Don't go for the Leisure facilities
by TripAdvisor Member Hotcross
Stayed for a weekend at Hellidon Lakes. We had booked hotel for its Spa and Leisure Facilities. We were very disappointed as the gym is very small and the equipment is very old. The changing rooms are far away from Swimming Pool and in order to get to swimming pool, you have to walk out of the changing rooms and down a carpeted corridor for the swimming pool. The swimming pool is small, very hot air temperature, low ceilings which adds to the stuffy atmosphere. Very difficult to relax and not recommended if your sole reason for coming to hotel is for its spa facilities. Changing rooms are old and some of the lockers are broken.
On the plus side, hotel room was nice, but again very warm. Receptionist not the most friendly!
Our Wedding Day was perfect
by TripAdvisor Member Caroline1979
We held our weddinf and reception at Hellidon Lakes in September.
We did get off to a shaky start after reception lost a few of our families room bookings, and housekeeping had not got the bride or groom's bedrooms ready for check in time, we had to wait over 2 additional hours to get our rooms!
That said, the bridal suite was fantastic, with plenty of room for me and my bridesmaids to be pampered and get ready the morning of the wedding.
Our wedding ran like clockwork, the staff went out of their way to make everything just right for us, even staying up until the early hours to lay our wedding breakfast tables just as we wanted. Nothing went wrong on the day, and staff were only to happy to accomodate our individual wedding choices.
Unlike an earlier review, we found the hotel disco to be very good! they were happy to play our chosen playlist of tracks, and the fact that the dance floor was always full suggests all enjoyed the experience.
On slight niggle was the amount of food served for the evening buffet, we had catered for around 80 but the food only seemed enough for about 50!
All in all a great day, shame about the mess ups on reception.
In the middle of the country, a destination for business or leisure
by TripAdvisor Member Piglet-Leeds
Hellidon Lakes is a member of the Q Hotels group of 4 star hotels in the UK. I stayed in this hotel for three nights when working in Banbury, which is about a 30 minute drive from this hotel. With the closest town to the hotel being Daventry, approximately 15 minutes away down windy country roads which pass through some idyllic little villages, this is not a destination for those who like to be in the thick of things. However, the views from the bars and restaurant over lakes and the sprawling 18 hole golf course are unrivalled, and keen golfers will no doubt enjoy tackling the course. Other leisure facilities on site include tennis courts and a ten pin bowling alley, gym and swimming pool. The 10m pool is basic compared to the facilities at some equivalent hotels, but when I visited there seemed to be never more than a couple of people in the pool at any given time so its fine for a leisurely swim.
I booked a bed and breakfast package at £105 per night. The breakfast was very good with a hot buffet and plenty of other choices besides the typical 'Full English' including smoked salmon, yoghurt and fresh fruits, and a wide selection of cereals, pastries and breads. I ate dinner in the hotel twice - once in the bar, which offers relatively cheap food such as burgers, sandwiches and pastas, and once in the restaurant. The restaurant food is of a very high quality but far from cheap - a two course meal for two including a glass of wine each came to just shy of £60, and the portions were certainly not on the generous. Nonetheless I would highly recommend trying the restaurant as I couldn't flaw the meal that I enjoyed there.
From the outside the hotel isn't the most attractive of buildings, but inside the bedrooms are modernly decorated, with large bathrooms including both a shower and a bath. There is a large workdesk with high speed internet connections available at a charge of £9 per day. My only minor complaint is that there is no air conditioning in the rooms.
I would recommend this hotel for those on business, or wishing to explore the local area.
Really enjoyable weekend
by TripAdvisor Member BarnetBlackDog
We recently spent a weekend here as part of a package deal booked through Q Hotels, having stayed at one of their other hotels (The Queens in Leeds) last year.
It is in a genuinely country location, but well signposted and easy to find.
Check-in was easy and our decision to upgrade to a suite (£10/night) was a good one - our room was huge and we got a complementary botle of decent wine.
Room was very clean with a huge bathroom and the cot provided was excellent.
Facilities here are good: didn't get to use many of them due to 4 month-old baby with us but golf course (although oddly no driving range), spa and 10 pin bowling all looked good.
Didn't really spend any time in the bar but the restaurant was great - really prompt service, a good menu and the staff could not have been more helpful. The wine list is a bit short and perhaps slightly expensive but this can be offset by ordering from the bar which staff are happy to facilitate.
Only one small gripe: please provide a fridge or mini-bar as in hot weather it's good not to have to cool drinks in the sink. Otherwise excellent - I would definitely come again, hopefulkly with golf clubs.
Not So Good
by A TripAdvisor Member
I booked to stay here as I was attending a training course in Banbury and wanted somewhere that I could unwind after a hectic day of learning. After finding the hotel after driving through windy lanes, my first impression was not too good as the door way was blocked by lots of golfers standing around smoking and laughing. Check in was quite quick but I was informed that the pool would not be open for two days as the pump had broken!!!and then up to the room which was like a travelodge but with a spacious bathroom. Food trays littered the corridors which was not very nice and they were still there in the morning.I found there was no hot water, the heating would not turn on, the light over the table flickered, the shower had black mould along the bottom of the door and the water cascaded across the floor. The view, which I had looked forward to, was of some steps coming down an embankment. Next day, I met with the manager who changed my room to a beautiful suite, luxury was the word. The view however was over the carpark. Still no pool. I settled down to work for the evening, had a bath and then wondered what the noise was in the bedroom, it sounded like a generator or something. Well, it was so bad that I could not sleep and ended up on the settee!!! Next day, I packed my things and told reception of the problem and when I got back after the last day of my course, my things had been taken to a new room. Hoorah, the pool was finally opened and I could go for a swim. The facilities here were not great, luxury they certainly were not and the sauna was broken. Back to the room to do some work, shower and then bed. Relaxing sleep? No, the sound in this room was as if the heating was on all night and the constant noise was awful. In the morning, opened the curtains to the most amazing view over the lake and golf course. This was the best thing about this stay. I am going to write to their Head Office and will keep you posted of their reply.
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