Really liked this place. The bedrooms, public lounge and food was really very good. Highly recommend. Not very close to Hitchin though, so better suited to those driving.

The hotel is a lovely building, set in beautiful grounds in the English countryside, not far from the chilterns and accessible from lots of major roads.

The ground floor of the hotel is made up of a number of lounges, a small bar and a restaurant with a conservatory style terrace room. All pretty well decorated, but perhaps a little tired.

Rooms are reasonably large and traditionally styled, we had a rather creaky four-poster bed, and a room with single glazed windows which - until the heating was whacked on - was a bit chilly.

Staff were helpful, but sometimes a bit conspicuous by their absence, especially in the evenings when it seemed that there was only a single person covering the front-of-house. This made for some issues when dealing with problems, e.g. a leaky shower screen and a cold tap that produced hot water (no fun for brushing teeth!).

The food in the restaurant itself was impressive, a good selection of dishes, excellent desserts and a good choice of wine. Breakfasts were also well made, and the chef seemed flexible enough to produce good quality custom orders when asked. However, the restaurant was let down somewhat by an insistence on playing a single Tom Jones CD on repeat - investing in a wider selection of music more suited to fine dining would be an easy way to improve!

Sadly, the hotel didn't seem very busy when we were there, possibly that's just because we went midweek, but possibly it's just that the hotel isn't really selling itself right, or is allowing the little mistakes and inconsistancies (such as those mentioned here) to put off repeat visitors and word-of-mouth recommendations. Personally, I think I might go here again, but the price would have to be right...

I visited Tripadvisor a year or so ago when I was considering booking Offley Place for my wedding. I know it's not really Tripadvisor's main function but none the less I was surprised there weren't more reviews from people who'd attended or arranged weddings here, as it's a popular venue for such events. So here is mine...

I got married at Offley yesterday and I can say that the wedding planner Louise and all the staff at the hotel couldn't have done more to make the planning of the day easier for us. They were professional and helpful from day one.

The venue itself is beautiful, the rooms are well appointed and good sizes, the food was very good and the day itself went like clockwork. Staff efficient and attentive but not intrusive.

So overall for those of you considering this as a wedding venue, I can say my personal experience was very positive and so no hesitation in recommending.

Stayed one night on business trip, but the hotel is clearly aimed at the recreational country house market.
Reception efficient, had a room on top floor, so you have to be able to climb several flights of stairs. Very pleasant spacious room, with well equipped on suite. Room very clean and comfortable and not too hot, which I tend to find a problem in many hotels.
Didn't eat apart from breakfast which was very good.
Very pleasant grounds which I didn't get chance to explore.
This is certainly worth considering for someone looking for country house type of hotel.