Southampton, SO32 2UA
Date & reason for travel: July 2013 for one
night, extending our cruise holiday by doing a park and sail.
How we booked: we booked the “park
and sail” package directly through Macdonald Hotels, this included bed, breakfast,
parking and a paid taxi to and from the port.
Accommodation
We had booked the cruise as part
of our honeymoon and on mentioning this at the time of booking we were very kindly
upgraded at Botley Park! We had a large,
modern room overlooking the golf course and sports bar. We had an ultra-comfy and huge bed, and the
bathroom had a walk in shower as well as a bath tub. There was a seating area and loads of storage
space, which would have been perfect for a longer stay too. Our room was accessed via stairs so any one
with mobility issues would need to mention at the time of booking for a
suitable room. The picture at the bottom
of this post was not taken by us but it an accurate depiction of our room type.
Service
We were completely impressed with
the service at Botley Park! One of the
most polite, warm and efficient check-ins I have ever experienced and on
checking out the girl on reception helped carry our bags outside, which I felt
really went above and beyond.
Food & drink
This was the area we felt needed
a little more attention. After arriving
late we got a (very expensive!) drink from the bar and opted for room service. We struggled to get through initially to
place the order, then after waiting longer than expected dinner wasn’t as hot
as it could be. However, on mentioning
this to reception on check out, they investigated and resolved the situation to
our satisfaction and it would not affect us staying in the hotel in the
future. Breakfast was fantastic, a huge choice
of continental treats was supplemented by a cooked English to order.
Public areas
We didn’t fully get the chance to
explore but found at least two bars, one more sophisticated and lounge like,
the other bright and airy, with outside seating, and part of the golf/leisure
centre. The dining room was very
comfortable and there was seating in reception.
The indoor pool looked very inviting and we wished we’d had time to take
advantage of it!
Location
The hotel was easy to find with
lots of parking. It’s lucky to have beautiful
views, and is surrounded by golf course and countryside. The huge benefit to us was the distance from
Southampton, it took about 10 minutes in a taxi from door to port.
What next?
I do think the hotel needs to
look at its drink prices. Reviews on
tripadvisor are extremely positive for this hotel, with the only main grumble
being the bar bill potential whilst a guest at this hotel!
Overall
Modern but classically decorated hotel
within easy reach of Southampton and the cruise ships. Next time we cruise we will definitely book
back in as it really extended our holiday and took the stress of the journey
away.
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