Buxton Crescent

What a lovely stay! It was lovely to have access to the spa for the nights we spent at this lovely hotel. The staff were friendly and helpful. The hotel was centrally located for Peak District sights. The only note was that our room was on an offset floor and did not have direct access to the lift. We initially declined help with our luggage and really regretted it due to the narrow halls and stairs. Thankfully, the help was offered again at checkout and we accepted gratefully. The location of the room did make it nice and quiet. There could be more counter space in the bathroom for organizing our toiletries, but the renovated/refitting was well appointed otherwise.

The cost was the most we have paid for 1 night (£205). (The July Buxton Fringe Art Festival was in full swing, which might have pushed up the demand and the price.) But because of the town, the Peak District, and the excellent Hotel food, I would recommend it for a special birthday, anniversary or other celebration. Positives: Breakfast: I'm not too bothered what I eat, but my wife is very discerning. (Nearly all restaurants we try don't measure up.) We both agree the food for breakfast was really exceptionally fabulous for both quality and choice. Lovely smoked haddock, black pudding, fruit salad bowl, smoothy and more... all we tried was v good. The double bed was v comfortable underneath us, and solid.. didn't disturb the other when one of us moved in the night. Very pleasant staff: the man who welcomed us at the main entrance was extremely helpful and pleasant and helped several times during our short stay. In fact, all the staff were good, and many of them seemed to be happy in their work, which created a v pleasant atmosphere. Very nice to be able to swim in the open air (on the roof) in a warm pool. (There was another pool but we didn't have time to try.) Buxton and the Peak District: the view from the road from Leek to Buxton became more and more beautiful as we approached Buxton, Buxton town centre is v pretty. But mostly, I haven't before seen the Peak District up to Castleton.. maybe it was the sunshine, but the Peak District is totally awesome, extremely beautiful. Just a vast expanse of beautiful, remote, peaceful, awesome scenery. Negatives: The duvet was a problem.. too thick and hot for both of us. Two thinner double bed duvets one on top of the other would have been better for us, to give us more choice. There was a useful fridge in the room... some fresh milk in the fridge would have would have been nice. As it was, there were not enough milk sachets for the tea, coffee and drinking chocolate. The indoor-outdoor roof top pool has rather too much underwater-seating which is a bit of a hazard.. not easy enough to see and avoid. It is possible to swim lengths, but you have to be a bit careful when you first go in.

Generally a very pleasant experience.... The Spa facilities are very good, the room was very well appointed, the quality of the breakfast was excellent and the location was fantastic. I would state that it is at the high end of the budget but you do receive generally good service with some of the small touches added (dog hamper when bringing a pet) a real treat. I would stay here again and my partner enjoyed her birthday weekend.