Hotel Review: Lucknam Park
A couple of weekends ago, I whisked my mum away for a mother-daughter visit to Lucknam Park. An iconic hotel that has built an impressively loyal clientele over the last twenty (almost thirty!) years, I was interested to see whether it lived up to expectations as one of the most renowned luxury hotels in the country. Read on for my honest and in-depth review of our stay…
First impressions: 3.5/5
Approaching the drive to Lucknam Park, guests will get to experience one of the most impressive first glimpses of a hotel you’ve likely ever seen. With the trees decked out in the colours of autumn, a tunnel of vision along the sweeping drive leads to the historic estate at the end, beckoning hotel guests from afar.
Step inside and you’ll find the interiors here are definitely more on the traditional and old-school side: the hotel opened almost 30 years ago, and not much seems to have changed, with the style of the hotel very much reflecting that: glistening, ornate chandeliers hang from the ceiling, elaborate light sconces and old-school portraits line the walls, and embroidered sofas fill the drawing room.
Rooms are designed in the same style, featuring plush sofas, thick curtains and deep bathtubs - the suites are undoubtedly very grand, with original, canopied four poster beds (the Tower Suite perhaps being the most impressive of all, offering sweeping views across the front lawn), with colour schemes encompassing neutral tones to rich purples and burgundies. Whether you’ll like the style of the bedrooms is very much dependent on personal taste, but what I will add is that there were some details in our suite that could have done with a bit of an upgrade; for instance, the bathroom was a little small, and the blinds were definitely not blackout blinds - meaning for a light sleeper you’ll get woken up at sunrise (not ideal for a good night’s sleep!). Additionally, we were on the ground floor, and there was a draft coming through the fire exit in our bedroom - I would add that the door didn’t suit the overall aesthetic of the bedroom, and having a curtain across it to block out the draft wouldn’t have gone amiss.
Our bedroom looked out onto an inner courtyard that felt little like an Oxbridge college - from here, guests can wander through to the spa or to the nearby rose garden. We were visiting at a time of the year when we wouldn’t have expected the gardens to be in bloom, although there were some other flower pots positioned throughout the hotel that weren’t as luscious as you might expect from a 5-star property.
To do: 4.5/5
The spa here is definitely one of the most impressive facilities at the hotel. Featuring a 20-metre indoor pool flooded with natural light, and surrounded by various sauna and steam rooms, guests can swim a couple of laps before migrating to one of the steam pods and then dipping directly into the heated, indoor-outdoor hydrotherapy pool. This was easily the most exciting feature of the spa: with autumn beginning to fall, it was quite magical being able to swim directly outside, with views onto the walled gardens - and where loungers are laid out in the summer months, which I can imagine would be a beautiful time of the year to visit and sunbathe. The pool was relatively busy when we visited, but somehow still felt relaxing and hushed (children are only allowed in at set times of the day); the spa staff are also very attentive, making sure that guests have enough towels and space to spread out - we definitely felt very pampered here. Private treatment rooms offering a range of treatments using ESPA products, a studio for pilates and yoga classes (complimentary for hotel guests), and a gym are also all encompassed within the spa.
For those that prefer the outdoors, Lucknam Park has an impressive range of activities to keep you occupied, including many suited for children if you’re visiting as a family: horse riding lessons, tennis, croquet, and falconry are all on offer - as well as exploring the estate by bike, and clay pigeon shooting. If you’re travelling by car, the surrounding area has lots to see as well: nearby Castle Combe is easily one of the quaintest villages in the Cotswolds, or you could venture into Bath for a day trip.
On rainier days, lounging in the spa is how most guests would pass their time during the day, but it’s worth noting that other than the spa, there aren’t as many spots to curl up other than the small library and drawing room (which is often busy with guests clamouring for afternoon tea).
Food and drink: 3.5/5
It’s difficult to score this part of our stay, because our visit included meals that were both extraordinary and ones that were unremarkable. One of the highlights of our trip was undoubtedly our Saturday evening dinner at Restaurant Hywel Jones, the hotel’s one Michelin star restaurant which attracts visitors from far and wide (and for good reason too), and easily the jewel in the property’s crown.
Served in the ornate dining room, guests are served a five-course tasting menu inclusive of any dietary requirements you might have. Expect a trio of delicious ‘snacks’ to start you off, plus warm home baked bread and whipped butter, before diving straight into the first course. Each dish was an absolute treat, and a perfect marriage of presentation, flavour, and innovation - my favourite was the dessert, which was an incredible twist on a ‘chocolate bar’, featuring salted caramel, peanut butter mousse, a delicate chocolate shell, and popcorn ice-cream. Safe to say that our evening here was pretty flawless.
In comparison, dinner in the The Brasserie, the hotel’s more contemporary and laidback restaurant was less memorable. The menu here is simple and dishes aren’t particularly inventive - although perfectly fine, the food doesn’t warrant a second visit. The ambience was also a little flat (housed in the same building as the spa, the restaurant feels like an extension of it rather than having a unique atmosphere of its own.) Meanwhile, breakfast is served in the dining room every morning, where guests can choose between classic dishes (scrambled eggs, pastries etc) which are cooked well but not particularly special.
As the surrounding area around the hotel has so many great restaurants, I’d recommend leaving the property for dinner and lunch if you’re staying more than one night - and of course saving an evening for Restaurant Hywel Jones, which was really phenomenal.
Comfort and service: 4/5
All staff at Lucknam Park were incredibly professional and happy to help: on more than one occasion, staff went out of their way to make sure that we were comfortable during our stay (such as bringing us some extra complimentary shortbread in the afternoons). Service is more formal than relaxed and friendly, which continues to add to the old-school luxury atmosphere that pervades throughout the hotel; no complaints in this department at all, with spa, restaurant, and reception staff all being very polite.
This is definitely the level of service that you would expect from a hotel that averages at £500 a night (suites can cost over £2,000 a night at peak periods), especially given that Lucknam Park markets itself as a 5-star luxury hotel with all of the mod-cons you’d expect. It does feel like Lucknam had its heyday a couple of decades ago, with interiors reflecting that old-school glamour of bygone days - a fresh lick of paint or refresh of the bedrooms would perhaps add more of a draw for new customers, but no doubt, the hotel’s mostly elderly clientele are incredibly loyal to the property and come back time and time again. For more adventurous staycationers, there are more daring, contemporary hotels that currently provide a new sense of luxury for twenty-first century travellers, which Lucknam Park must keep up with. That’s not to say that our stay here wasn’t enjoyable - it certainly was - but overall I think the property could do with a refresh in terms of interiors, and some areas of its food offering can certainly be improved.
This was a gifted stay, but all opinions are my own. I do not accept and write about gifted stays unless I enjoy them.
