We went to Oakley Hall Hotel on Christmas Eve and ...

We went to Oakley Hall Hotel on Christmas Eve and stayed one night. They do not have staff to help with luggage and there are steps to the entrance. Many of the guests were elderly so this could be problematic for them. The front desk staff wasn t particularly helpful nor friendly. Not curt or rude but very indifferent. There was red wine on the front reception counter but it wasn t offered.

ROOM:
The hotel rooms have been renovated to a very high standard. I was extremely impressed with how beautiful, modern and spacious the room and bathroom was. I didn t get a photo but wish I would ve. There was a rain shower head as well as a handheld. A very wide sink and plenty of counter space. A towel warmer, robes and slippers.

They provided a small bottle of still water, sparkling water, and there was milk in the mini fridge. A large wall mounted TV, a quiet night s sleep and a full length mirror with a spacious closet and safe. They even had cost hangers and areas to place luggage. Every detail was thought of.

GROUNDS:
Very nice but nothing spectacular in the way of gardens. I was impressed with the height of the 200 year-old trees. Very beautiful and healthy. Guests can walk around the grounds which have woods.

RESTAURANT:
I m going to separate my dinner experience from my breakfast as they were very different.

Dinner:
The staff was very attentive, helpful and professional. I have a plethora of dietary restrictions and as such, gave the hotel my list at least 24 hours in advance. Unfortunately the staff didn t give it to the chef until 7 pm the evening of dinner. We had dinner at 8:30 pm. The chef not only went out of his way to accommodate me but he did so last minute which is even more impressive. My list of ingredients I couldn t have included gluten, dairy, mammals and many high FODMAP foods. But the chef wasn t deterred, he made sure I was taken care of. The dessert in particular was not just amazing for someone with dietary restrictions but for anyone. My goodness it was the most decadent, flavorful and fantastic desserts I ve had. The chef even put cherry sorbet on top which was very tart and tasty. The chef impressed me so much that I asked to meet him so I could say, Thank you! He was humble, gracious and very talented. He deserves 10 stars!

BREAKFAST:
Unfortunately breakfast was a let down so I can only assume someone else was cooking. We also had a hard time getting someone to take our order. We sat and waited and waited. Finally my husband had to get up and find someone to take our order.

The smoked salmon was so salty that I couldn t eat it. I love all forms of salmon, especially smoked, but this was way too sodium filled to consume.
The poached eggs were cooked appropriately meaning the yolks weren t too hard but the whites were wilted so I couldn t eat some of it.
The hash brown was the frozen type which was fine but lukewarm. Fruit had limited options. They had slices of melon at the buffet counter (where there were pastries) but they were so difficult to grasp with wooden utensils. The melon was good.

The hotel has two bars and several function rooms. I imagine it s good for work parties.