I booked this hotel as a surprise birthday treat for my wife and I was a little bit worried after reading some of the reviews on here. But I needn't have fretted as everything was perfect from arrival to departure.

We arrived mid-morning so I knew it would be too early to check-in but the receptionist was very polite and checked to see if our room was ready just in case. It wasn't, which wasn't a problem, so I asked if it was ok to leave the car out the front while we went into Cheltenham and she said that was fine and advised us of which bus to catch, even producing a photocopy of the bus timetable.

After a very enjoyable day at the Cheltenham Food and Drink Festival - if they stage that again in 2009 I would recommend it to anybody. It is held in some nice gardens close to the centre of Cheltenham.

We returned and booked in. Admittedly it was quite a walk to our room, but that was the only very slight downside. The room was very large which was ideal as we have a 10-month old son that is just finding his feet and there was plenty of space for him to run around! There was a massive double bed, TV with films to hire (although we didn't have time to watch any), complimentary tea/coffee/biscuits and shampoo/soap etc in the bathroom. I couldn't fault the room at all.

We used the swimming pool that evening which was lovely, plus spa and sauna. There is also a good size gym. All this is free to use for hotel guests, And they supplied nice big towels without us having to ask for them.

We didn't eat in the hotel in the evening, but this is our normal choice as we prefer to go for a walk and explore the local area. We ate in the Owl, which is only five minutes down the road, and the food there was excellent - particularly if you like sea food. Their oysters were very tasty.

In the morning, the staff in the restaurant were very friendly, greeting us on the way in with a friendly smile before showing us to our table and arranging a high chair for our son - again without us having to ask for one.
We enjoyed an excellent buffet breakfast - and at 8am in the morning everything was still hot.

We decided to go for another swim before our departure, and they were happy for us to check out and then go down and use the leisure facilities.

All in all, a very enjoyable and relaxing stay. We were there less than 24 hours but it felt like we'd been there for a couple of days and really helped us to recharge our batteries, which with a young baby isn't always easy to do!

And for the price I paid - £69.50 through Short Breaks Direct - I felt it was an absolute bargain!

Considering the star rating and cost of staying at this hotel, the rooms are small and relatively basic ( not even enough toilet paper ) and the staff appear totally disinterested in providing a service. Of the two dinners we had one was average, the other abysmal with risotto cooked to the consistency of wallpaper paste! Just to top it off we had an invasion of ants in our room, making themselves cosy on the bed. I would advise visitors to steer clear of this hotel.

Having read reviews for this hotel AFTER a one night spa package had been booked, I arrived with some trepidation. All I can say was that I was very pleasantly surprised. The room was in the newer end of the hotel and was furnished to a pleasing standard (room 431) the bathroom was clean and not mouldy in the slightest. Towels were not very fluffy but were adequate. We had a bottle of wine and a small box of chocolates in our room, which we were not expecting. All the public areas were clean and decorated to a high standard. The dining room seems to have been refurbished recently. The facial I received in the Spa was good, as were treatments received by my friends.I enjoyed my breakfast and thought there was a good variety. Evening meal included in the room rate was adequate. I enjoyed my starter and desert, but while ok, I have had better risotto ( my main course). An added bonus was the Barbarian rugby team were also staying there during my stay! I haven't stayed in other hotels in Cheltenham so can't compare but don't believe everything you read. It really was a pleasant stay.

The Cheltenham Park Hotel looked lovely on the website. On arrival the location and grounds were impressive. We were pleased that our request to get in our rooms earier than 2pm was granted.

When checking in the receptionist was not too forthcoming with information, I would have expected to have been advised what time breakfast was and which way to get to our rooms etc but there was nothing, no information was given about anything.

The hotel itself is a old building, the rooms were adequate, the leisure facilities were excellent and the gym staff very helpful. The breakfast was buffet style and very nice. I guess the hotel did look a bit worn in parts but I would stay there again and Cheltenham is a lovely place.