Leaftop's Qype profile

Open the curtains at 6 o’clock and look out at the big ball of red burning into your eyeballs, but beautifully framed against the reed bed and watery landscape.

Lovely setting for a new, tastefully done out hotel in Cotswold country but with the added attraction of being sited on the Water Park, water-life in abundance.

Friendly and helpful staff, excellent food, large car parks, easy main road access, well equipped gym and indoor swimming pool (I suppose you could jump into the lake as a shocking alternative).

Highly recommended.

Oulton Hall Hotel is old grandeur (ish, mostly 18th century, but definitely looks the part) sited prominently on its own sweeping hillside parkland surrounds, commanding a view to the far Eastern distance.
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Fantastic interiors in the main building, huge rooms, vast ceilings, sweeping staircases.
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By all accounts, the building has not always been so grand; it was actually listed as derelict in 1974. In 1991 De Vere Hotels acquired the lease, rescued the Hall and apparently spent £20 million in the process on restoration and expansion, transforming it into the current 5* hotel set in its 300 acres of parkland, gardens, a 27-hole golf course and spa – Downton Abbey eat your heart out!
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Behind the old Hall, there are so many rooms you need a navigation aid, especially if they send you to room 276 round the back because you got it really cheap on LateRooms – with so many beds to occupy, great bargains to be had in mid winter, definitely try your luck!
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Breakfast a real treat, genuine full on service, wide choice of hot and cold, proper fruits and juices and a teapot with a spout that doesn’t dribble and drip all over the table cloth – corr blimey, great.
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Absolutely recommended.

Parkland surroundings, Ye Olde old bit with lounge and bar area overlooking the gardens and trees in the distance, excellent place to meet up, have a chill, coffee maybe a bite to eat and possibly log on to their free WiFi to do your Qype reviews.
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Staff friendly and helpful, the 4 star facilities good and the place caters for day guests and obviously for overnighters too. There is a good leisure club and golf course adjacent (in the grounds really).

Excellent.

Bracebridge Pool is on the ‘Northern’ side of the Park, over the railway tracks where you might see the wild ponies.
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The pool is a good size surrounded by trees and has spectacular sun sets especially in summer, when you can sit at the eastern end, sipping a long cool drink on the Boat House restaurant’s veranda overlooking the still waters and watch the big red ball at the far western end sink to wherever it goes. In winter, maybe a hot toddy.
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There is a magical little path running round the north side of the Pool, wending its way through the trees around the stumps and roots and over little boggy streams (a number of tiny wooden bridges along the way save those who forgot their wellies). Eventually, the path opens out to the patches of sandy lake shore, ideal for gazing at the pool’s tranquil waters rippled only by the many water birds doing their thing.

This path then circles the lake up past Little Bracebridge Pool from where you can walk right back round again to the Boat House (where you might have left your car in the convenient car park for this little excursion).

Beautiful jaunt, well worth the effort – kids love it.

Very nice place, agree with previous reviewer that frontage does not do justice to the inside: a couple of unset plain clothed tables outside are not enticing, but once through the doors, very cosy, warm, friendly and welcoming.

A bit like the tardis, it’s bigger than you think with an extension out the back, decorated with pretty lighting and dark contrasts.

Service excellent, helpful and quick, especially if you’re off somewhere else and don’t want to hang around too long but want a pleasant time to start the evening off.

Food excellent, good range of wines with beers as well for the gluggers like me.

They have a wine club on Wednesdays, to get sozzled in the correct way.

Excellent.