Small table top fan could not cool enough.

We sadly had an awful sleep as the room was so hot and we were only provided with a small fan as there is no air con.

* Room very humid throughout the night as no air con.

but they are so stuffy unless you keep the patio doors open all night, not always the safest option.

We had to put the fan on at 3pm because it was ridiculously hot.

Only issue was that the room was very warm and it took us a while to realise the radiators were on full blast heat despite it being a beautiful day.

We ended up putting the fan on in the middle of the night this time.

There was mould on the walls in places, a bollard in the swimming pool where there was obviously a broken vent, and holes in the wall where dressing gown hooks should be - out of keeping with the rest of the place.

The room was average nothing special, our room was also uncomfortably hot we had to open the window and have a fan on in the middle of feb just so we could sleep.

We found the room very hot even with the radiator turned off .

The room was really dated and there was no air conditioning.

Room was very very hot at night and we only had a noisy small fan.

but it wasn't anything special, there was no air conditioning either so it did get very hot at times.

Unfortunately there was no air con which was disappointing as it was a really hot day

Visited on a Sunday with my mum, as our 'usual' spa, The Sanctuary (Covent Garden), has closed down.

Room was very clean and comfortable, we had garden room with patio which overlooked lush gardens, really beautiful surroundings.

This place is lovely, the gardens are stunning and well worth exploring, the food is gorgeous and the spa is very nice.

We had a garden room on the ground floor and it was nicely laid out, especially the beds: we were not wedged in side-by-side like Hinge and Bracket, so it felt spacious.

The bed was comfortable and the gardens beautiful,

* Stunning and well kept gardens steeped in history, perfect for a gentle walk.

I paid £50 and promptly received an email saying that I had a garden room.

Everything about the place from the gardens to the spa is relaxing and just what I needed.

We both booked the Signature Mulberry rooms with own patio, table and chairs and a beautiful view of the gardens.

We also had a lovely walk around the gardens.

Stayed in a garden room with a pleasant view over the grounds.

The grounds and gardens are outstandingly beautiful.

The garden is beautiful and is well maintained

I really recommend the love life package with a garden room.

Set on the outskirts of the small village of Thorpe-le-soken with pubs and shops available, surrounded by beautiful listed gardens.

The doors open right up to beautiful gardens which are stunning, I would fully recommend a walk around them if you get the chance.

The food was great and my room was perfect (can recommend the Signature Garden room)  Two nights/days of total relaxation was just what I needed and

Love our walk in the grounds always relaxes us.The massages were amazing and the two ladies were very good and very nice.they were Anita and Karin.I haven’t had the massages before

Breakfast was good too (although we did order vegan sausage which never appeared). Top tip: do explore the beautiful grounds (but maybe check they don’t lock you out!!)

Overall : Nicely located in extensive own grounds about 4 miles from Frinton.

Positives - staff are good , rooms are clean and big , breakfast is lovely , grounds nice.

Plus side was the dinner and breakfast was lovely and the grounds are beautiful

There were no summer flowers planted at all … There are some magnificent trees and ducks about the grounds though.

The grounds are so lovely, albeit looking a bit parched in the recent hot weather; at this rate I imagine everything will be dead by August.

The grounds were impressive, worth exploring.

As usual grounds are beautiful and all staff were helpful and professional.

And the grounds beautiful, we had a lovely walk

The grounds a beautiful if you enjoy going for a walk.

Above all our favourite part was the grounds, absolutely stunning, we throughly enjoyed strolling round in the sun and thought it really did add to the tranquil relaxing atmosphere you’d want from a spa.

The breakfast was lovely (minus the scrambled egg..), the grounds were beautiful and the staff was nice.

It has a lovely history which makes the grounds even more interesting.

Great spa facilities & the grounds were mesmerising!

The extensive grounds are beautiful with plenty of spring flowers, lakes, geese and other wildlife, trees and shrubs from around the globe.The staff were all very friendly and helpful at all times.

We came to the lifehouse spa for a overnight stay as a gift from someone , here's how our stay was -

Hotel room~ when we walked in the room it smelt amazing , and was so clean , the lighting in the room was perfect .

What a wonderful 2 day stay once again at Lifehouse Spa.

It would seem that the Lifehouse Spa are happy to take your money upon your booking

I visited Lifehouse spa with a friend, 
Our room was ready on time, rooms are clean and spacious - albeit missing a little 'luxury' I feel.

The Lifehouse Spa is both an excellent spa and an excellent hotel.

My parents recommend the Lifehouse Spa & Hotel.

We had a 3 night stay at The Lifehouse Spa & were looking forward to a relaxing break.

Myself and my husband wanted a break near the seaside so chose a two-night break at the Lifehouse spa.

I stayed in the lifehouse spa for the night with my partner and we had ana amazing time, the gardens are beautiful and the pools are so relaxing.

Lovely overnight stay at lifehouse spa, highly recommend it.

Overall we had an incredible stay and would highly recommend Lifehouse Spa, had everything we needed for a perfect stay.

Just returned from an overnight stay at the Lifehouse Spa, on arrival we were greeted, I use this term loosely, by Paulette, who didn't really acknowledge us and was very unfriendly, all seems too much effort to welcome you!!

Thank you lifehouse spa for a great stay.

The real beauty and high point of Lifehouse Spa is the grounds.

My wife and I visited the lifehouse spa for an overnight stay this weekend for a birthday treat for myself .

Well done lifehouse spa for employing such a polite and helpful person.

We stayed at the Lifehouse Spa on 26/02/2019.

Overall our weekend at the Lifehouse Spa was very average with some very nice parts , which were outweighed by some very poor parts.

I went to lifehouse spa with a friend and arrived 15 minutes before official check in time.

The furniture on the upper floor of the spa looks like the cheapest IKEA furniture - beanbags and wooden benches with thin, mean padding, making it look like a student union space rather than a luxury spa.

The prices of the starters are only one or two pounds less than the main courses which is a bit mad?!

Yes it would be expensive to have 3 courses

Restaurant very poor at this (high) price level as are drinks.

I think this is a really pricey hotel and spa for what they offer and I feel as

Would have been nice to have been shown where amenities were
Thought we were getting a treatment within the price paid.

but not ideal having to drag our luggage to another building mid stay )
Overall our trip was ruined and we paid a lot of money.

Lady in reception was nice, not happy I had to pay extra to wear a towel dressing gown

We did not eat Dinner at the hotel as most of the menu was pasta and on the pricey side.

Unfortunately, Lifehouse is charging Champneys/Grove/high end central London hotel prices, including for cocktails,

Please be aware that you have to pay a room deposit upon entry.

We decided against having dinner at the restaurant as we felt it was slightly limited to a certain type of cuisine and very expensive.

We arrived and parked easily, pleasantly surprised to find there was a charge point to charge my car, you must pay to use it as it's a BP pulse point

It’s not cheap and they could do with reviewing their prices on treatments and less people. .

It’s also very very pricey for what it is.

I would definitely never return here and I’m so glad I never paid anymore for treatments as I would of been even more disappointed.

They were not responsive to a request for a refund.

They need to remember not everyone has attended a spa before so some questions need to be asked!

We waited over an hour for our dinner and when we asked our server what was in some of the dishes on the menu, she didn’t know and just shrugged her shoulders.

I asked again for a room not on the ground floor.

The person on the other end of the phone was very unhelpful, did not want to even look for the original email l had sent & it almost seemed everything was to much effort for her & she bordering on rude, only when l asked to speak with a manager/supervisor did she make any kind of effort & then found the email l had originally sent.

I asked for the gluten free porridge & it arrived plain with nothing on it and tasted like cardboard.

but was left with a sour taste after I made a simple request to swap new potatoes (which I don’t like) with roast potatoes.

No information on how to get to our room so we asked a waiter.. the spa facilities were very very busy.

but we found the waitress service very slow and dismissive of requests.

I asked for an email address in order for me to write a formal complaint

Asked for no salmon , was given cucumber, ham and a few leaves , grated cheese and egg Mayo.

We complained at the time to the manager and later we received a ‘complimentary spa day.’ On closer inspection, when we realised we hadn’t been asked what treatments we’d like, we discovered this day didn’t include any treatments or lunch.

After a 2nd uncomfortable night's sleep, we asked the duty mgr to inspect the door, he confirmed that the door tilting mechanism was faulty.

I then called down to reception and asked for more ice.

To finalise, whilst sitting having a drink, on the secon evening, a chap cane up to the Bar and asked for an Ice bucket, to be told that’s £7,50 charge sir.

I asked if we could have some bread & we had to pay a supplement which felt a bit cheeky.

In the meantime I asked her to open a window ,

Was rushed into a room for my massage , the room smelt damp and light as anything so asked for a eye covering .. the massage should of been called a rub cause it certainly wasn’t a massage !

When I asked if the rules had changed I was told no,

I then asked to speak to the manager who was very apologetic and understanding, she kindly offered to take some money off our bill and assured us a £50 refund would be debited to our cards.

Service in the restaurant was good, dinner OK

We had a 2 night break with 1 treatment each included and dinner on the first night.

We were booked for a three course meal and because of my food problems and being vegan there was very little I could eat.

Food at lunchtime was wonderful, and our 3 course dinner was presented beautifully and tasted delicious!

Our dinner was really good and tasted lovely.

Our evening meal was absolutely delicious and service was spot on.

The restaurant  served lovely  food with generous  portions .

but this fillet of beef was better than any steak I've had from a fancy steak restaurant.

The overall hotel and restaraunt were amazing!

I enjoyed my recent stay - the food was good, if quite expensive, and the atmosphere relaxing.

Saw other people walk out after reading menu.

Restaurant food in the evening was really excellent, as was the waitress service.

PROS

* Located in a sweet little village with lots of pubs.

One area that really stood out above & beyond was the resturant & the staff, they are an absolute joy, friendly, they offer a great service, food was fantastic & Sophie in particular was very attentive, helpful & nothing was too much trouble, she was an absolute star, this one's a keeper Lifehouse.

Booked this after receiving some vouchers for the spa.

Just returned from third spa stay.The room was clean and everything was fine.

Our treatments were really good, my partner said it was the best massage he's ever had!

The spa area is very nice, the salt steam room a real fave of mine

Spa area overcrowded especially evenings.

Can't really fault the spa & hotel itself (have been many times)

There are many optional spa days or part days from morning until night.

I had a facial and it just really wasn’t great.

The outside of the spa looks like a prison.

Now to the gardens which was main reason for booking this spa.

Loved the spa area with its steam rooms and sauna.

Our Spa treatments were good, I had a soothing facial and my Husband a hot stone massage.

CONS

* No treatments available to book at the spa.

This was not my 1st visit to the Lifehouse spa, l have been several times before.

Don’t buy anyone a virgin gift voucher experience for this spa.

She was really friendly and offered great advice and products when I walked through some of my skin issues.

but it would be good to have marked walking routes.

Grounds are well cared for and make for pleasant walks and surroundings.

Robes and slippers provided, large walk in shower.

Overall a lovely stay - Beautiful grounds (make sure you walk round them and see the lake very picturesque) and location, excellent food and service, (majority of staff were exceptionally smiley and helpful) rooms very clean and modern with very comfortable beds and lovely bed linen and pillows.

Plenty of beds around the spa area and the team do an excellent job at replacing fresh towels, disinfecting the areas, pushing displaced water away from main walk ways - pool is spotless!

Google map showed that the spa was 16min walk.

great walks around the hotel
excellent food in the restaurant -steak
great rooms and beautiful views
lovely friendly staff 
beautiful history behind the place 

things not as good
the swimming area 
and the spa/massage

We will enjoy a walk around the beautiful gardens

The Bell Inn is a 15 min walk away and is much better in terms of price and quality.

There are extensive gardens to walk through, which really does make you feel like your in the middle of nowhere!

Lifehouse Hotel & Spa

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We love a mix of contemporary and classic (done superbly by the Firmdale group with hotels such as the Covent Garden Hotel and Soho Hotel)

Barnsley House and gardens is the former home of Rosemary Verey who died in 2001.

but worth every penny. Will definitely be back, want to stay in the garden room next time as this looked incredible too ( but was fully booked when we came )

The reception we got was excellent the staff well trained and polite and helpful we walked round the gardens first then sat outside for tea.

A charming hotel, beautiful gardens, excellent rooms, wonderful service.

This hotel is set in about 5 acres with the most wonderful gardens, all just perfect ,

Lovely gardens, beautiful and relaxing spa, great food, and excellent accommodations.

The grounds and garden are beautiful and the garden is impeccable.

but even better were the stunning gardens.

Our loft bedroom was beautiful and spacious with amazing views over the gardens.

We stayed in a garden suite and it was stunning.

And we must say a huge thank you for upgrading our room to the stunning garden room.

The Secret Garden Suite is fabulous and includes a fire pit, hot tub and amazing bath, and there is small

The room over looked the magnificent gardens and was spacious and very comfortable

The spa have a wow factor, rooms are incredible comfortable and the gardens are idyllic.

Served in the lovely dining room, overlooking the main garden, you can't help

We stayed in the Secret Garden Room which was just as special as it sounds… we even had our own real Christmas Tree!

Beautiful views over the pretty gardens and with an equally large bathroom.

but took the opportunity to dine at Barnsley House on our first evening and also had afternoon tea in the gardens later in our stay; both were excellent.

The gardens are a delight at every time of year, with plenty of spaces to lose yourself to read a book or enjoy a peaceful afternoon tea.

Very worn out and a poor shower that needs a limescale clean.

The worst part about the visit was the cleanliness - the stone floors are filthy and the overall cleanliness feels very poor.

Despite the beautiful location, our Afternoon Tea was sadly let down by poor service.

So - disappointing and poor value, I regret to say, as the people are nice.

The gardens are quite frankly pretty poor, they will say it is because of the hot weather

Dinner was also overpriced, and very poor.

Lack of a 5th star was due to a few instances of poor service that seemed related to them having a large party at the property (for a wedding I think).

one thing is poor mobile signal & not very good Wi-Fi,

The world famour Potager was  in a poor state.

but often this can be let down with poor staff, not Barnsley house!

After a poor start due to an issue at the Village Pub which Barnsley House also run up the road (separately reviewed) the staff at the hotel did more than could possibly be hoped for to recover the situation.

Only downside for us was we opted to eat at Village Pub rather than restaurant and this turned out to be quite poor indeed (despite other positive reviews)

Overall we couldn't complain about the food as it was lovely and the restaurant is really nice, unfortunately we left feeling deflated and annoyed by poor manners and general restaurant etiquette.

The hotel is expensive and benchmarked against some others may appear to be poor value for money.

We also loved relaxing in the steam room, and the sauna where fresh water (lemon and cucumber) was provided. Stunning!

The perfect place for a relaxing, luxurious break.

but they were all so helpful, relaxed, chatty, and efficient.

The Village Pub is probably better to stay at if you are more interested in going for walks and exploring the Cotswolds area than pampering and relaxing at the spa.

A very relaxing spa which wasn’t too busy.

We wanted somewhere relaxing to stay for one night after our return from the US, before we got back into work!

My partner Jo loved the quality of the toiletries on offer and enjoyed them immensely  This room was simply perfection and most unexpected  The hotel gardens are really beautiful and we spent many happy hours relaxing in the winter sun.

I would also note the staff room at reception because the building is quite open you can hear all conversations and laughter in the relaxation room.

but extremely tranquil and the massage I had was amazing!

The grounds are simply stunning and you can always find a quiet spot to relax and unwind.

+ beautiful peaceful Cotswolds location
+lovely gardens
+ good food at village pub, in potage restaurant and cream teas on the terrace
+ nice lounges with open fires for drinks and cocktails
+ lovely country walks around the hotel and village
+ brilliant private cinema with huge choice of films plus popcorn and drinks
+comfy bed
+great spa treatments from well qualified therapists
+design of spa quite lovely
- was a bit disappointed with room - had booked a garden room

It was our baby moon and wanted a spa relaxation day.

The hotel itself is full of unpretentious charm and has a few different spaces for relaxing with a drink, you can’t help

We both had a neck, back and shoulder massage which was so relaxing!

Our room and the rest of the hotel were peaceful and quiet, with no noise from other guests (the stable suites are mezzanine, with nobody upstairs).

A very relaxing couple of days stay at Barnsley House.

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