More about De Vere Belton Woods
Enjoyable stay at Belton Woods
by TripAdvisor Member KenSmith
We got a real bargain here thanks to a voucher from TravelZoo.co.uk. From reception to check-out you could not ask for better service. The whole experience was great! Although the hotel is aimed at golf players it has plenty to offer non-players. We enjoyed the swimming pool, tennis courts and the walks which are signposted. The free-wifi connection for our laptop in reception was a bonus (reception gives you a free card that seems to last for ever). The view from our room over the links was beautiful and we would certainly go back if the opportunity arises.
Let Down By The Restaurant
by TripAdvisor Member Timm0
We only stayed at the De Vere, Belton Woods for one midweek night so had little opportunity to use the hotel facilities. The accomodation itself was pretty good, the bed was comfortable and the standard of equipment and furnishing was as one would expect.
The major disappointment was the dining. After booking the room, we decided to book a table in the Manor Restaurant for ourselves and a guest. It appears that The Manor is only open at weekends so the 'choice of dining' that the De Vere website advertises was limited to 'the informal atmosphere of Stantons Brasserie'. The atmosphere was not so much informal as absent and gave the impression of being one step up from a motorway service station.
What the hotel staff omitted to tell us when they took our booking was that the choice of food on that particular night was limited to a carvery. While I don't consider myself to be a gourmand, I am no great fan of this style of eating and would not have booked had I known. By the time we were told (as we were being seated), our guest had arrived and it was too late to find an alternative nearby. We decided to make the best of it but frankly were appalled by the standard of food provided. Starters were limited but o.k but the main course was very poor. Fatty beef (even the carver apologised) and luke warm, tasteless vegetables. The 'cheese board' looked like someone had picked it up from Tescos on their way into work - and there were no biscuits to go with it!
Overall it gave the impression that the De Vere were on a major economy drive. Perhaps business isn't too good. If I decided to stay there again I would definitely ensure that I ate elsewhere.
Well What Can We Say?
by TripAdvisor Member beagal
Belton Woods is a 4 star hotel situated in beautiful grounds which are very quiet. The hotel is large but not imposing, with very nice decor and very clean. Lots of polished wood, brass and glass which makes it cosy but airy.
We chose this hotel as we wanted something special for our 20th Wedding Anniversary and my Husband liked the sound of the outdoor activities.
There is plenty to do in the hotel itself, it has a gym, swimming pool, sauna, steam room. These facilities are shared by private members so can get busy but is well organised eg. special splash times for children.
There are other facilities which are paid for in addition such as golf , which was very popular and is what, it seems, De Vere hotel specialise in. There are squash courts and tennis courts and you can have just about any beauty treatment you like. There's a private company Premier Liesure Events who are situated in the grounds who offer a variety of outdoor activities such as quad biking and clay pigeon shooting which I booked prior to arriving, as this was advised. This was a fun experience, staff were fantastic and very accommodating, we had a ball! Top marks, thanks boys!
We visited Belton House which is literally over the road and is definately worth a look, brilliant adventure play ground if you have young children and it's part of the National Trust. It is easily within walking distance from the hotel gates. Local garden centre (next door) very nice, good for filling an afternoon and they have a lovely cafe.
The hotel staff were very friendly although they are in the main young and so may not have the experience some visiters would desire, as I have read in other reviews for this hotel, this did not, in our opinion make them any the less able to give good, pleasant, nothings too much trouble service and they did in all areas.
Stantons restaurant was the main eating area and we ate there every morning for breakfast. It was fantastic quality, variety and quantity . We also had dinner there 2 out of our 3 nights. The food was exellent and very well presented. Well done Chef!
There was a good choice on the menu, typically, 2 fish, 2 poultry, vegetarian and steak. However our only complaint would be that the menu was the same on Saturday night and Monday night, which was a little disappointing as I only could chose the chicken option as I am a little fussy but never the less beautiful on both occasions. My husband had salmon and steak which were also beautifully cooked, he would highly recommend the salmon. We would suggest prior booking of at least 1 day in advance if staying over the weekend, as the resaurant is very popular with both visiters and local residents it would appear.
The lounge next to Stantons was very comfy and pleasant to relax in and read a paper. Staff in there were most helpfull, when we sat outside they brought our drinks out to us and made sure we had everything we needed. The staff here were the ones we came in contact with the most ,as we saw them each morning and evening they did get to get to know us and remembered little things which made us feel special, nice touch!
The Manor restaurant. Well what can we say, this was definately a DINNING EXPERIENCE! It was our Anniversary, as I have said, although the staff did not know this but we couldn't have been made to feel more special if they had. You are pampered from the moment you enter to the moment you leave, you are never rushed (our meal took well over 2 hours then coffee in the lounge) drinks are carried from the lounge area when they seat you, I had my chair pushed in gently by the waiter, napkins are laid in your lap, you are served by young but very knowledgeable staff, your bread is sliced at the table and is silver served to your plate and the butter (which is from the French mountains apparentley) has the wax coating removed by tiny silver tongues whilst the waitress informs you of the butters origins. You are served correctly, wine is poured correctly, there is bottled water (sparkling or still) offered to you which again is poured. The food is A la Carte and absoulutely fabulous and the price is very reasonable for this type of cuisine.
We stayed in an Delux double over looking the golf course which had 2 double beds that were extremely comfy. Decor was very tastefull althpugh there had been some sort of leak in the ceiling leaving it stained in 2 places, may be this could have been rectified although it obviously didn't spoil the room. The bathroom was adequate but nothing spectacular. Housekeeping was very helpfull when we made a request.
All in all our stay of 3 nights and 4 days was most enjoyable, thanks in the main to the helpful and friendly staff and beautiful setting. We would visit again without hesitaion and would definately recommend the hotel to anyone.
Good B&B rates
by TripAdvisor Member 15may06
I've stayed at the hotel a couple of times. Was always pleasant but the rooms and bathrooms are getting tired now. Needs some updating and renovations. However, all the rooms were clean and comfortable and the staff were friendly. Internet access had to be paid and not worth the value. The pool was large and therefore you could swim lenghts. There was a spa, jacuzzi, sauna and steam room. Particularly like the steam room and it remains one of the better steam rooms when compared to many other hotels.
Golfing facilities are good and most guests come here to play at the golf courses. Breakfast was a busy time but food was of good quality. However food at the Manor Restaurant was so-so and not good value. Could get better elsewhere for the price.
Overall, average hotel but good value for the B&B rate.
Terrible Restaurant!
by TripAdvisor Member Mexican_Fiver
Stayed here May 07 for a 1 night / 2 rounds of golf break. The room was very nice, the beds are awesome - really comfortable. Check in staff and golf shop staff seem friendly.
The complex itself is extremely busy, it seems to be the place everyone goes to eat, swim, gym and play golf. Car park packed by 9am. Golf on day 1 took nearly 5 hours which was a drag. The Lakes is a nice course, but the yardage chart didnt help and its not as challenging as the website makes out.
In the evening, we ate in Stantons Brasserie, which was a one star restaurant in a 4 star hotel. The menu was poor, the starters dire, the service bad and the main courses bland. Dessert was awful as well. Not what you would expect from a De Vere. The wine was pricey and although we had pre-paid our £18.50 food supplement, we were charged again. We wish we had eaten in the Manor Restaurant.
Loads of noise outside our room in the car park at 7am, sounded like deliveries and someone cleaning out the bins!
Breakfast - having enjoyed the most amazing breakfast at the Marriott St Pierre, I had high hopes, but unfortunately it was terrible. Again, poor food, poor layout , big queues (had to be in before 8.15 to get a table) poor service, not a nice experience.
Golf on day 2 (Woodside) was much better. A more picturesque, interesting course, which was much quieter. However on both courses, the bunkers have no sand and there are no marshals to keep play moving.
The bar after the round is very busy and food takes a long time to arrive.
I wouldnt stay again. It is too busy, not relaxing, and for the beds to be the highlight doesnt say much!
A great 2 night break
by TripAdvisor Member Southcourtian
I had a 2 night golf break at this hotel with 7 friends and we could find no fault with the hotel or the many amenities it provides.
The rooms were excellent with fantastic big beds.
The food was good, but you did have to pick your time to have breakfast as it did get busy, (which the hotel does warn you about in the info pack) but even during the busy times the queues were not big. We found the service quick and friendly and there were always plenty of staff available.
The golf courses were of a good standard, but busy, we never had a round over 5 hours. The bunkers were hard with compacted sand due to the recent heavy rain, water was still lying in a number of them.
This is a busy hotel, but what would you expect to find at a big hotel with 2 golf courses, a leisure centre and numerous other outside activities, a quick check on the web site would give a bit of a clue!
If you want a quiet break - stay at home!
Great Hotel
by TripAdvisor Member carly1587
When we arrived at the hotel we were very impressed. The outside areas are well looked after and presentable. The hotel is very large, as we found out when were given our room number, which was quite a walk away from reception but we didn't find it a problem. When we arrived in our room we were very impressed. They are designed to fit the style of the hotel; it was very clean and had adequate facilities for us. It had a fridge that was unstocked so you can take food and drink with you instead of paying high prices at the hotel. The TV had various channels including sky sports. There were tea and coffee making facilities that were restocked every day by the cleaners. Our rooms were serviced everyday, allowing them to re stock essential items. There were only two negative points to the room, the first being the lighting in the bathroom was poor, there were just two small lights next to the mirror, which made the shower area dark. The second being that we were over looking the car park, which got very noisy during the night, however you can choose to pay more for a golf view but we opted out of this.
During our three day break we used the gym, swimming pool, sauna and the steam room. The gym was very modern with new equipment. There were also TV's for you to watch whilst exercising, so anyone wanting to take advantage of this should take their own earphones. The swimming pool and spa facilities were very clean and didn't get very busy. Everyday we took part in the nature trails around the estate, which we enjoyed. The blue trail was our favourite, as we were lucky enough to see seven deer in farmer’s field at midday.
At breakfast we had a full English everyday, which was well stocked. We found that the restaurant wasn't busy at all even though we went during the busy period at 9-10.
Overall we really enjoyed our short break and would recommend to anyone.
A real treat!
by TripAdvisor Member QueenBLincs
My friend and I stayed over for a one night spa break and were very impressed with the pool, jacuzzi sauna & steam room facilities. Although we didn't indulge in any of the beauty treatments, it was a fantastically relaxing time. The beds in our twin room were brillant, large and very comfortable. The full english breakfast served buffet style was excellent. The whole hotel was very clean and tidy and the grounds around the hotel were beautiful, we would certainly return and would recommend it to all.
Poor experience
by TripAdvisor Member PeterDowUK
Booked at 12:00 on the same day, told them we were arriving at 18:00 and booked dinner for 19:00. When we arrived they seemed not to have our details. Finally they allocated us a room, but told us we had not booked dinner (I had an email confirmation, but forgot to bring it). They said our choice was to eat at 18:45 or 21:30. By this time checking in had taken so long we had 35 minutes to have a swim (our 3 year old had been looking forward to this) before dinner. In the end my wife took him while I went to dinner.
The child's bed was not made up, although they did rectify this when we mentioned it.
The food was one grade up from a school canteen. Average soup, a fatty steak and an average dessert for 25 pounds is way too much.
Finally, we requested a newspaper in the morning which never transpired.
I emailed these complaints to the hotel, 9 days later I have not received any acknowledgment.
Great bargain break
by TripAdvisor Member Richie-A
Booked a 2 night stay as a result of a very special rate advertised on Travelzoo. Large bedroom with a very comfortable bed. Had to eat in the brasserie because the main restaurant was being used by a private party but this was no hardship. It was a carvery and the food was very good and included rib eye steak! The staff were courteous and helpful. Did not use any of the facilities but they looked fine.
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