This is more a review of the restaurant at Hollins Hall, as we dined there but have never stayed. I believe the restaurant is called 'Heathcliffe'.

We've just dined there as a couple, hsving taken advantage of the Living Social deal, 2 meals plus champagne for £50. We were greeted warmly on arrival and shown to our table by a friendly and helpful member of staff. We were presented with the menu and ordered drinks from the bar while we made our selections. After 10 minutes we both commented that we were surprised how long the drinks were taken considering there were only 2 other couples in the restaurant and no one in the bar.

At this point our friendly staff member appeared and asked if we would like some water while we waited. We agreed. She left and returned within nano seconds with a plastic bottle of water which she quickly opened and filled my partners glass. Amazingly our bar drinks appeared a few seconds after she had completed the well trained move. How little we expected what this would mean.

The firsr courses of mussels for me, mackerel for my beloved were delicious. The champagne sorbet to follow was also nice. The main courses of mixed grill for me and lemon sole for my georgeous partner were nice, with the only disapointment being that when she ordered the lemon sole, thats exactly what she got. A fish!!! No vegetables, no side dish, no little extra, no salad, just a lemon sole (with the sauce) on a plate. Mine was nice although it would have been better with steak, hers was a little bland. The desserts were nice, my lovely Valentine had the chocolate fudge cake, I had the ice cream and sorbet.

The staff were attentive throughout, and the meal is worth the voucher value of £50 (I would not want to pay the normal price of £100). The biggest disapointment is that when we got the bill, they charged us £5 for the water. FIVE POUNDS for a plastic bottle of water, that we only had because we innocently thought the staff were offering a drink of water while the bar staff managed to deliver the drinks we had ordered the previous century. The plastic bottle of water cost more than the Stella we were drinking.

I'm sure that most people would enjoy the meal, and although the room was lacking in atmosphere it wasn't bad. There were only 3 other couples so this may have contributed to the hushed atmosphere. Value for money is subjective, so each person has to try it and see if it is worth the money. I personally think it was, but I would never go back as the water trick honestly makes me think my pocket was picked. To me it seemed to be a cynical and deliberate attempt to recoup some of the moeny lost in the promotion, and it was upsetting to see my partner's face when she realised what had happened (it was her special treat for me).

Nice meal, resonable surroundings, quiet atmosphere, very friendly staff, and worth the £50, but oh so disapointing that they found it necessary to claw back the £5 this way. Sad more than annoying and we're left feeling as flat as the £5 plastic bottle of water.