Abbots Oak Manor Hotel & Restaurant

Feb 18th, 2022

Feb 14th, 2022

Stayed at Abbots Oak a few weeks ago - we were looking for somewhere nice in the countryside to escape the city. For 145 a night we figured we were in for a treat. However Abbots Oak wasnt quite the escape we imagined - its adjacent to a busy road, so there was relentless traffic noise in our room. There also seemed to be a residence nearby with multiple dogs barking at feeding time - not as peaceful as we had hoped! Few odd things happened on arrival - first thing he said to us was I hope you don't have allergies because there was a small (and very cute) cat wandering about. What if we did have allergies? Also had to ask for our own room key which didnt feel super secure. Couple of odd things happened before we arrived too - the guy took our card details over the phone and said we would pay on arrival but the card was billed 2 days before our stay - would definitely recommend not giving payment details earlier if possible. Owners later confirmed that is their policy and wasnt an accident, so I dont know why he told us payment would be on arrival? Didnt fill us with confidence. The guy was watching TV in a lounge - we asked if there was a lounge for guests and he said that we could join him. Kinda weird - all in all we werent entirely sure where we were meant to relax. Wouldve appreciated more distinct guest and staff areas. Its a big old building with not much soundproofing, loud creaky front door and the sounds of conversations / dinner travelling up from downstairs. Not many people work there, on occasion couldnt find anyone to help. No fridge/tv/wardrobe in the room - not entirely sure how 145 a night is justified. Smoke alarm in the room flashed every 60 seconds, disturbing sleep. Building still being renovated - some areas quite filthy with dirty carpets. We went up the tower and there was still wedding confetti strewn about the place. Fairly average looking garden - once youve done a lap of it youve seen everything. Stopped for lunch in nearby Coalville - not the most glamorous of locations. Positives -- Pub literally over the road (was very busy when we popped in on monday night though). Food in the Abbots Oak restaurant was very good but again expensive - menu was smaller than on the website though which was disappointing. We really struggled to imagine what we would do with a multiple night stay so we asked to adjust our booking down to one night, which she reluctantly agreed to. The owners are clearly very attached to the place and between the two of them seemed to perform every task in the hotel including running the restaurant, which made the complaint process a lot more awkward. Similar feeling to a weekend away at a family members house after youve accidentally smashed the urn with their dads ashes in. We paid for 3 nights up front, and getting a refund took 3-4 weeks of emails, being told that they didnt have our money and that they didnt charge us. Did get our cash eventually though but wasnt an enjoyable process. Instead we found a big manor house hotel off the peak district in a cosy village with nice pubs and hilly walks and had a blast there instead.
Jan 30th, 2022

Jan 27th, 2022

Stayed at Abbots Oak a few weeks ago - we were looking for somewhere nice in the countryside to escape the city. For the price, we figured we were in for a treat. Abbots Oak wasnt quite the escape we imagined - its adjacent to a busy road, so there was relentless traffic noise in our room. There also seemed to be a residence nearby with multiple dogs barking at feeding time and very early in the morning. The room had a fire alarm that flashed incessantly and was missing some of the comforts you would expect from a hotel in this price range no fridge, nowhere to hang your clothes, no TV. The first thing said to us on arrival, through an ajar front door: I hope you don't have allergies because there was a small cat wandering about. What if we did have allergies? This should be advised on the website and on booking.com. Also had to request our own room key which didnt feel secure. There wasnt anywhere cosy to spend time outside of the bedroom (which only had one chair, we had to request a second). There was a lounge, which we were told we could use but the hotel owners seemed to spend their time there and although they suggested we could also use the area it would have felt like we were invading their living room. The building is still being renovated in places and while it does have potential its not the boutique retreat the website advertises. Full payment was taken before we arrived without consent, despite the booking agreement stating that it would be taken on arrival. We had booked for three nights but left after one, as we were deeply underwhelmed by the hotel. The owners didnt refund us for over three weeks, and we had to really fight our case to get that money back. Not very classy on the part of the owners. Not sure how the price point is justified, they have wildly overestimated the value of the experience at Abbotts Oak. For balance, the positives were: Nice bustling pub across the road and the food was quite nice, if very expensive. Tiny cat was cute so long as you dont have allergies.
Dec 13th, 2021