Overview

Although a very nice hotel, too many little things that concerned us prevented us offering higher marks, but it’s still a lovely building and area to go and visit. (DO READ PART TWO AS WELL), for further details. Our review is given as all our other reviews are, ( over 30 hotels reviewed) to encourage you to go and take a visit and see all the hotels we share with you, and all of them are based on a short two hour or so visit, and enjoy refreshments with them as you walk around and enjoy these various hotels. Of course, you can gain much information that may help you decide to take an overnight stay, and Some of the hotels are well worth doing just that, but our intention is to allow these hotels, as well as in this instance, Ellenborough Park hotel, to offer you their hospitality over a shared drink or two, while you enjoy the hotels for a short visit. We will first of all start our review with a short history lesson of Ellenborough Park. This 15th century English country estate, grade 11 listed Ellenborough Park hotel, is steeped in history, and lies in the Cotswold countryside, close to Cheltenham, and just a pleasant stroll of one and a half miles from the famous Cheltenham race course. Thomas Goodman, a tenant farmer, seeing his former house falling into disrepair, began to construct a new home quite close to his old house, in 1485, and he transported the sandstone blocks with a horse and cart, block by block and as much material as he could muster. Over the years, the house has been rebuilt, named as Southam house, and in 1520 it was sold to Sir John Huddlestone, and he completed building the house, and seeing his daughter marry a Kinnair de la Bere. The original front door, solid Oak, is still in use today, and it has a number of bullet holes still very much visible, and supposedly to have been fired by Oliver Cromwell. In 1833 the first Earl of Ellenborough, bought the house, still known as Southam house, and work began to renovate many areas of the country house, or Manor. Built in early Tudor style, the Great hall was built, along with other rooms, using Oak beams, stone fireplaces and stained glass, and additions were made in Gothic and Neo-Norman architectural style, and they used Cotswold Ashlar stone, a stone slate roof, and other Ashlar stacks were built, and now after 500 years it is still held in high regard by many. In 1609, the Manor House was bought by Richard de la Bere. During 1826 miss de la Bere lived in the house. From 1906 Mrs Ratcliffe and daughters Lilian and Phyllis lived here, until 1927, and enjoyed a fulfilling life nursing wounded soldiers back to health, along with other interests. By 1947, a private school for girls ran for 25 years until the school closed and was sold to become the first hotel, de la Bere hotel, until that closed in 2008. Ellenborough Park hotel then began another restoration in 2008, taking 3 years or more to complete. Then launched in 2011, and now owned by Shetlands hotels ltd, operated by Michaels and Taylor, the hotel management company. But in 2017, further work commenced with an extensive refurbishment, which gained a new front entrance, but still using the old original door of 1485, and the two restaurants, The Horse Box, and the main Beaufort restaurant were given a complete makeover, and a reception area was then created. The Horse box Brasserier serves lunch 12 till 2.30, with a reasonable menu, and afternoon tea 2.00 till 4.30, but you really need to take in afternoon tea in the main restaurant itself, 2.00 until 4.30, and receive that bit of pampering you deserve. We arrived from the village of Ellenborough along the main lane towards Ellenborough Park hotel, and drove through a small walled entrance for the driveways into the park. You are then given a choice of directions, either left to follow the long driveway round the park areas, or as we did, to the right towards the obvious disabled parking bays. Bad choice. (Photo 1) shows a delightful building as you approach, with a statue of a horse standing alongside the walled hotel. It is quite near to the famous Cheltenham race course, and there is a path leading you for a pleasant mile and a half walk from the front of the hotel to the race course. There is a nice outside terrace area on the lawn (photo 2) and a few little round pods that you can sit in as well as the tables and chairs. The drive continues round to the gatehouse (photo 3) with a beautiful backdrop. As you drive through, over to the left is an annexe with a few of the bedrooms. (Photo 4). Continue ahead through another walled gateway to the main part of the hotel. (Photo 5). Those pillars lead you to a small car parking area, with no disabled bays, which is opposite to the very attractive frontage of the hotel, (photo 6) and then there is a level pathway which leads into the reception, (photo 7) and the wooden door you go through is the original heavy Oak door, and on a cold winters day would be closed. The reception area has certainly got character, but not inspiring, (photo 8) and from here you would be directed to the disabled parking bays, which we imagine would be close to your room. (Photo 9) shows there are 11 disabled bays available, and there is a ramp, (photo 10) which only Adds to the confusion of finding the reception again. The signs seemed to lead you towards Woodland Court (photo 11) where we think the disabled rooms are. Access to the reception has a pull handle door (photo 12) but it is on the level, and you enter the passage. A very small lift (photo 13) is available, only just big enough for the wheelchair, then another little corridor leads you to the fitness centre and changing rooms (photo 14). A plain simple corridor leads you to the bedrooms (photo 15). However, the actual way to the reception for disabled was to head back towards the gateway again, just follow (photo 16). From the reception, you are led to the Horsebox restaurant (photo 17) if you would like lunch or a drink, not at all inspiring. To reach the bar and Cocktail lounge, there are two sets of steps to get down (photo 18) to a large pleasant looking bar (photo 19) and into the unattractive cafe looking cocktail lounge. (Photo 20). Our final thoughts. The exterior of the hotel is very pleasing and attractive to the eye, and welcoming. For us, our visit was completely spoilt by the disaster of trying to find the reception from the disabled parking bays, with such a long walk following, and if it was raining it wouldn’t please you at all. And then to be shown into the Horsebox restaurant area was most off putting. All in all, on this part one review of Ellenborough Park hotel, we would not recommend it to a disabled person, but do please read part two before making your mind over as regards visiting for a short coffee or lunch break.

Transport & Parking

This was one reason we did not offer higher marks, because on all our travels we never did get so upset by trying to park our car. It is easy enough to follow Sat NAV directions to the hotel, but we got a bit confused as to where to park. A fork along the driveway suggests that traffic turn left at a fork, but we could see that disabled parking was over to the right at the fork, and we went that way. We found 11 disabled parking bays, great, and we managed to find one right by the ramp to go Odown to the hotel, (photo 10). Then perhaps our own fault, but we did not read the signs for reception correctly, as arrow pointed us to go down to reception, and everything seemed to then point us towards the wing to the left for reception, and we did indeed follow that line, but got ourselves completely lost in the maze of the hotels buildings. And time after time we followed instructions for reception, until signs finally disappeared and we were lost. Now remember, you have two late 70,s Disabled people trying to find reception in a maze of corridors and various buildings, so we sadly allowed things to get on top of us, until, gratefully, we met a gentleman returning to his room who showed us the way to go for reception, which was we noted on the other side of the complex of buildings, nwhere near were we where at that moment. Now we know, ( THE DISABLED BAYS ARE FOR PARKING FOR THE USE OF DISABLED ROOMS AND OTHER FACILITIES IN THIS WING ). and nothing to do with finding the reception area, which is in another building completely. So after many miles of walking around passages, my wife struggling to push this old gentleman along, ( at this point I was just about remaining a gentleman ), dragging our wheelchair up a number of steps, turning corner after corner, we eventually found the reception. Oh my, where we tired and upset by now, so you have been warned, take no notice of disabled bays at this point in time, just follow notice to turn left at junction, and follow that drive round many bends, passing walled areas, until after quite a ride you will arrive at the front of the Hotel itself, and find the reception. Talk about frustration, so we feel this must be sorted by management to make it clear on where to park for reception first, then worry about driving back to disabled bays, and by the way, there was not a single disabled bay by the reception entrance, just about a dozen parking areas, and these were all full anyway. You will get a better understanding of what we have written here if you take a look at our photos, ( from number 9 to 16 ). So this is one reason why we offer just 4 stars for this hotel.

Access

Not to bad, most of hotel is level, but there are steps preventing you from seeing all you would like, and a rather steep ramp to get up to enter the beautiful restaurant itself if having dinner here later on in the evening, just have a strong carer with you to get you up this ramp, preferably dragging you up backwards for safety. Our photos show some of these steps and the ramp, do take a look. The only lift we found was in the Woodland Court annex of hotel were we got lost, and although a small lift we did both manage to get in, and get ourselves even more lost.

Toilets

We found disabled toilet behind the Horse Box restaurant, easy enough to get to, clean and tidy, and we managed to turn wheelchair in there, as everything else was crammed up close together on far wall to allow wheelchair to get inside. There were grab rails and pull cord however.

Staff

They tried so hard for us, not really interested in our exploits, properly thinking at our age we should be in bed not wandering around a huge hotel trying to find a reception, but all were friendly and willing to now provide help.

Photos