There is not enough staff for the size of the hotel. As a result, everything goes wrong from check-in to itinerary to restaurant booking...The place is charming though and the spa is good.
The overall experience was a nice break from daily routine and it was good to see that the spa had been taken over and refurbished by Champney since my last visit many years ago, when it was looking very tired. The pool area hadn't been expanded, although the gym looked better.
The downside was that the changing rooms are fairly cramped still and there is no feeling of 'luxury'. The poolside loungers are a good size and comfortable and that was great - however, it took a while to find free ones since people leave their towels on there to 'reserve' them - beach style.
Service in the restaurant was very slow and on arrival, it was a bit of a while before clean cups and coffee were replenished. Lunch was equally slow, and the kitchen had run out of a couple of things on the menu which was quite limited for vegetarians. The lunch is three-course, but the portions are very small. At lunch the waitress announced that they had run out of coffee beans and so had to go over to the manor house to get some more!
The treatments were very nice and the staff were good. A spa day, with use of robes, towels, pool and gym, is not prohibitively over-priced, but the add-on treatments are fairly expensive.
A fantastic day at Eastwell Manor. Facilities were excellent and the lunch was delicious. Only disappointment was an assigned 2pm lunch booking which felt a little late. Overall, a lovely spa day.