HISTORIC HAPPINESS
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Recommendation added: 07/03/2006 11:58
By: lynrog (YSUK rating +71)lynrog has been thanked 3 times for this contribution
"Thoresby Hall - a warner break. Thoresby Hall is one of the Historic Hotels offered in a selection of hotels in the Warner Breaks. What are Warner Breaks you may ask - they are adult holidays - sometimes they can be a 2 night break at the weekend, but mainly they are 3nights at the weekend and 4 nights Monday- Friday during the week. I will go into the pricing and offers further down.
Warner's offer a choice of six historic hotels, Thorseby Hall being one of these (I will be reviewing a few others shortly as we have visited 5 of them), there are three Character Hotels and four Classic Resorts. The historic hotels are historic mansions complete with acres of ground and period features. The Character Hotels are more modern hotels and the Classic Resorts are Chalets.
~ ~ ~ Thoresby Hall ~ ~ ~
Thoresby Hall is a Grade 1 listed Victorian Mansion, which has been restored to its magnificent former glory. It was built by the 3rd Earl Manvers a famous architect.
I will try not to confuse you here because the entrance for guest is at the back of the House. I will try to take you through each area - The Entrance I will refer to here is the front exposure of the house.
The Entrance is magnificent, if you love old buildings you will be in awe of this, in front you have a square of green lawn surrounded by decorative wrought iron gates - you come through the gates and face a wonder Victorian building complete with gabled tower and numerous balustrades and turrets. You go through the main doors into a grand hall complete with Portraits and artefacts of days gone by. You go up the stairs which face the main door to :
The Great Hall - this is 64ft long, 31ft across and 50ft in height, and rises through three storeys to an open hammerbeam roof. The oak panels are decorated mainly white - displaying armour and family portraits of the Pierrepont's and Minver's from the Hall's history. There is a beautiful Stone Fireplace elaborately designed and embellished with the Pierrepont coat of arms. It is definitely a sight to be seen. There are period chairs which are extremely comfortable to sit and relax in. During the winter season the open fire is very welcoming. Also during the Christmas season the décor is lit up with the largest Christmas trees (indoors) that I have ever seen, (just like in the old black and white movies) giving the room a magical feel.
From the Great Hall you can go into -
The Library - This room is done completely in light and dark oak, the fireplace is exquisite with carved figures of Robin Hood and Little John either side of the fire and a framed carving depicting the Major Oak at Edwinstowe (complete with stag and deer). This is another relaxing area to wind away your day, there are board games, cards etc provided for your entertainment. From the Library there is a door which will take you outside into the beautiful grounds, you can also access:
The Blue Drawing Room - This room is as it says blue - decorated in Wedgwood blue, actually in the same design as Wedgwood with the white urns, flowers and cherubs, even the doors are covered so when you are in the room you would not know the door is there until the kitchen staff opened it. Yes, the kitchen staff as this is currently used as the a la carte restaurant - (it is advisable to book for the Sunday lunch before you get to the hotel as it gets booked up fairly quick). If you are on the two night stay which they occasionally do, then you have to vacate your room by 1030hrs on the Sunday - When my family did this the other year at Christmas, we all packed our cars and went in here for the Sunday lunch (there was 10 of us), I have to say the food was excellent, you were treated like royalty by the staff - right down to the dusting off the table between courses. The food or the service could not be faulted.
The Small Drawing Room, this is accessed again via the Library and is again decorated in period with a white marble fireplace with a huge mirror, paintings, seating and crystal chandelier.
The State Dining Room - as the others this room is decorated in period, displaying pictures and other historical memorabilia relating to Thorseby Hall, not as magnificent as other rooms here, but still worth a look in.
The gardens are well tended, beautiful and colourful in the summer and believe me they still astound you in the winter as well. As the Hall is set in 50 acres there is plenty to see and walk around. As I stated earlier we visited in the winter, actually we went on the 27th December for a couple of days and we still wrapped up well and walked around the grounds over little bridges and looked back at the hall it was a lovely sight.
As it was Christmas every room donned its' Christmas tree, decorated to enhance each room and its colour scheme.
Thorseby Hall has three levels (if my memory serves me right), each level having lifts for wheel chair access and if you just don't fancy the stairs.
The Bedrooms
(Access to bedrooms on arrival day is after 3pm, but they will look after your luggage for you whilst you enjoy the facilities, departure is by 10.30am on the last day).
Now there are a few choices here - there are twin rooms with two single beds and double rooms obviously with a double bed, these are called Ambassador Rooms. They also cater for disabled rooms - (now my father bless him was struck down by a stroke and was in a wheel chair for 8 yrs before he passed over, so my parents had one of the disabled rooms on the 'ground floor', the bed in there must have been a super king size bed - I remember joking to my mother they could get the wheel chair in there as well it was so huge). Obviously due to wheelchair access these rooms are also larger to allow you to move around the room.
All the rooms are ensuite, have tea\coffee making facilities (take some extra with you if you are a big tea\coffee drinker, you can sometimes chat up your room service maid and she will give you extra), hair dryer, TV and radio, the usual free toiletries, coffee table and two comfy chairs to sit in.
Now, as I stated these are the Ambassador rooms, you can pay a little more and get some extras if you wish -
To have an Ambassador room in the Old house you pay an extra £5.00 supplement per night (that's per room not per person)
Ambassador Plus Room - is the same but with a Welcome Pack which is a decanter of sherry (which gets topped up), a basket of fresh fruit and a box of chocolates (fruit and chocolates do not get topped up. Sometimes this is a slighter larger room (from experience) - this will cost you a supplement of £10.00 per room per night. They are also situated in a more attractive location in the Hotel.
Between April and October you can request also for a supplement of £10.00 per room per night an Ambassador Room with a patio.
Thoresby Hall have a spa (will go further into that shortly) and for a supplement of £15.00 per room per night they offer rooms in that location - for this you get a room to compliment your spa experience (their words not mine) with Sumptuous linens, throws & towels, luxurious Molton Brown toiletries, a flat screen TV along with DVD/CD and mini bar.
Signature Room, sorry not seen one, their description for £15.00 per night per room is 'This room has been designed around the amazing Duchess Elizabeth Chudliegh, Duchess of Kingston, Countess of Bristol. She was fascinating, witty, adventurous and reckless, the most talked about woman for at least one half of the 18th century. This bold design embellishes all the decadence (or excess) of her lifestyle! Enjoy the sumptuous, opulent luxury of our Signature Room. "
Finally we have the Royal Rooms - the supplement is £50 per room per night, these are the historic rooms which have a four posture bed, I believe some may have spa bath, you get the welcome pack (mentioned above), two bath robes. These rooms usually have the most spectacular views as they are usually at the top of the Hotel.
There are smoking and non smoking rooms available at this hotel.
We have only stayed in the Ambassador Rooms on the two occasions we have visited Thoresby Hall, I would say that the rooms are pleasantly decorated, quite traditional and not offensive to the eye. There is a radiator in the bedroom which you can turn off if it gets too warm. On both our visits the room later were practically identical, you open the door and you have like a small corridor (only a few feet), where the wardrobes and coat hooks are (behind the door), to one side is a spacious bathroom, toilet, sink bath with over shower. You then enter the bedroom along the wall is your dressing table, mirror and electric points, hairdryer etc. In the corner of the room is your TV and just a little away from that is your coffee table and chairs. The bed is situated in the middle of the opposite wall with two side tables and lamps. There is plenty of lighting which illuminates different sections of the room so you can have as much or a little as you wish. On the bed you have clean fresh white cotton sheets and a thin quilt, two pillows. You can ring down to reception if you need extra pillows and they will kindly bring them to your room.
To enhance you stay for that special occasion Warner's provide celebration packs at a cost: I have had the good fortune to have sampled all of these, you can also ring up the hotel who will give you a number for the local florist (or sometimes they will even arrange it for you), to have a bouquet in your room for your loved one on that special occasion, (been lucky enough to have that too, we usually go for my birthday).
Wine Celebration Pack (2005 price £19.95) - two 250ml bottles of wine, one red and one white, small box of chocolates (a little like a Thornton's selection, in a purple box with Warner on the top), a basket of fresh fruit and two luxurious bathrobes (now these bath robes, I was on my last visit a size 24 and they only just met in the middle and were a little tight, but if you are small than that size then they would be extremely comfortable).
Sparkling Wine Celebration pack (2005 price £34.95), contains a bottle of sparkling wine (this is very sweet, but by the end of the bottle I started to like it - hic), a larger basket of fresh fruit, a slightly larger box of luxury chocolates and an oasis of fresh flowers.
Champagne Celebration pack (2005 price £59.95), contains a bottle of Moet et Chandon Champagne, a large box of luxury chocolates, a large basket of fresh fruit and a large arrangement of flowers.
Now the above are for your rooms, but if you wish to add that little extra for a celebration on the night of a birthday or anniversary, for your table you can have that decorated with balloons, streamers and party poppers - this will set you back £9.75 (at this years prices), you could add a bottle of sparkling wine to this and the pack would then cost you £21.95.
Now this has taken has taken me to the Restaurants, you already know about the a la carte in the blue room (I mentioned this earlier). So I will now tell you about the main restaurant this comes with your booking as these are Half Board breaks (if you decide to eat in the a la carte you can get a voucher towards the cost of the meal in there from the main reception (if this is replacing your evening meal in main restaurant), I think it is around £5.00 but don't quote me). Allocation to your table - on the two occasions we have visited it has been different. On our first occasion on arrival at the hotel they would give you directions to the main restaurant and ask you to go down before evening meal and speak to the staff who would show you your table for the duration of your visit, but on our second visit last year you went down at the allotted time and was allocated a different table on every visit. (Large groups can be seated together arrangements on booking).
Everything in the main restaurant is served buffet style - giving you a vast choice.
Breakfast - self service buffet - cereal, fruit, croissants, fruity sticky pastries, bacon, sausage, scrambled egg, fried egg, fried bread, mushrooms, baked beans, toast. The waitress\waiter for your table will bring you tea/coffee and toast - you are also given a very small kitchen selection and if my memory serves me right this was a choice of poached egg on toast or kippers. You can eat as much or as little as you like - breakfast is served between 0800 - 1000, so there is not much queuing.
Your evening meal is served between 1830hrs and 2000hrs (going from memory again), once again you have the self service buffet system for your meal, but you also have a table menu of a small selection of starters, main meal and dessert. Yes it is three courses. The waitress will come and see you and settle you in at your table, she will take your orders for starters off the menu and if you opt for the main course of the menu. You can attend the buffet bar for a small salad starter if you prefer (which I did on my visit). The options available change daily - I think they do a two week rotation on menus, because we have stayed for a week in one of their classic resorts and every evening was different).
The main meal - on the self service buffet bar, there is a wide selection, the salad bar with a variety of salad options, coleslaws, cold meats, cheeses, pasta, bread rolls and jacket potatoes. There is the oriental bar where you can have a choice of curries and rice (one normally being vegetarian choice). You also have the basic carvery a choice of two meats and a selection of vegetables - Vegetarian options available around the buffet.
Again because of the varied eating times and the different selections you don't get too long a queue, though the carvery is very popular.
The wine waiter will also tend your table, you either pay for your drinks when they arrive at the table or charge them to your room (to charge to your room you need to set this up on arrival at the hotel with the receptionist she will then give you a card with your room number on, you can present this card to any area where you spend money and settle your bill on departure).
Facilities and Entertainment
The main hotel is mainly non smoking, but there are designated smoking area in relaxing atmosphere.
There are a couple of bars where you can enjoy a leisurely drink and a snack, gift shop and general items ( selling magazines, tea, coffee, sugar, milk, biscuits, tights, make up, toiletries and the usual selection of gifts and sweeties). I did find this a little over priced, but that is usual in Hotels. The Pavilion coffee shop is also available for a rest, drink and light lunch. (These are not free, a light lunch in the coffee shop will be around £4.00 on average)
Freebies provided:
Fencing, Heated indoor pool and spa pool, Library, Sauna, steam room and gym, snooker and games room., entertainment sessions provided by the Warner staff these include quizzes, dance lessons, games etc (the list will be on your TV and in various notice boards around the hotel for the day). Outside you have air rifle shooting, archery, croquet, golf practice net, bowls green and putting green, tennis is also available a few minutes walk away from the hotel.
Other daily options are available at an extra charge. Pool table, cycle hire, laser clay pigeon shooting and Thoresby Hall spa experience. The Spa experience offers health and beauty treatments, aromatherapy cave, showers, foot spas, Hamman steam room, heated loungers, hydro spa pool, ice cave, outdoor terrace, relaxation lounge, rhassoul, sanarium and massages. I have not experienced the Spa centre as it was only opened this year and not available on my last visit.
Warner's do offer 2 night spa breaks at £189 per person, and an indulgence spa break for £279 per person.
For those that are interested in the spa breaks they are available midweek only - Monday to Wednesday or Wednesday to Friday, for your £189 you get to enjoy all the usual facilities offered with a normal break plus two 3hour spa experience sessions. For the £279 you get a Rhassoul session with on of the spa experiences and a Decleor gift, 3 course a la carte meal (excluding drinks), free bike hire for 2 hours and a fun clay pigeon session.
Now you are probably wandering what all these sessions are so I have looked them up, as I was curious too. (The list below is from there web site)
Heat Experiences - The heat experiences on offer have their roots in cleansing and beautifying the body. They originate from cultures dating back thousands of years.
Sanarium - a wooden chamber combining a sauna with a steam infusion, mood lightning and back ground relaxing music.
Aromatherapy Cave - aromatherapy vapours in a warm room with heated benches.
Hamman Steam Room - herbal essences enhance the experience.
Rhassaoul Spa Experience - this is a mud bathing treatment for between 2 and 4 people- based on Cleopatra's beauty treatments! Minimum of two persons £75.00 per person, lasts 45mins. Each party will have use of the Rhassoul to themselves for the session, and then up to 3 hours in the Spa Experience.
Cooling Experiences
It is important to cool down after using one of the heat experiences.
Ice Cave - this is an ice cave that will let your skin cool down and refresh.
Experience Showers - soft tropical rain of cold needle jets to invigorate you.
Other Spa Facilities
The Hydro Pool - Water fountains massage your shoulder and neck, air loungers provide full body massage.
Foot Spas - reflexology massage
Relaxation lounge - provides comfy chairs and sofas, tropical fish and the smoothing sound of the water feature to help you unwind.
Well this just leaves the evening entertainment - this usually starts with dancing in the Pavilion (there are smoking and non smoking areas here), ballroom and barn dancing usually to start with. The Warner entertainers join in and get people up on the dance floor. The evening entertainment gets into full swing around 9pm and the star show starts around 10pm, the star spot can me either a themed evening of entertainment (sometimes it could be a tribute to the 70's 80's etc, or a murder mystery weekend, or a star turn by a famous comedian, group, singer etc) full details on her is on during your stay can be found in the brochure or on their web site.
Prices - these vary considerably depending on when you go, who is performing etc, as Thoresby Hall is one of Warner's largest hotels the prices are also the dearest. It would be unfair for me to go into prices as their website has special offers, they also offer many discounts for repeat booking, etc too many to go into here. But if you are interested visit their web site - www.warnerholidaysonline.co.uk which will give you the general idea. It is easy to book online, but I still prefer to go via landline and speak to some direct as they can offer you alternative and special offers. Even though the prices may appear expensive, we did some research, to stay in the this class of hotel you can expect to pay £80-£150 per night (estimate and my opinion) without you meals and entertainment provided, so when you look at that the prices then become good value for money.
Location
Thoresby Hall is situated nr Ollerton, Nottinghamshire.
Post code for your sat nav or auto route is NG22 9WH
Phone number for the hotel - 01623 821000
Phone number for the Spar and Restaurant reservations (a la carte) - 01623 821033
Booking by phone is 0870 601 6012 or online at www.warnerbreaks.co.uk
(You can book on either link noted in this review)
Out and About
Shopping - Nottingham has a huge shopping centre and town, also about 30mins away there is a Factory Outlet (this is nr to Mansfield).
Ollerton - approx 5 mins drive away - has a watermill
Clumber Park - approx 10mins drive - Historic parkland
Sherwood Forest Country Park and Visitor Centre - aprrox 10mins away
Rufford Country Park - approx 15 mins away - has the ruins of a 12th century Cistercian Abbey. Also a craft and ceramics centre.
Lincoln is only about 45 mins away with its beautiful historic town and Cathedral.
There are also local activities available not too far away, these include 4x4 off road driving, abseiling, canoeing, hill walking, golf, horse riding, quad biking and more - details can be obtained from reception.
Our Experience
As stated earlier we have visited here twice over the years, our first visit a few years ago was a big family get together, my first Christmas off for years - 10 of us arrived on 27th December and stayed for two nights. My father being disabled did not cause any problems getting around the hotel, there are lifts to each floor, but you do have to get off at one floor, go down the corridor to another lift to get you to the lower floor for the dining. Because we were a large group we were given a lengthy table which would accommodate us all. When it came to the entertainment room in the evening, one of us left the group so we could get us all seated together also keeping plenty of room for my father and his wheelchair. We all split up into small groups during the day, some of us went for walks around the grounds and other went out for the shopping and others stayed in the hotel and enjoyed the facilities. So it catered for all our different tastes.
Our second visit was last December - My husband and I plus our two close friends went there to celebrate my birthday, my husbands' birthday and our friends wedding anniversary. Well girls, the men excelled themselves, us girls were spoilt rotten. (my friend had the same as me). On entering our room I was presented with 2 of the Warner's celebration packs - one with the champagne and the other with the wine, so two boxes of chocolates, two displays of flowers, two fruit bowls of different sizes, two bathrobes laid out on the bed. That's not all, hubby had arranged for a large bouquet for me which was displayed on the bed side table. Now this may sound a little cluttered but it wasn't, one presentation pack was displayed on the dressing table the other displayed on the coffee table. I don't know about my friend but I cried my eyes out. The men went all out to spoil us as my best friend of over 20 yrs had just survived a massive brain haemorrhage and on the road to recovery, so we had something big to celebrate. I have to say I could really get used to this kind of spoiling.
Well not to put a dampener on things I had to throw out my no drinking policy (well I wasn't going to be driving anywhere and it was my birthday, he, he), I got tucked into the champagne straight away and by the time I got to the evening meal I was very giggly. The room itself for this weekend at the beginning of December was a 'smoking' Ambassador plus room and it cost us £450.00 for the weekend for the two of us.
As we were there on my actual birthday 5th December my husband had arranged for the birthday pack for the table, unfortunately they forgot to set up the table, Roger was extremely diplomatic for him, he kept his cool and spoke to the management who promptly came and decorated the table and threw in complimentary bottle of champagne (well by now I was so tipsy I was actually started to like the taste - I'm not a wine drinker). We went on to really enjoy our evening meal and the evening entertainment.
This weekend was a Turkey and Tinsel weekend so the whole weekend is a celebration of Christmas and New Year, your first night being Christmas Eve, 2nd night Christmas Day complete with the Christmas Dinner and last night New Years Eve.
Entertainment is provided by the Warner entertainment team and I must say they are very talented musicians, singer and dancers.
Staff at the hotel are extremely pleasant and helpful, nothing is too much trouble, you may have to wait a little while sometimes as they can get run off their feet.
Over the years and our visits to Warner breaks we have seen a few changes, not all in our opinion for the better, but these changes are bought about by public opinion (as the saying goes you cannot please all the people all of the time, but they do try hard). On the last day of your stay they give you a questionnaire to fill in to describe your views on service, food, accommodation and the entertainment.
The rooms were cleaned daily and fresh towels provided.
We absolutely enjoyed both our visits to Thoresby Hall and would definitely go again one day."
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