Kayleigh Evans

Review of The Vale Resort

The drive up to the hotel is beautiful as is the e...

The drive up to the hotel is beautiful as is the exterior. Free parking is a rare bonus you don't get in many other hotels nowadays. Check-in was straightforward and the staff on the desk were very helpful. Decided to book a massage so rang the spa from our room as there was a leaflet saying "special residents spa offers available". After no answer I walked to the spa where I was told there is no offers by a confused therapist and all treatments were full price?? We decided to have a cocktail outside as it was a glorious day however the only open bar doesn't serve cocktails and we would need to wait till after 6 for the piano bar to open. We sat outside on the terrace with fantastic views of the golf course and valleys. There was litter on the floor and the tables were filled with dirty plates/glasses which numerous staff just walked past after delivering fresh food??
We then had food in The Grill restaurant. The food was delicious and the restaurant itself is very nice with an open kitchen. Although staff were very attentive they again failed to take empty glasses away when delivering new drinks. We had to ask for replacement cutlery and one glass as dried bits of food and lipstick is not what you expect from a AA double rosette rated restaurant.
Our room was very spacious with a gorgeous bathroom. The bed was very comfortable. It was a shame that the cleaning trolley was left outside our room for the duration of our stay which was a bit of an eyesore and this was where the housekeeping staff gathered in the morning to discuss there weekend! Breakfast was very nice and staff again were very attentive.
The spa was absolutely delightful and would definitely recommend. The relaxing rooms were beautiful (especially the flotation room). The staff were extremely helpful. The pool/ sauna/steam/ jacuzzi were all very well maintained and the views were fantastic. Only niggle was that there was no bags or spin machine provided to put your wet swimming clothes which I have seen at many other spas.
Overall we enjoyed our stay and would return especially for the spa. Apart from a few issues with the bar/restaurant we had a pleasant stay.