Matfen Hall Hotel, Golf & Spa

We came first cocktails!!! The bar is stunning, the bar staff very knowledgeable and so keen to please. Overall decor beautifully, recent big makeover. Garden views lovely. Wish we could stay for food as menu looked good. Definitely a destination venue.

We were last here 2 years ago and we were blown away with the changes to the place in this short space of time. Some stunning spaces. Loved the clubhouse and Cloisters. Spa was the only area really needing attention (though by no means bad) - but they have already started building a new one! We ate in every place and loved every meal. Emeralds was very good. Desserts not to the same level as starters and mains (same in Cloisters). Pastry on our rhubarb dessert was burnt and hard. Some stunning courses though - bread and the most amazing chicken skin butter, lamb and scallop dishes real standouts. Staff all friendly. Can't wait to come back.

I went to Matfen Hall for afternoon tea with my daughter in the snug today and it was honestly the best I’ve ever had. Everything was absolutely delicious tasty and fresh. Will definitely be going back with friends in the near future. Staff were very attentive and friendly too.

A beautiful hotel, set in lovely grounds with glorious views! Impossible to recommend too highly! We stayed a week & had the most wonderful holiday! We were 3 generations, the youngest being too young to be completely alone but too old for no privacy, so we got two interconnecting bedrooms (one sealed from the outside), each with its own bathroom, with Dinner, Bed & Breakfast. It was a great deal and it really worked - the breakfasts are so generous that they keep even a teenager going until evening! And if you fancy a walk around the grounds before breakfast but would like an espresso in the bar first, that’s no problem: it’s prepared instantly, it tastes really good, and you’re not charged extra. Matfen is no cheapskate. Trips to its lovely, light & airy swimming pool are pure pleasure, because the water’s just the right temperature & they provide everything you could possibly need; there are loads of outdoor games like croquet or badminton; they lent us a putter & 3 balls so we could putt whenever, and it was a brilliant thing to do early in the morning or late in the evening. It’s impossible to list everything that’s great about this hotel, but it’s first-class at every level. You never see anyone cleaning, but it’s spotless, with all the brasswork glowing; clothes come back, carefully laundered, the same day; the gardens are immaculate, but wonderfully imaginative, and you can spend hours working out the different planting schemes, or simply enjoying them; the Keepers golf club is welcoming, with a nice terrace where you can enjoy a drink or a meal, and offering lessons from the kindest, most patient pro on the planet, with state of the art equipment; the chefs are all in a class of their own … Anyone reading this will be asleep by now, so I’ll stop, but not before saying that the jewel in Matfen’s crown is its staff - without exception, they are incredibly competent, hard-working and genuinely friendly, and will go to great lengths to ensure that guests are comfortable. I hope their hospitality will never be abused.

Matfen Hall is a great place to stay, and is set in a wonderful location. We have stayed many times and I'm sure we will stay many more. We have just returned from our latest, four night stay (09th-13th July). Unfortunately on the 11th July we found the breakfast service very poor, not what would be expected from a 5 star hotel! Breakfast started well and our main course order was taken, we noticed guests which came after us were served before us. Eventually I asked a member of the dining room staff, if we had been forgotten ( that was obviously the case) and she said 'no'. We waited a further 15 minutes and eventually we were presented with a cooked breakfast which, must have been kept warm for some time under a halogen lamp? the sausage was dry and shrivelled, the mushrooms had the texture of rubber etc. This food should not have been served, and should have gone in the bin. We entered the dining room at 09.30am and left at 11am (after all the other guests had departed) it should have been noticed that we had not been served, especially when we were seated in the centre of the dining room. We also had to request butter, milk and toast (which had previously been ordered to accompany the cooked breakfast). The toast arrived after we had finished breakfast. I came out of the dining room and made my disappointing experience known to the lady on reception. As it was 11.00am, meaning many guests were checking out, I did get the impression that she wasn't interested!!

Arrived to a lovely welcome from receptionist for our Sunday lunch the setting is beautiful a bit of work going on to improve facilities but all very discreet not interfering with what was a lovely relaxing afternoon. The lunch was excellent and great value both food and service excellent. We sat out on patio afterwards for coffee’s, James was very attentive as were all of the staff we encountered we will definitely be back