relaxing - stay here. Yes - the place is geared up mostly for conferences but the hotel is set in beautiful surroundings and with good leisure facilities such as gym, pool, sauna and steamroom. Guest rooms are a touch on the small side but very comfortable. If you're a fan of DH Lawrence - the hotel is within walking distance (uphill) of the the DH Lawrence Museum in the house where he was born which is certainly worth a visit. Excellent guides relate the story of Lawrence's life. The Heritage Centre - part of Eastwood's mining heritage - has a small museum too and has lots of interesting tourist information with signposted walks in Lawrence's Eastwood and the Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire countryside. Contrary to the previous reviewer, I liked the interior decoration and particularly the watercolour copies of pre-excavated Luxor and Karnak (no particular connection to either TE or DH Lawrence - but appealing all the same). The restaurant food menu was what you'd expect in a hotel but was fresh and served by friendly and attentive staff. The only minor problem was a reminder that we were 'weekender's and so entitled to the special package of chocs, wine and first night's dinner included. I must say the free Belgian chocolates were well worth the reminder. Ample parking and although a lively disco was in full swing on Saturday night, the hotel site is so spread out that we were not at all disturbed in our room.

This place had me in stitches..........anyone else spotted the joke or the biggest mistake in interior design ever. The pictures on all the walls are of Egypt, Arabia, Middle East. Now did the designer read the 'brief' wrong and thought the hotel had a connection with Lawrence of Arabia, or they are having a huge joke on the clients! Apart from that the setting was lovely, the wedding party on the Saturday night were like animals at the trough in the morning at breakfast. Funny seeing how the half behave! The pool and leisure suite - fab. The staff, very very good. Friendly, helpfull and a credit to the hotel. We asked for an upgrade to executive room and paid ?25 for two nights, even though hotel was 3/4 empty. Room nice but make sure you ask for a room as far away from the wedding group if staying on a saturday night. They have a lovely showcase front building, the original coal board hall, which they could really make something of, I think its just meeting rooms, as this is primarily a conference hotel, hence quiet at the weekends. Good value for money when you consider the Premier Inn up the road is more or less same price. We paid ?70 per night, the ?25 for the upgrade. Excutive room had a nice sofa and flatscreen plasma tv. Lovely view over ex coal slag fields. All in all excellent value, and place has the best hotel joke I have ever seen - the pictures!!!