Beechfield House Hotel - Beanacre, United Kingdom 

My partner and I stayed at Beechfield House for a weekend in mid June 08, and I can honestly say that it was one of the most pleasurable hotel experiences I have ever had. The hotel itself is architecturally beautiful, easy to find but nicely tucked away in skilfully tended grounds. The poolside terrace is delightful, and had it not rained all weekend I would have struggled to stay out of the heated pool! I believe that the hotel is currently undergoing some degree of renovation, and previous reviewers have noted that some of the rooms and bathrooms are a little tired. Whilst I would agree that there is space for improvement decoratively, I would stress that these issues are simply of the 'slightly worn' rather than the 'threadbare and vile' variety. I should also like to add that the room and bathroom were absolutely spotless, and that the hotel has made some priority changes already - Egyptian cotton bedding, a flatscreen television and a particularly large and sumptuous bed all helped to take our minds off the room's minor flaws. Some headway has been made in terms of renovation in the public areas, and the bar in particular has been beautifully done with great respect for the building. I'm pleased to say that we dined at the hotel, enjoying three courses for under ?30 a head. The menu was reassuringly small but imaginative, and the food turned out to be top notch - beautifully presented, thoughtfully devised and absolutely delicious. The wine list was diverse and informed, with a variety spanning the globe (and price spectrum). All of this aside, if I had to choose one aspect of our stay at Beechfield House which 'made' the entire weekend it would be simple. The staff are absolutely superb - the finest I have encountered. Incredibly welcoming (without a hint of corporate sycophancy), every member of staff we encountered was well informed, friendly, efficient and very professional. They are an absolute credit to the hotel, and I will be writing to thank them for their efforts. I heartily recommend this hotel. Fair enough, if you look for slick corporate styling and a shower which pins you to the bathroom wall then you're probably searching in the wrong place. But if relaxation, excellent food, impeccable service and a touch of individuality is up your street, then you can't go far wrong with Beechfield House.

We stayed here following the funeral of an Aunty. Afternoon tea was provided for the mourners and was delicious. Staff were particularly nice as we only booked tea for 5 but 11 turned up. It was no problem and all the elderly folk just loved it. When they left we booked in and stayed in the Walnut room up in the highest part of the house overlooking the beautiful gardens and pool. The room was extremely hot and in need of re decoration but the bed, linen and t.v are all recent updates and were excellent. However the bathroom was not brilliant. Grubby carpet on the floor, loose tiles and w.c and no shower, just a little handheld device which trickled water. Bar food and wines were very good however as was breakfast. This is a stunning house with excellent staff and such a lot of potential that I really think they need to sort out their rooms sooner rather than later.