My husband and I have been to Pennyhill before and always had an amazing time, as another reviewer mentioned, like you're tucked away from the world. I like the higgeldy piggeldy buildings.
Our expectations were very high. We had a lovely room, newly decorated, overlooking the Spa and this proved to be the problem as we were woken up around 7.15/7.30am on the Saturday morning by two men talking very very loudly in the outside spa pool. We rang down to the Spa and they did send someone out to ask them to be quiet but it was a pretty crappy start to the day. The Spa was quiet when we first went down after breakfast but my experience was completely ruined by the pairs of women in the Women only bit who came in to the saunas and steam rooms and just chatted loudly. I think a very large 'don't talk if there are other people in the sauna' sign would be helpful. I'm there to relax, not listen to inane chit chat nor ask people to please be quiet. There are loads of places you can chat if you're with friends.
I also found service in the Themis cafe to be very slow, and by the middle of the day, the area outside the indoor/outdoor pool bit was chaos, robes and slippers and towels everywhere.
There are basically too many people in the Spa for it to be enjoyable, it is not the quiet relaxing experience that I've had before. I know Saturdays will be busy but it was completely packed, very few free lockers, no robes etc, and actually really unpleasant.
I've written to the management and apart from the initial 'Thank you, we'll pass the email on' reply, I've heard nothing at all from PH, despite re-sending the email twice more.
On the plus side, the staff were really lovely in the Spa and hotel, but based on this last visit, Pennyhill is not worth the money and this last trip did not live up to our expectations, nor the standards of previous visits.
Oh, and there was a pill lying on the floor of the bathroom, didn't belong to me or my husband, which was a bit grim!

Had an overnight stay at Pennyhill 28 January. Hotel is a hotch potch of buildings that have been added to over the years and does not have any central core to focus on. The reception area is more like a corridor and no real good lounge to relax. Finding your way to your room was difficult - up and down so many different sets of stairs with poor signage so it was easy to get lost. For some strange reason considering it was the end of January they seemed to love fresh air. The doors to reception and every fire exit we came across had the doors wide open so the corridors were chilly to say the least and you certainly didn't get a warm welcome on arrival even though they did have a fire lit one end. Our room the Royal Ascot Suite was fine but vast, and the stone steps up leading from the rest of the rooms meant we had to keep a light on at night to reach the bathroom. Fine dining in the Latymer restaurant was just that - beautifully presented with style, but not much of it.
The Spa takes up as much space as the hotel and was wonderful. Treatments were good and on time and you can spend the day in an amazing array of pools, and thermal tubs - inside and out. Meal in the spa was good value.
If you are looking for a relaxing country house hotel retreat then this is not for you. However, if you are a keen golfer, or seeking a great spa day then this is it.

We've just had a great weekend at Penny Hill, the staff are great and we enjoyed a great meal in the bar. The room was great and we enjoyed our breakfast in bed, the fire alarm going off at 5am wasn't great, but we were informed in the morning that the person who had caused the issue had been taken out of the back and shot, the very least you could expect. The Spa was great, and a good mix of different rooms, you had to work hard to stay away from the cackle of middle aged women, who insisted on talking about their little darlings at the top of their voice - but a quick exit on their arrival was all it needed. Great place.

I have been a regular guest at Pennyhill for a number of years now. I mainly go for Spa relax sessions, but also for "kid getaways" with the wife. I celebrated my 40th there last year with a number of friends.

Pennyhill never disappoints - the staff are courteous, professional and attentive. The rooms have great variety (rather than standard same old same old) the food is sublime (especially in The Latymer) and the Spa is out of this world.

I have read with interest some of the negative points here about some guest's experiences - yes, sometimes, some things do go wrong, but surely that is life? I have had the odd issue here or there, but a quiet word with a member of staff - rather than a COMPLAINT (and I can imagine how rude and abnoxious some people can be when "complaining") has always seen the issue resolved swifty and without fuss. Yes, a stay in a top rated, exclusive hotel SHOULD be 100% perfect every step of the way - but sometimes life just doesn't work like that and treating people in the manner you expect to be treated will always get the result you're looking for.

I will continue to be a loyal customer of this great hotel and would have no hesitation in highly recommending it to any friend or busness accquaintance.