Review of Ardencote Manor Hotel, Claverdon

Ardencote Manor Hotel, Claverdon - 3 bubbles

Ardencote Manor is a four-star hotel in an 18th century manor house, with a converted Victorian coach house that is home to the spa and leisure facilities. This family-friendly hotel and country club has a range of outdoor and indoor leisure facilities, conference and function facilities and a golf course. The spa offers Pevonia treatments, and there are indoor and outdoor wet and thermal facilities. We loved relaxing in the outdoor hot tub, but felt the spa facilities and treatments needed a little more attention to detail.

First impressions?

What's on offer?

Which treatments did you have?

What were the treatments like?

What else could you have?

Food facts

Was it worth it?

We loved

We didn't love

Who do you think would like it?

Why did you give the spa this rating?

Would you go again?

First impressions?

Ardencote looks just like a manor house hotel should, with clambering ivy and well-kept land, with the golf course and lake beyond. The additional conference facility was built ten years ago adjacent to the original manor house, but the sympathetic design means you can't tell it's a modern building.

What's on offer?

The Ardencote Spa and Leisure Club share facilities. Outdoors, there's a heated swimming pool and hot tub. There was a definite feeling of luxury about lounging by an outdoor pool in mid-October!

The indoor pool, sauna and steam room did feel more leisure club than spa. It was half-term on our visit and every time we went to the indoor pool area we were greeted by happy, splashing, excitable children. Great for them, but not really what we wanted during our relaxing spa experience, so we found it hard to linger for very long. The steam room and sauna were basic and a little tired, so we retreated in search of the relaxation rooms.

Ardencote has a relaxation lounge and VIP relaxation lounge. We only used the regular lounge, which was an area to get a drink, have a sit down and a chat. This space is quite good for socialising with your spa friends; it wasn't really designed for a nice quiet lie-down.

Also available are squash courts, outdoor all-weather tennis courts, 9-holes of golf, two gyms and even table tennis!

Conferencing and weddings are both big business for Ardencote, but the staff do their best to keep spa experiences and business meetings separate. The leisure club has a separate entrance so there's no need to go into the main hotel if you're just visiting for the day.

There's a range of accommodation at Ardencote, from large suites with four-poster beds and Jacuzzis to the more basic "standard" rooms. Our room was standard, located on the ground floor. Everything was clean and well-presented, with lovely views out over the grounds. There weren't any blinds, only heavy blackout curtains (perfect for those wanting a lie in!) Hotel guests tended to walk past our room whilst enjoying the ample grounds; we had to close the curtains or change in the bathroom.

Which treatments did you have?

I had the Ardencote well-being ritual (110 minutes, £90).

What were the treatments like?

My therapist led me to my treatment room along a darkened corridor lit with sweet little tea lights. The treatment room itself was bathed in natural light coming through the neutral coloured blinds, along with electrical lighting to boot. I'm more used to a darkened cocoon of a treatment room, so I wasn't sure how this was going to work.

My therapist began my treatment with a foot cleanse. She informed me this wasn't because my feet were dirty, it was just part of the treatment. Either way, I must have passed the clean-foot test as my therapist only cleansed one of my feet!

My therapist followed this with an exfoliation of my arms, legs and back. She used nicely vigorous strokes to ensure my skin was thoroughly polished. When it came time to shower off the exfoliant, my therapist asked me to hop off the bed clutching towels to protect my modesty. This was fine, but I did have to stand clutching said towels for some time whilst my therapist changed the towels on the bed before she left me to shower. The shower was powerful, but there was some black mould on the bottom of the door that needed a scrub (and I failed to close it properly as it seemed to be unwilling to do so).

Once I was showered, I popped myself back up onto the treatment bed for my therapist to start my full-body massage. I'd describe my massage at Ardencote as a bit like a 60-minute cuddle. My therapist used her hands and the full span of her forearms to carry out the treatment, which resulted in a cradling, nurturing feeling throughout. My therapist ensured I was comfortable and that the pressure was right at different stages of the treatment. She also adjusted her massage technique to suit each of my problem areas, which was great.

Due to the bright lighting, my facial felt rather more results-driven than relaxing. My therapist talked me through the products she was going to use with enthusiasm and knowledge, which is great to see in a therapist. The Pevonia products certainly felt active on my skin, and my therapist's unusual facial massage technique was fantastic – I really felt as if the products were being gently persuaded to permeate my epidermis – which is exactly what you want from an active facial experience.

What else could you have?

A wide range of treatments including: "ancient alternative massage therapies"; Pevonia stone therapies; facials, peels and anti-wrinkle injections; manis, pedis and fish pedicures; massages, scrubs and wraps; waxing and other finishing touches; men's treatments and CACI body treatments.

Food facts

Ardencote Manor Hotel has three main dining choices. There's the relaxed leisure bar, which is perfect for an informal snack or meal with the kids. Sports are shown here on a big screen and there's a separate bar area.

The Lodge Restaurant is the main fine-dining restaurant. It's set on the lake overlooking the golf course, with views beyond. The Conservatory in the main hotel building is used as a third dining area. You can opt for private dining, too, if you so desire.

On our visit we ate in the Conservatory, dining on monkfish tail, crab and wasabi cakes, vegetable terrine and chocolate torte. The food was delicious and the wine was well-chosen by our attentive waiter.

Was it worth it?

Spa days and stays are reasonably priced and treatments aren't too expensive, but the spa areas and treatments could do with a little more attention to detail.

We loved

Swimming outdoors in October.

We didn't love

That our treatment was constantly interrupted by noise outside the treatment room. There were the noisy steps of (barefooted) therapists stalking the corridor, the sound of slamming doors, and a prolonged X Factor conversation that was going on in the hot tub, directly below my treatment room.

The bright lighting in the treatment rooms.

Who do you think would like it?

Locals and families looking for a good range of leisure facilities under one roof.

Why did you give the spa this rating?

We gave Ardencote Manor 3 bubbles. We had a pleasant stay as the staff were wonderfully courteous and friendly, we enjoyed our food and our room was adequate. The outdoor pool and hot tub were great, but you may be disappointed with the indoor wet and thermal facilities if visiting for a tranquil spa break. And our treatments would have been much more enjoyable if they hadn't been spoilt by external noise.