Stoke by Nayland Hotel, Golf and Spa Review

I booked a spa break for my partner's 40th, we were due to stay on the 23rd of march 2020. My father died unexpectedly and suddenly of covid on the 13th of march 2020 and so obviously I cancelled my stay.
Due to coronavirus and the first lockdown, Stoke by nayland shut on the 23rd of march.
I then lost my grandmother on the 30th of March, at home. As you can imagine it was a very difficult time for us, I called Stoke by Nayland to request a refund as I didn't imagine going to a spa would be on my list of priorities this year. Also being a frontline NHS worker I have made sacrifices by not seeing my family and friends due to the potential risk I pose to them, I wouldn't consider spending time at a spa due to the same reasons.
Stoke by Nayland's response was "we don't do refunds".
I found this a little difficult to understand, I felt my circumstances were extenuating, but Stoke by Nayland did not agree.

I have given up on getting my money back from them but I feel it's a smack in the face to see they now have a "covid promise" where they will refund money if the spa/hotel is closed due to covid. I was obviously not worthy of this back in March.
I think it is important to know how Stoke by Nayland treated me before you consider booking or paying for a stay with them.

Brilliant hospitality, would recommend it for a romantic weekend away, good food, golf break or a function. But don't take my word for it, go there yourself, you will find out I am not wrong.

Thanks to Sophie in the Pro shop very friendly and helpful

Excellent venue, bar staff were great and we had a good laugh with them each night. Room was clean and spacious and the overall facilities are great.

Two fantastic 18 hole courses- the Constable and Gainsborough. Challenging holes, nice greens and a fabulous setting.

We stayed here for two nights between Christmas and New Year 2017. We had to buy two rooms as we are a family of 5. We played golf, used the Spa facilities and dined in the Restaurant both nights we were there. I really do not know where to start - From the moment we walked in we were greeted at Reception and made to feel extremely welcome and nothing was too much trouble. (we were hoping that we had adjoining rooms or at least rooms on the same floor, but unfortunately there was a slight oversight with this. This was not a major problem for us, however my wife received an upgraded room to a suite which was amazing !!) The food in the restaurant was exceptional both nights we ate there. "Hugo" and "Gio" were just fantastic with us and our children and made the visit very special for us. We enjoyed the whole experience so much we have already booked to visit again in April.
Well done SbN ! We can't wait to see you again !

Great golf course, spa, hotel staff and lovely family run owners

Wow, me and my fiance came here to listen to some jazz/music. Upon driving up to the hotel it looked amazing, ample car park, we didn't stay at the hotel so cannot comment on that area but we walked through and we said we definitely need to come stay here sometime. Lots of comfy relaxing areas to sit n chill. And on a plus side if you happen to like jazz the have music every Friday.

Always a pleasurable experience at the Peake Spa....

My husband and I stayed here for three nights. On the third night the fire alarm went off. Thankfully, there was no fire and thank goodness for that - the staff seemed to have no idea what they were doing, a fire door from the upstairs bedrooms was blocked off by chairs, there were no staff in the car park checking that people were out of the hotel and when after the first all clear was given and the alarm went off on a second occasion the hotel was not completely evacuated . To compound matters we received absolutely no apology from the day staff on departure . Leaving that aside our room was tired to say the least and the dining room menu overpriced . The food certainly did not live up to the description in the menu - overall it was bland. The staff were pleasant and obliging and the views stunning from dining room .

My wife and I were married in the Garden and Gainsborough rooms at this wonderful Hotel on Thursday 12th June 2014. We had approx 40 main guests and 30 extra friends in the evening. Family and friends stayed overnight and booked all of the allocated 15 rooms. It was a perfect day and I would highly recommend this venue. Everyone told us they were very impressed by the location, service, food quality and standard of rooms and facilities. The wedding flowed seamlessly throughout the day and glorious weather was a bonus. Special thanks to Debbie Hynard who completed the arrangement of the wedding and to Becky the Duty Manager who was with us to ensure all our needs and concerns were met during the day. We investigated many local venues but this Hotel 'had everything' in one place at a very reasonable price. If you are not looking for a church wedding then in our opinion you would struggle to find anything better...perfect!

Lovely setting, good spa & gym, restaurant - very good food and great views over the golf course, with friendly staff. Good for coffee, snacks and a LA carte.

Very good hotel with the latest equipment and 3 restaurants. The staff is also very net

Went here for an Christmas works party , rooms are very clean and comfortable staff was helpful and friendly. I personally never got a chance to use the swimming pool or any other of the facilities on offer but was told they was great

Perfect relaxation. Very friendly and helpful staff.

Lovely venue and staff. Great mud treatment and back massage. Lovely lunch. Would definitely go again

Nice place to spend some days to recharge your battery. The view is awesome. They have spa to relax each muscle of your body. Nice for parties as well. 2 nice venues both with nice bar. Car park, wheelchair accessible.

It would have been perfect but no hot water for shower! Staff didn't seem to care or offer any alternative

Problem with communication between hotel and our party organiser. Which resulted in some of our party staying elsewhere, which then spoilt the whole dinner evening at the hotel

Very quiet,service was slow and disjointed. Christmas lunch was reasonable.

Very polite and helpful staff. Covid continuous but didn't make you feel uncomfortable and accommodating for such a large group of us. Lovely couple of courses (probably even better in the summer) will come again!

Very disappointed, had to play on temporary green's and some temporary tee's when the weather was fine, god knows what would happen if we had a bit of rain

Nice location but not a great experience to be honest. The staff seemed to not be able to cope with the number of guests (slow restaurant service), and their policy of reserving most of the spa loungers for day spa guests means that hotel residents are more likely to miss out. We also experienced a water supply failure during the evening when trying to get ready for dinner. Perhaps not the hotel's fault but it wasn't handled very well, the poor front of house staff having to deal with irate guests. Where was the hotel management?

Short: All in all - overpriced and they've focussed too much on the surrounding land and facilities to justify room and food prices with no investment in to the experience itself at the hotel. Poor food and below average rooms. The management need to start worrying as it won't last. 2/5 as staff in restaurant were good and the area is nice.



What really let this place down was:

1. Rooms and equipment: Our bathroom had more mold on the ceiling than your average mold collection. When I asked for an iron and ironing board, they both appeared at my door looking like they were straight out of the 50's with material hanging off the board. The bed is MASSIVE but the mattress felt like it had a punch up with my back over night. They were nice enough to provide soap and the usuals but the shower gel unit looked to have seen better times.

2. Top spot goes to the food, in terms of taking the mick. The staff are amazing but the chef really has let the side down. Pizzas are served on ready made supermarket bases, the meat dishes were cooked by what appears to be a flamethrower at max temp for 2+ hours. I've had better food at a train station cafe for a fraction of the price and to read the reviews below about their food is just beyond me. It really is sub par and I wish I spent more time getting a refund than writing this review .

We have swimming lessons here and they are really good, great value too. The pool and changing rooms are really nice, and always clean.

Had a lovely stay here, staff are friendly & helpful, food is lovely, bed & breakfast excellent, was abit disappointed with my treatment tho, that's why the 4 stars.

This was a surprise for my daughters birthday.Room was lovely,except shower head wouldn't stay up ,my daughter reported to reception at about 5.30pm,no one came,we left for dinner at 6.45pm.Reported to reception again.Reception said could not fix could move you but upheaval for just one night,you could use showers down stairs.I thought this was an inconvenience and my daughter was not happy.Otherwise excellent food and service,spa day was fab.Would return

Very friendly and attentive staff, all you can eat breakfast buffet is amazing, best I've ever had. Bar is nice and cozy with a lovely central fire place.

Great pilates session...sets you up for the weekend. Nice surroundings, lovely teacher, and fresh lemon or orange water on tap.

Had afternoon tea for my sister's hen do there. Not only was the food amazing the staff were briliant and very attentive as well. Can't wait to go again!

Amazing place, great hospitality. Definitely going there again.

Visited today for Sunday lunch as we explained to restaurant manager food was good (except for the tomato soup which you could stand your spoon up in) but service was very bad so many staff but organized chaos!! No one came up during meal to ask if all was Ok! Customers had to queue at the fridge to get dessert! Cold meat! Lucky we don't mind cold meat but many people like it hot could be very nice if you got more organized

Lovely venue for my bros wedding. Got to go the gold carts too

Very courteous staff. Calm and peaceful place. Bedroom spacious. Lovely settings. Breakfast was good but think there should be more choices for dinner. There are fitness activities swimming , sauna, Jacuzzi and gym

Lovely Carvery for Easter. Great desserts and service.

Great time all they need is a mirror in the lodge rooms

Great place for a lunchtime meeting. Attentive staff which compliments the pleasant surroundings..

Really enjoyed the roast but the potatoes were pretty bad. We were the first table in and they'll tasted somewhere between held in a hot cupboard for hours and not quite cooked. The meat, gravy, vegetables, desserts and service were all great.
We had a great time but spuds could definitely be improved

What a wedding venue.had a beautiful day in picturesque surroundings with warm and friendly staff. Food was stunning and plentyfull good selection of beers and bottled beers and ciders well done

Great for fitness etc. Not the best as far as food goes

Friendly helpful staff went out of their way to help me

So far so good. Had a fabulous day in the spa being pampered and now enjoying pre dinner drinks.

Fantastic customer service, we had a couple of small problems which the reception staff were extremely prompt and effective in resolving going above and beyond our expectations to rectify the issue.

The hotel is well presented, functional and relaxing, the restaurant food was delicious and again the staff in the bar and restaurant were attentive and friendly.

The room was spacious, comfortable and well presented, the bathroom was showing visible signs of wear with a lot of limescale on the shower head and taps etc. Also the shower / bathub had poor drainage with the water filling the bathtub whilst showering. Other than that the only other negative for us is that there is only a limited room service menu after 22:00.

The spa facilities were great and catered for all requirements.

Stoke by Nayland Hotel and Spa.

After this they changed the terms and conditions of our contract regarding deposits and payments made. The original contract stated that cancellation longer than 9 months before the wedding would result in forfeiture of the deposit, the revised contract (introduced during COVID) stated we would lose our deposit and any further payments made. We had paid everything up front and in good faith. Due to COVID the whole thing became distressing and had a major impact on both of us mentally, to the point where we decided to cancel the wedding completely. Stoke by Nayland Hotel have refused outright to pay back all monies paid, including the deposit and refunds for guest rooms. Incidentally, some of these guests are coming from the USA and Ireland and would have no other cause to visit SbN other than to attend our wedding. On several occasions, we have asked Stoke by Nayland Hotel and Spa for a breakdown of all costs incurred by them in relation to our wedding but to date, we have not received this.
We contacted the CMA and their guidance states that in the event of cancellation or postponement during coronavirus, the venue must offer a full refund including deposit. We have never received this from them.
Stoke by Nayland Hotel and Spa are profiteering during COVID and are unfairly retaining monies paid. There are 18 months to the date of our wedding, and it is disingenuous of Stoke by Nayland Hotel and Spa to state they have no idea if they will be able to resell our date, which is a Saturday in September or the rooms which our guests have booked and paid for.
We believe it is important to make people aware of the type of venue they will be entering into contract with should they choose to have their wedding at Stoke by Nayland Hotel and Spa.
We have now engaged the services of a solicitor and will be taking this matter to court.

Nice large room, relaxing spa break. Good facilities and a very well kitted out gym. We had the most superb meal at the restaurant. The chips that come with the steak are out this world and the bacon doughnut needs to be tried to be believed. The staff and service at the hotel are excellent and Mike from the restaurant made us feel very welcome and valued as guests. Thanks for a superb break. Looking forward to a return in the future.

A great venue to film at. Friendly, helpful staff and nice surtoundings.

Very nice location for special occasion or just to relax!

Nice Spa and nice staff. Had a shoulder, neck and back massage which was pretty good. The facilities were nice, although the freezing water shower wasn t working.

Held our wedding reception hear in April. Hotel and staff were great from booking through to the day its self, Venue is perfect for weddings and food was amazing. Lodge accommodation is of a very high standard.

We stayed in the lodges and they were perfect. Extra Large comfy rooms and the balcony was amazing.

What we all expect from a hotel, and with an extraordinary golf course.

Stayed here part of a groupon deal with my partner, hotel itself was clean, room was a bit dated but bed was comfortable, pool area was clean and staff were very polite and catered to any needs, breakfast was the usual, scrambled egg was a bit sloppy, but overall experience was great

A good conference venue with helpful staff and good sized bedrooms. Nice countryside.

Really good all round club with great facilities, two 18 hole golf courses decent food, plenty of comfy sofas and friendly service

Business Event - Good sized bar and room for the 100 people attending

What a little gem. Great golf course, which will be even better once all the rain has subsided as it was heavy going. The hotel itself is a little tired in places, but the bar area, restaurant, golf shop and most of the hotel staff are first rate. Nothing too much trouble. I say most as one person at the hotel reception was very unhelpful, denying any knowledge of a safe place to store our golf clubs overnight. Perhaps some training on good customer service required? Despite that, will definitely look to come back.

Fantastic day relaxing with my daughter and best friend with her daughter. Perfect!!!

Excellent facilities and the staff were brilliant, friendly and welcoming.

Wonderful staff, great treatments offered. Enjoyment all round from my husband & I.

just like to say what fantastic weekend me an my friends have had. hotel great, food fantastic. hotel staff really good, golf courses fantastic a lot of really tricky holes a bit of water to contend with overall its a 10/10 for me i would recommend this hotel and golf courses to anyone

Great food, great staff and very clean. Great surrounding.

Went for afternoon tea and a few cheeky drinks in the bar after. Was absolutely lovely and I can't wait to go back.

Amazing lodges, great service with a dedicated porter day and night. Lovely spa facilities and fantastic countryside location.

Two good golf courses and a very comfortable hotel serving quality food

Great golf and food, drinks could have been a bit faster in the bars but that may be a Covid thing.

Attended afternoon tea. Fantastic venue with ok service

The spa was absolutely amazing,
catered for everyone including vegan options. All the spa treatments are vegan/cruelty free aswell.
Well organised and amazing staff. The sunflower package had treatments that were done professionally and were amazing!
We had a large party and yet everything was sorted.
Can't fault the spa.

However the hotel although the staff were very helpful and lovely was a bit unorganised and our meal did not sort the vegan/vegetarian options well and our party had to be moved due to loud noise.

Wow, we're staying in one of the lodges absolutely lovely

We had a lovely time at the hotel. Friendly staff, beautiful room and stunning views. Very clean and well maintained all round. Breakfast was fab no complaints at all.

Great place to visit eat and sleep service was great place is warm and clean very pleased with my stay.