Down Hall Hotel & Spa Matching Road, Hatfield Heath, Bishop's Stortford CM22 7AS

"- Amazing building and grounds. I was expecting it to be a tad run down given it’s an historic building but it really is in immaculate condition and we’ll decorated with a lot of character. Love the big room with chandelier and fireplace. - Food was all amazing. We had 3 course dinner & breakfast included in our stay, which was great value. If you were paying a la carte prices it’s a tad expensive, but everything we ate was superb. Upgraded to scallops and a steak one night that was as good as I’ve had! - We paid for the wet room spa which was brilliant. It’s £28pp but it’s small and you’re not in there with loads of other people. However, the hotel itself has a small sauna and steam room that’s free but isn’t well advertised. - lots of functions going on but we really couldn’t tell which is really impressive! Minor points for improvement: - We we’re told by the front desk that the walks around the grounds were open but they weren’t. - Some people at breakfast weren’t aware you can order things off a menu as well as the buffet. We ordered waffles one morning that took over 30 min and a bacon roll was forgotten - One of the pillows in the room was a bit old and yellowed under the protective cover, and the ceiling light was repaired with tape Overall a great stay and we’ll definitely recommend to friends!"

"really enjoyed a short break at this beautiful hotel. Set in a small historic country house the hotel is well appointed and the rooms are comfy and a good size. Food was good both the bar snacks and the well-appointed breakfast bar. The staff seemed very friendly indeed, and that made for a great break. Highly recommend"

"Stayed for one night in the dog friendly rooms which are super. The hotel is perfect for getting out into the fresh air and exploring. Food was excellent. The only minor 'niggle' was the cocktail bar, due to a conference taking over the public bar it took 15 minutes standing and one stressed bar man working alone to be served. Slept very well in the beds and would certainly recommend."

"So so disappointed. Stunning building in amazing location but that was it really. Couldn't see out of the window because it was too high! Went to make tea in our room, and only one normal teabag!!! It was a special occasion with a large party. A room had been hired. We arrived at 4.45 and saw the white wine on the table! More than two hours later we sat down and the freezing cold red wine was put on the table! No glasses though. We had to ask. Our help yourself meal was delicious without a doubt, when we got it! The two main course dishes were empty! After waiting several minutes we helped ourselves to the lamb dish and were then told there wasn't any more chicken!!! We were a table of eight and was given two large cheese boards to share. Excellent. With two knives!!!! No plates!!! Had to ask for knives and got our plates from where the main course had been! Do you want to hear about breakfast? I'll keep it short. Had to ask for, tea, coffee, bread to toast, glass for orange juice, sausages and eggs. Oh and a knife! Not impressed at all!"

"I suggest you lock up your belongings as the staff stole my watch. The building itself is lovely, but to be expected from a manor home like this. It took a week for them to "investigate" where my watch might be. They have a register of who cleaned the room, so they have to know who took it but said it hasn't been found. I offered them a substantial reward as the watch has great sentimental value to me. They also told me no one else had booked out the room so it cannot have been taken by another guest. On top of that the overall service was poor throughout the hotel. There are several bars in different areas and the teams didn't know what an "old fashioned" was or a "long island ice tea". That said, we stayed for two nights and attended a wedding, and the barman in the private wedding area did know. A young girl on the bar was quite rude and unhelpful and had a take it or leave it attitude. She seemed to be more fussed about getting attention from the attractive barman there. The breakfast on the first day was lovely, but on Saturday morning the plates and cutlery were not clean. There was a lack of glasses and no staff to be seen to help. In fact there seemed to be a lack of staffing overall as you could never find anyone or spent 10 to 15 minutes waiting at a bar or searching around for someone to help. The room we stayed in had the windows screwed shut so we had to be moved to another room as it was extremely hot. The second room was of a lesser size, quality and didnt have a bathtub. No reduction or refund was offered. That said, I didn't ask for one. A friend needed some feminine products and the machine only took cash which she and the majority of guests did not have. She felt embarrassed by having to ask friends as the hotel staff said there was nothing they could do and the machine only accepted coins. Come on. Let's get out of the 1970s people. I cannot comment on the spa area as we did not visit it at all. The one star is for the wedding area & venue. It was lovely and the wedding dinner was good. We stayed in late August 2022. I will never return and genuinely hope that karma comes back to visit the thief. Ignoring the theft, I don't feel it is fair value at all considering the rooms and the service levels."