Retreat East

If I could rate the facilities and the food separately I would have rated 4 or 5. Food is excellent (great breakfast), spa facilities are fine and levels of service pretty good. What let our trip down was the accommodation. Because of the size of our family group we stayed in the Farmhouse which is very old worldy and quaint. No problem with that but sadly it really needs some money spending on it. It wasn't that clean, ladybirds (dead and alive) everywhere and windows were nailed shut. Understandbly there is no aircon which means you must be able to open the windows to get some fresh air in. There are air fresheners but they don't cut it. A number of them were broken and it looks as if someone decided they were too expensive to fix and just closed them permanently. For the price charged, this isn't very good and I doubt in hot weather that this would be bearable. Would we go again? Yes for the reasons above and the fact that the location is great, very peaceful, walks from the front door etc etc - but really the Farmhouse needs some attention.

Our first visit and I would say that on arrival the staff was very friendly and helpful. It’s a very relaxed and friendly a**osphere we had no problems booking trea**ents but then again it didn’t seem that busy. The food was very nice but a bit over priced especially the desserts that were small in portions but inflated in price (£11 for what was relatively two scoops of ice cream) But generally quite happy with it all a nice peaceful setting good variations of accommodation if I was to recommend anything to add then probably an introduction of a swimming pool would be nice and some sun beds or deck chairs to use outside your accommodation. I did like the fact that if you booked the sauna/steam room it was exclusive to you….. nice touch that

We first visited two years ago and thought it was amazing but returning this week I think the expansion of the site may have had an impact. In particular the Great Barn struggled to cope with the number of residents at breakfast. Fixtures and fittings were starting to look a little shabby (we stayed in the Hayloft) but it is still a lovely place. Please don’t expand anymore !!

I booked Retreat East to celebrate my friend's hen party and it was fantastic! Everything was amazing - the accommodation, the food and spa facilities. The customer service was excellent! We had issues with our internet and the maintenance team came and fixed the issue within 30mins. Highly recommend!

Cosy stay in a Shepherd's Hut. Love that the hot tub and spa are private bookings, great for those of us that are not very confident in swimwear, etc. Great team of staff - all friendly and helpful.

A bit of history… Retreat East started out with high aspirations of becoming a private members establishment however soon realised that not many people signed up to be members or those which are known as ‘debenture holders’ so, it opened up to the public. Which financially makes sense. RE although privately owned is now run by a management company, which means one thing, they’re out for profit! Dogs are now charged to attend, room service comes with a fee, and the extras are dwindling. Where once you received bread, milk and other niceties on arrival has dwindled to a packet of crisp, a small chocolate bar and a small pot of honey (though noted not from their own bees!). Oh and wait to charge your car? That’ll be around £40. Fast forward a number of years, and the footfall of guests ranging from said debenture holders, those booking directly, those booking through discounted travel sites, or those just turning up for a spa day or dinner has taken its toll of those little hotel. We booked the Stables. We have stayed in this room before, but as you can see from the photos, it now leaves a lot to be desired. Torn furniture, curtains etc have left this place feeling like it needs a spring clean! I would too mention that if you’re hoping for afternoon tea on a Sunday, look elsewhere and the kitchen becomes too overwhelmed to cope with Sunday lunch and AT. Thinking of a spa trea**ent? Be prepared for a noisy massage. The massage rooms are next door to the restaurant, main toilets and spa, all increasing the noise levels. While you wait for trea**ent, sotting in your robe, you will be waiting in the dining hall where other guests are dining. Very odd. Now, fancy an activity? Bikes are available to rent, there is the spa..and that’s about it. There used to be a snooker table but that’s long gone to make space for more dining tables. Finally, the food is variable and expensive! I attach an example menu photo.

it is a really lovely stay staff is very helpful lovely and peaceful the Shepard hut was lovely had coffee tea and milk water and snacks the breakfast was lovely there was 14 of us went for my sister and brother in law 70th birthday surprize party

A lovely tranquil setting, the shepherds hut was small but nicely decorated and comfortable. When we arrived the hut was very cold, it might have been a nice touch for the heater to be on as it was a very cold night. Personally, I felt it unnecessary and less relaxing that you had to book a 30 min private slot for the hot tub/spa; I like the community of saunas and would have preferred to turn up whenever for this and have a bit longer to relax, but realise this is not to everybody's taste. The staff were generally very friendly and welcoming, but the manager at the restaurant was a little unfriendly and made us feel slightly uncomfortable on a couple of occasions. It's a nice place but it feels like they haven't quite got it down, as if it's new and they're still finding their feet, but I don't think that's the case. Just feels like it's not as amazing as it should be.

Lovely stay at Retreat East. We stayed in The Granary. Spotlessly clean and well equipped. Everything was thought of. Very comfortable with two toilets and two showers. The bottle of milk and fresh coffee was very welcome. We would definitely stay here again. Next time I would take my dog. Sometimes it’s difficult to find accommodation that accepts dogs. Sat. nav. took us to the wrong address but found easily after a slight hitch. Thank you to all the staff who were very efficient and helpful.