Seckford Hall Hotel and Spa

I booked a half day spa with afternoon tea as a treat for myself and a friend. The spa was a huge disappointment but afternoon tea was delicious, fresh and nicely presented. On arrival we were greeted by a member of staff who was friendly and gave us a clean but tatty looking towel each. We were shown the facilities and asked to take our shoes off immediately. So we didn’t have to struggle with carrying bags, coats and shoes , I asked to use some of the shoe covers that I had spotted. These were reluctantly given to me. The changing room was small. It was ok for 2 people but any more and it would have been cramped. It lacked the luxury feel and had damp, condensation and was visibly mouldy in places. I asked for robes and we were charged an extra £5 each and handed a robe from a ripped open plastic bag on the floor. The robes were functional but lacked the luxurious feel of the soft, fluffy, bright white robes you associate with most spas. We weren’t offered slippers but had fortunately brought our own with us. They were definitely needed as the floors were wet and didn’t feel very hygienic to be walking on with bare feet. A redeeming feature of the changing room was that nice soap and hand cream was provided. There were also hairdryers and a pair of old looking straighteners. The pool area was nice. There were a few loungers and a table with magazines. To find drinking water we had to go into the gym and use the water cooler and paper cones. There was nice flavoured water in a dispenser on the reception desk and it would have been goid to have one of those in the pool area. We only used the pool and sauna as the jacuzzi was occupied and then closed for cleaning. There were 4 other people using the facilities while we were there. Any more and it would have felt cramped. We were given the choice of having afternoon tea in the spa or the main house. We chose the main house which was a much nicer experience as the spa felt like cafe. The quality and variety of cakes and sandwiches was excellent and it was very peaceful & relaxing. I would recommend the afternoon tea but suggest giving the spa a miss. The 3 stars I’ve given for value for money reflect that afternoon tea was lovely. It would be 1 star for spa alone . The spa is a nice facility for hotel guests but is not of a standard that you would expect if you are paying for a spa day. There is potential to improve and I hope that they make the effort to do so.