Great Fosters A Small Luxury Hotel

We recently enjoyed a two-night stay at Great Fosters and were truly impressed by many aspects of the property. The grounds are absolutely stunning—lush, peaceful, and meticulously maintained—offering an idyllic setting for a countryside escape. Dining was another standout, particularly the exceptional tasting menu at Tudor Pass, which was creative, beautifully executed, and a true highlight of our visit. The charming cocktail bar, with its cozy ambiance and expertly crafted drinks, added a lovely touch to our arrival. Our room (45) was thoughtfully designed and comfortable, but its location left much to be desired. It was situated quite close to the main road, and on both nights, we were disturbed by what sounded like garbage collection just outside our door. There were also a few maintenance issues, including visible spiders in the upper corners of the room and a noticeable gap in the door that allowed in both noise and light—elements that detracted from the overall sense of luxury and restful sleep. One important recommendation for future guests: be sure to ask if any weddings are scheduled during your stay. During our visit, two weddings were taking place, which unfortunately meant we were unable to book any spa appointments. The cocktail was also overrun with wedding guests on our first evening, which diminished the overall guest experience in my opinion. These issues, while relatively minor are the reason we can’t quite give our stay a full five stars. That said, with a few adjustments, Great Fosters has the potential to be a true 5 star retreat.

Stayed here as a wedding guest. Positives - grounds are beautiful and lots to explore. Use of pool and hot tub was great. Staff on the door were really helpful and helped with our luggage. Food at the wedding was lovely - BBQ and hog roast. The reason however for the 2 star review was because of the heat of the room. We were in room 17 at the top of the house. It wasn't a particularly hot day however the room was like a sauna. We were both absolutely dripping with sweat with how warm the room was. We were provided with three cooling units so we presumed these would cool the room whilst we were at the wedding, however when we came back late the room was still boiling. We had to Google the instructions to check they were on properly and had to ring reception to ask for ice to put in them - there is a Google nest in the room but this didn't work to call reception so we had to go through the main line and Google the hotel number. This was a lot of messing around after being at a wedding all night and wanting to go to bed! Ice was brought but they made no difference and we had a night of basically no sleep. After looking up the units, they were cheap as chips £40 units so no wonder they didn't do much! Really disappointing that as a 5star hotel they hadn't invested in more. We had to move furniture to try and stand the coolers up so they were blowing on the bed but despite this had an awful night's sleep. It was one of the most expensive rooms I've stayed in at £300 per night but the worst sleep I've ever had. What was even more disappointing is that I raised it with the manager in the morning in a polite way. All they were able to do was knock the £5 tray charge for our breakfast off. I politely requested if they might waiver the £36 we spent on drinks also (we had also spent money throughout the day before check in) but was given a firm no. Reason being that they had provided us with cooling units, so there was nothing else they could have done. I felt the fact we got no sleep, and could have been kicking off for a refund, this wasn't an unreasonable request, but alas I was wrong! I recommended the manager go and stand in the room and feel how useless the cheapo units were and hopefully they'll invest in some decent ones as I didn't feel the complaint was taken seriously. Really wouldn't recommend if you are going to be in any of the top floor rooms.

Appalling lack of empathy during a family crisis I booked a room at this hotel to celebrate a special anniversary. Tragically, a serious and deeply distressing family emergency forced me to cancel at short notice. I’m not going to share the details here, but it was a situation no one would ever want to face. While I understand the cancellation fell outside the standard policy, I wasn’t asking for a refund — just a chance to reschedule. Given the gravity of the circumstances, I expected at least a shred of human understanding. What I received instead was a cold, robotic response and a complete lack of empathy. The person I spoke with was condescending, dismissive, and seemed more interested in quoting policy than offering any form of support or flexibility. Every effort I made to explain the seriousness of our situation was met with a rehearsed “rules are rules” attitude — no compassion, no willingness to help. At one of the worst moments of our lives, this hotel failed to show even basic decency. For a business that presents itself as high-end and customer-focused, the way I was treated was disgraceful. It might be a nice-looking place on the surface, but after this experience, I wouldn’t stay here if it were the last hotel available.