We managed to escape our hectic business schedule for a stay at Headlam Hall,this was a extremely good choice, staff friendly, hotel warm and cosy,superb meal in the evening( no cheaper options because we had booked a reduced rate).We will return to this hotel for other breaks in the future and would highly recommend this hotel.

We had booked this hotel for my husbands 40th birthday weekend partly based on the website and partly on the trip advisor reviews.

On arrival check in was fine, you pay for the first night when you check-in which seemed odd usually the hotel just swipes your credit card, we were then helped to the room by a friendly porter, he told us about the hotel amenities, however when we asked about the golf course he said he didn't know anything about that, this seemed strange given it's a spa & golf hotel.

We were booked into a premiere suite in the main building, the floor area of this room is huge with a separate sitting area and lovely views from the many windows.
The downsize of the room is that it was cold, there was an electric fire in the sitting room and a fan heater in the bedroom along with the central heating but we couldn't get the room properly warm.

The sitting room was not as plush or as nice as we were expecting given we were paying £265 a night, there also needs to be some attention to detail - the sky channels had a scrambled signal and we couldn't watch them, the DVD remote didn't work, there was an instruction manual for a completely different kettle than the one in the room, one of the shutters in the bedroom wouldnt close, there was black dirt behind the shutters and there was mould in the inside of the shower. Not major but irrating.

We went down to the lounge before dinner, where another couple were offered drinks and menus before us even though we'd arrived before them.

We got taken through to the dining room/conservatory, there were 2 other couples and a noisy rather drunk party of 6, even though there were plenty of tables we got put right beside the noisy table, rather annoying when we were looking forward to a quiet romantic meal.

Starters arrived a nasty Caesar salad with dry overlooked chicken, dressing from a bottle and croutons from a packet, not sure where the advertised anchovies were, I know it was 'Only a Caesar Salad' as the manager put it but at £7 I expect better. The mackerel starter was fine.

At this point one of the other couples asked for the heating to be turned up as it was very cold, a little fan heater was brought out which made little difference. A few minutes later I was shivering so badly we asked to be moved and were done so quickly to the much more pleasant panelled room.

Main courses felt like they'd been cooked by a completely different chef, the ling was delicious and the pheasant tasty.

For dessert we ordered an apple crumble, one bite was all it took to discover the topping was raw, I spent the next 10 mins trying to get someone's attention while 5 different waiting staff plus the manager kept walking past and ignoring us.

We asked for the bill, by which time I was feeling upset, the waitress lifted my barely untouched dessert and walked away, I had to stop her and explain that it was raw and we were disappointed with the meal and could she let the manager know, she walked away without a word of apology.

We decided not to risk staying another 2 nights at the hotel and completely ruin my husbands birthday. Upon informing reception we would be leaving the next day the receptionist could not have been more pleasant or helpful, she asked did we want to speak to the manager, when we said yes it turned out the manager was the person who had been sitting beside the receptionist glued to the computer, there followed a lot of shrugging, it seemed like he was aware of some of the issues like the Sky not working and didn't care about the rest.

Given the previous reviews on trip advisor maybe we were just unlucky, but I can honestly say I've never paid so much for a hotel room and dinner to leave feeling ignored and upset.

We held our wedding reception here in the Autumn and could not fault anything ... the staff who we dealt with including Angela, Jill and Andrew could not do enough to help us - also all of our guests commented on what an amazing venue this was, and a number of them are looking forward to a return visit.
On a separate note, when we later took advantage of a deal promoted to us as members of the spa it was a little disappointing to note that on making the booking these was no reference to the fact we had been married there a month earlier... my husbands name was not even on the computer system and only my maiden name was registered... very strange that the customer management database did not record we had been married there, and therefore the receptionist wasnt aware of our significant involvement (and spend) with the hotel only one month ago. However, this was compensated for by the attentive service from both Andrew and Jill during our stay.
The food in the restaurant is amazing and the breakfast could not be faulted and likewise the staff working there are very good.
On a personal note although the rooms in the main building do retain original charm, this brings with it some features which everyone may not like eg the bathroom had very large, tall windows with curtains and no ventilation ... and also there was a lack of hot water on both the evening and the following morning... whilst the rooms in the spa block are very modern and lack the charm but are extremely comfortable and are stylish - it all depends on your personal taste.
We look forward to our next stay there soon.

Made a reservation by telephone after looking at the website.
The service received over the 'phone was great, the staff were knowledgeable and looked at various ways to ensure that we got the best deal.
As we are visiting later this year an update will follow..............