Macdonald Hill Valley Hotel Golf & Spa

Very good quality cooked breakfast, good sized bedroom and large double bed. For dinner I had the beef cheek and ale pie and enjoyed it very much, it was very filling and fortunately I was able to share some with my husband, who had not liked his own choice of vegetable curry with added chicken.

For breakfast, there could have been yogurt, and only on the first day was there a cold continental (salami) option. Main criticism was lack of lift down to spa. One thing to walk down stairs but for those of us in our later years, or with a disability, the thought of climbing all those stairs to return to main floor was appalling. Fortunately rain had eased but wind was still strong and we walked out of the building and climbed the slightly more gentle garden slope back up to the ground floor. We could have driven down, but it shouldn't be necessary to start up a car to get to a downstairs spa.

We were eligible for a room upgrade which was honoured. The bedroom was a good size with a spare bed set up for our son. The beds were comfy and the staff were helpful. Breakfast was good. It was exceptionally busy and staff were running around helping and accommodating everyone. They were very pressured and short staffed apparently, but they did a great job (despite other customers feeling the need to complain and adding more stress for them).

We went to take our son to the pool immediately after check out (11am) but hadn't realised that children could only go in the pool between 0900-1100 so left disappointed. Not sure where these times were advertised but we didn't see them.

Lovely setting. Staff were friendly and helpful. Particularly the reception staff. Free drinking water dispenser was excellent as i always forget to bring my own drinking water. I did not use the swimming pool but it looks great.

Bar staff was great but the meals we ordered took a very long time to get to us. At breakfast the juice jugs were empty and the milk jug too. We had to ask for them. I could not find a plate to put my toasts on. At the table we got a pot of tea but no milk. Later we could not get the attention of the waitress to ask for fresh tea, but we could hear them chatting away until the manager appeared then they became active. Dust on window sills in communal areas very apparent. Some additional staff and staff training would improve the situation. The hotel is still great and i would visit again.

Great setting on golf course. Great leasure facilities including pool and spa facilities. Fantastic signature massage and facial. Helpful staff. Great food in restaurant. Innovative menu and good choice. Restaurant recommended.

Room was dusty on arrival but soon rectified. No shower gell in shower on arrival. No pillow case on spare pillows, no water jug with ice bucket. All easily solved but something went wrong on quality control. Helpful reception staff. Restaurant and breakfast room kitchen door kept banging. Unnecessarily loud. Very hierarchical breakfast staff arrangements made ordering confusing.

Use of the swimming pool included in the stay, I utilised this first thing myself and then further utilised it later after breakfast with the kids before w had to get ready and head out to our family wedding. They thoroughly enjoyed it, a little confusing of how to access but enjoyable. Breakfast was nice.

On the 2nd morning, we arrived to breakfast as a 5 and because we hadn’t requested a large table (no one said we would have had to), we got shoved in a side room where all the tables were more like bar relaxing tables with armchairs - trying to get 3 young kids to eat at these was difficult. It would have been nice to have been asked on check in if we needed a “big” table.

Lovely staff on reception, sorry I can't remember her name, perhaps Kristina or similar. She was super friendly and chatty and helpful when I thought I'd lost my earrings - I'd left them on the side and housekeeping (which I wasn't expecting) had accidentally brushed them onto the floor. Great room - was really big (club room I think, even though I booked a classic) and nice and quiet. The bed was comfy and probably the comfiest pillows I've ever slept on! Pool is nice, as is the steam room. I had a breakfast tray brought to my room - absolutely brilliant. Managed to get 2 nights for £160 incl breakfast due to genius discount. Very good value.

The bar had shut early (it was very quiet) when I'd driven a long way to get there and really needed a glass of wine! The room was too cold - I had the little radiator on full but could not get warm, so even with extra layers in bed I struggled to sleep properly. Such a shame, as it was so comfy in other ways. The restaurant is pretty pricey, but it was delicious.

Quiet location, great for getting a good night's sleep and rest. Also huge room and bed was very comfortable. View from room over Golf course was a bonus too

Breakfast selection of bread and Pastries, could have been better. Had group of 5 people and had to sit on separate tables at Breakfast, which wasn't what we wanted to be sociable. Bar Food menu for Dinner seemed expensive (for example £15.50 for a basic Beef Rigatoni Pasta dish is way too much), so decided to eat out elsewhere in town centre nearby. Had the value been better (like £10 or less for Pasta), might have stayed at Hotel and spent more money there

Room was a goof size and cleanliness was good. Dinners were of a high standard. Breakfast was good and comprehensive with both cold and cooked food. Service was slower than at dinner which is understandable as there was no booking system for breakfast as opposed to there being for dinner. I would also add that all staff in the reception, restaurant and bar area were attentive, pleasant and gave excellent service.

I can't say there was anything that needed significant changes worth mentioning.

We picked this because we were visiting family nearby in Whitchurch. We were able to walk over to their house and back so location was convenient. The price was reasonable, the room was well appointed and the view over the golf course was lovely. A small thing that was really nice was that there was water fountain available on each floor and a jug and glasses in the room so you could refill as needed. Eco-friendly and practical. I wish more hotels did this.

We only spent the night to sleep so we didn't eat at the property or try the spa/golf. so nothing negative to say.

Possibly the best breakfast I have had in a long time, black pudding was exceptional, along with a choice of continental, vegan, and vegetarian. The staff, also exceptional, we are not even golfers and although it sometimes felt like we were in Gods waiting room, we felt very welcome, we also felt like the youngest in the hotel, and we are no spring chickens. The evening meal was also superb, good choice of wines and once again exceptional service from all the staff. Pool and spa, very modern and very clean, and all in working order staff, excellent again.

It was a shame that there was a poor choice of beverages in the bar, so unless your tipple is wine or gin, you have a choice of a rather flat IPA, Becks, or a couple of overpriced bottle beers, in the end, we did however have the wine which was very good and not too overpriced for the resort.