Hillbark Hotel & Spa

From the very first time we visited Hillbark, we were made to feel like part of the family. Amanda, the Manager, Charlotte the Wedding Planner and the rest of the staff are not only incredibly professional and knowledgeable, but also genuinely warm and attentive—always going the extra mile to make every moment feel special. We heard that planning a wedding can be stressful, but the team at Hillbark have made the entire journey feel seamless. Their support and guidance, whether that was making introductions to suppliers or organising the day, helped to take the pressure off. This allowed us to truly enjoy the lead-up to the big day. Their honesty, care, and expertise were evident at every step. We are so excited for our wedding next month. For us, Hillbark has become a place we gravitate to and feel special in.

We had our wedding and reception at Hillbark and the experience was perfect. The team at Hillbark were so supportive - nothing was too much for them, especially our planner Charlotte and colleague Sherrie. We were made to feel so welcome at every planning session and on the day any possible stress was taken away by the team. The food was sublime - every dish was perfect and they even made a bespoke starter for my wife who wasn’t able to eat her favourite starter owing to pregnancy. The space was a dream - such a beautiful location in a cosy building. In the cold weather there’s always a fire in the hearth. Unlike other venues, the spaces need minimal decoration and the tables look the part because they are. A fantastic experience with fantastic people… we’ve found where we’re going for every anniversary!

Absolutely Beautiful Place to stay. We went for my 50th Birthday and I have never experienced anything like it. Room Perfect, Food & Service incredible. Ever member of staff that we had the pleasure of meeting were so welcoming and nothing was to much trouble. Highly Recommend. We will definetly be going back.

We stayed overnight in a Junior Suite after attending a family wedding. I cannot fault the wedding. It was spectacular. My issue was not having any hot water at 8 am the next morning. A maintenance man came to our room and acknowledged this. We had been excited to use the in room spa facilities but were unable to and had to suffice with a cold wash before breakfast. The reception manager said that this happened when other guests were bathing / showering at the same time. I don’t feel that this is acceptable in a 5 star establishment but our comments and emails have not really been addressed. We were just brushed off with ‘we do not offer refunds.’ That wasn’t our issue at the time but because of the price that we paid and because of lack of response by hotel management, I feel that this is pertinent now.

Myself and my partner stayed here Friday 15th and Saturday 16th, as a belated Valentines. We have stayed in multiple 5* hotels and consider ourselves to be quite fussy but fair with reviews! Arrived at this extremely grand setting and were quickly greeted by a pleasant young girl who took us to our room, a suite. The room itself was very pretty, great views and a Jacuzzi bath. Have no idea what the standard rooms were like but the suite was okay. I'm going to summarise the problems rather than waffle on! 1. No minibar whatsoever, no complimentary snacks, nothing. 2. Every time we opened our door we were immediately greeted with a member of the reception team asking if they could help and what were we doing, found it quite invasive and a bit 'much' as felt like I couldn't even have a wander or take pics of the place 3. I ordered salmon and eggs for breakfast on the Saturday, the eggs were clearly cooked using the microwave method which was disgusting for a '5* £28 breakfast'. Also, the cold platter they served us had soft/stale pastries on it. (Hillbark, what were you thinking?!) 5. I woke up with a headache, my boyfriend went down to 'reception' to find someone, ended up roaming around the entire hotel for about 20 minutes looking for somebody 4. The 'spa' is not a spa. It is a treatment led space where you must book treatments, and that's it. So do not take a bikini etc. as there is no swimming pool, no sauna, no steam room etc. All in all I'd give this hotel a 4*. They need to tone down the over familiarity and concentrate on the facilities of this place. Do not go to this hotel if you are looking for a spa break style trip. We came away a bit deflated to be honest! The phrase 'style over substance' springs to mind.

Having been to this hotel in the past, I was looking forward to a premium event. Unfortunately the only real premium was courteous staff and decent food. The hotel is tired and undeserving of a 5 star rating. Indeed online rating lists this as four star, which begs the question, has the Hillbark themselves decided on past glory and historical ratings to continue advertising themselves as 5 star. To example this, was several broken doors and one door with 5ply wood cut to resemble the old world shape of the door and which was a clear attempt to satisfy either security or reference as a bad fire escape. Tiles are loose on the floor, the carpet was old and worn. The atmosphere within the building is definitely rustic. To justify high drinks costs (including a £19 charge for three cokes and a bottle of cider) because the hotel is 5 star tells me that the customer is a cash cow and not a guest. No hand pull beers meaning a monopoly charge for what was a decent choice of bottled beers but very average budget pub still table wine.