Bowood Hotel, Spa, and Golf Resort

Absolutely perfect experience. There was one downside however. You can’t access the gym or pool on your own until you are 16. Apart from that, fantastic place, friendly staff and relaxing environment. Good views as well as a lot of activities.

As a family, we have visited Bowood Hotel 6 times previously and loved the hotel, restaurant, golf and spa. It is very sad to see that post COVID, the standards have declined across the board. The restaurant service is very slow with orders lost and a general lack of control by the staff. Our last breakfast took so long our waitress had to organise a checkout extension as we would not be able to get back to the room in time to pack to leave. The spa area and changing rooms are showing serious signs of lack of maintenance. Examples are huge areas of peeling paint on walls, dirty floors, showers out of action with huge holes in the wall and algae around the swimming pool windows. The rooms and communal areas are also showing signs of wear with carpet stains and damaged furniture. The above and other areas were brought to the attention of the front desk staff on checkout. The attitude was ‘sorry you feel that way but nothing we can / want to do’. Dissatisfied with this response, we sent an email to Bowood with no follow-up received. The cost of Bowood is in the premium category for sure. We hate to complain as we are here to relax and enjoy ourselves but when service and standards fall so far below what you would expect for a premium product, you feel rather let down and forced to raise it. If Bowood had responded to our email in a positive way, I doubt I would be writing this review, but they didn’t, so I am. All in all it’s sad to see the decline, I hope Bowood management take note a fix the issues as there are many other reviews on Trip Adviser saying the same things.

The hotel and spa are friendly and quiet, with fantastic facilities, especially the spa and gym area. I joined as a Spa / Gym member as I live nearby and always love the warm friendly welcome I receive from all the staff there. They make me feel like Family. I always struggled to get motivated to use a Gym or to start to work out by myself until I met their two PT instructors who are both fantastic. After some encouraging words from Joel who works the Gym, I decided to book in sessions with him he’s clearly into his fitness and was always giving me advice and tips before I decided to have a PT and he is in great shape himself, so having a PT who not only knows his stuff but looks like he does too is a bonus. After my first session with Joel and why I would highly recommend booking a session with him is because he pushed me beyond what I think I can do. He cares for my personal goals and strives to push me to achieve them. I cannot express how incredible I felt afterwards in a long time and cannot wait to have more sessions booked in. I would recommend Joel to anyone looking to either lose weight, put on muscular size, or trim down due to his professional approach to training. He has a laid-back but firm outlook on life and will encourage you to challenge yourself at almost every session Thanks, Joel for giving me the confidence and excitement for wanting to finally get to the gym and use it often after years of being unmotivated. I am already excited for the next session.

I am writing this review as I sit watching the deer from the restaurant as they meander over the grounds. I have had two nights here whilst on business in the south and I cannot recommend Bowood highly enough. I cannot fault any aspect of my stay. From the warm welcome from the porter who opened the door on my arrival and the greeting from the reception staff who whisked away my luggage and coat as I was dashing straight into a meeting in their library. I had a light lunch with my colleague in the bar and my pate was delicious - just the perfect portion. On being handed my room key by reception I was informed that my luggage was already waiting for me in my room. My bedroom and bathroom were spacious and immaculately clean. The homemade biscuits in the room were a welcome treat and I always love to have the home comforts of a Nespresso machine in my room. Spoilt for choice in the bathroom with a bath and a large shower. I had dinner in the restaurant one night and room service dinner the 2nd evening and both were faultless. Great choice at breakfast and the service was warm, friendly and attentive. I have found my ideal hotel for when attending meetings in the south with Bowood’s proximity to the M4. I didn’t get to use the spa myself but got chatting to a couple who are spa members and they were very proud of their membership and waxed lyrical about the facilities and the exceptional views from both the gym and the pool. I cannot wait to return.

Friends booked afternoon tea to celebrate my birthday and what a wonderful celebration it was. The chef and team catered for my tricky allergies beautifully. They had obviously taken great care with adjusting the menu. It’s unusual for me to be able to eat everything provided - this was one of those rare events. I really appreciate it. The quality of the food was first rate, the service faultless and the atmosphere in the library was lovely. Thank you, Bowood, for helping make this birthday celebration very special.

I don’t usually leave such damming reviews! However, as the General Manager seems to take no accountability for their incredibly poor customer service and trying to fob me off with a 10% discount for my next visit (which will not happen as I live over an hour away) I wanted to take a moment to provide you all with some feedback regarding Festive Afternoon Tea that my mum and I attended in December. Having attended an afternoon tea here before. Where we could overlook the golfing green, watch the wildlife and enjoy the warmth and ambiance of a log fire this is what I was hoping for. However, my mum and I were left feeling significantly underwhelmed by the whole experience. In short on resembled something that you’d possibly expect at a Turkey and Tinsel event at some low grade hotel! On arrival it felt as if we were entering a very poorly organised corporate dining event! There were no cosy or real “festive vibes”. Our table was at the back of the room placed in a position where the sun was quite blinding. The chairs and table were not stable which left you feeling unable to move. I waited some 25 minutes to be acknowledged once seated and I was then poured a lukewarm coffee! The food was substandard. The quality was below par. We were both left disappointed and will not be returning or recommending this to friends and family. This was clearly over sold and it massively underdelivered. Charging some £39 per person for this is overpriced for a below average experience. It is evident that some of this cost is only charged due to the name and reputation that Bowood House has. Maybe this is why we were both expecting something better. I would encourage the organisers to strongly consider upgrading every aspect of this “Christmas Treat”! I have requested a refund! Not a full refund just a refund of one place … £39 which given the charges implemented by this venue doesn’t seem a lot to ask! However they are resistant to do so and do not accept that this service was simply appalling