Retreat East

There were some lovely elements to our stay and some bits that needed improvement… Firstly we arrived late (not planned) and got to the great barn on a Sunday evening at 7:15pm (last orders 7;30). We’d emailed to explain and they advised to peruse the menu so we could order on arrival. I emailed back having looked at the 4 main course options and said we’d both like the beef. We parked in the main car park and walked down to the main area which is about 100m walk. It says don’t park near your room or you’ll be charged £50 so we duly stuck to this. No one else did, there’s car everywhere! The view from our room was just a car park by the time everyone ignored the parking rule. We arrived and after a few moments someone seated us. We ordered food and drinks and waited a fair while for drinks and then had to remind them to bring us water. After a while the waitress came back and said no beef :-( so we had the pork. The food was stunning, really delicious, we ordered green veg as a side which was broccoli and peas (£6) as it said the mains only come with parsnip, they don’t, there was plenty and we didn’t really need the extra veg. I didn’t have a starter but had one of their nibbles which was very nice- disappointingly they charged me for 2 courses when I had a nibble and a main and they charged me £7 on top for the nibble. We then went to our room which was lovely. The QR code welcome book is ok but doesn’t really explain much about the room facilities or the hotel really. Welcome basket had chocolate and crisps and there’s milk and water in the (noisy) fridge. The toiletries are absolutely lovely and the water pressure is great. The bed was comfy but no bedside tables is a paid for a morning cuppa etc. the TV can swing to be visible in the lounge or bedroom areas but the bed frame makes it impossible to watch TV in bed. Breakfast is ok, nothing overly exciting and not set up by the start time also no one offered us the cooked option menu on either day. We had to wait quite a while on day 2 to get anyone’s attention for hot drinks. The spa is a sauna and a steam room and an outside hot tub (booked separately). There was no one on the spa reception (which is inside the restaurant) so we just figured it out ourselves. That meant we had to use the robes from our room as we couldn’t find any in the spa. We had to fill in forms for treatments sat in the main restaurant area which is ok but a bit weird in your robes. The treatments were brilliant, really good. We had afternoon tea which was lovely, no offer of bubbles so we just had the standard one. No offer of drinks refills. Second nights sleep was dreadful, we were in the Den which is connected to the Nook. Whoever was in there couldn’t sleep and paced all night which caused the floor in our room to creak and kept me awake a lot! There’s a lovely skylight above the bed but it’s mega dirty so the view wasn’t quite what it could be. So all in all… lovely food (Sunday roast a

We were in the Piggery. Initially a beautiful suite of rooms. The kitchenette is well appointed, but the coffee choice is poor. From the ambience and style it is difficult to keep the whole area spotless, but if you don’t mind dirty floors, cobwebs and epoxy foam then it’s fine. The pillows are soft and the mattress was harder than a rock. Very uncomfortable. The bathroom sink was blocked on our first night (unblocked by the next day) but I suspect that they are still using grey water for washing in the shower, due to an unpleasant sulphurous smell left on your skin after washing. That night we dined at the restaurant, for my wife’s birthday. Starters were lovely, local and delicious. My wife fish is was ok, but the skin was not crispy. My lamb dish was inedible. Without a steak knife it couldn’t be cut. You would have choked on the meat. When I complained, the chef disagreed with me. I challenged him to eat it himself. He didn’t appear. The lamb dishes were removed from the menu the next day. Breakfasts were completely average, with no fresh fruit available except chopped up. Front of house staff were all lovely and professional. Especially Harry, Max, Gwenney and most of all Kasia, who had to deal with that chef!

Absolutely gorgeous stay! The staff were always so friendly. Would definitely recommend to others. Maybe would like to see more options on the menu in the Barn; a pasta and/or a steak dish would be great. Would also be nice if you could book the hot tub on its own without having other spa treatments

Absolutely gorgeous stay! Would definitely return and recommend to others. Would just like to see more option on the menu in the barn. A pasta and/or steak dish would be great.

My sister and I were purchased a spa day for a thank you gift. The day started with a smoothie shot which was delicious. Followed by exclusive use of the outdoor hot tub and facilities. (Sauna, steam room, ice bucket & showers) We then got showered and ate lunch in the barn in our gowns. Lunch was amazing. We had the roast beef fried Capers, Cornichons, Crispy Onions and mustard dressing and a chicken club sandwich and fries. We were asked to fill out a questionnaire which would allow them to choose the correct products for us. We then had the most relaxing 60 min massage and 90 minute facial. They had thought of everything. The bed was heated, bolsters under your knees, weighted blanket on top of you. Eye mask to cover your eyes and the perfect relaxing music. We had Lucy & Andrea as our therapists and they were amazing. Talked us through everything before we went in and checked a couple of times if the pressure and heat was ok. The massage alone will have us travelling the hour journey back again. This really is such an amazing retreat and will we definitely be coming to try out one of their cabins. Perfect for a couple of friends/ family or a couple.

We stayed for 2 nights in The Coop. Lovely room, spacious with nice decor & comfy bed. As for the downsides, while appearing to have a full kitchen (& plenty of space to do so) it’s just a toaster, fridge & sink - there’s no way to heat up food which is a complete miss & just quite frustrating. The outdoor bath is lovely but the decking is green & covered with algae, the outdoor furniture + cushions were green & no one would want to sit on them. As for the bathroom, there’s no space or shelf for you to put any make up or skin care on & there’s a rainfall shower but no separate hose for when you don’t want to wash your hair. Given the price tag, £350 per night, I don’t think it’s good enough to have blankets from Dunelm & fake plastic green trellis up in the outdoor space or supply such a small amount of firewood (enough for 2/3 hrs) & then charge for more. In addition, the included breakfast was a poor continental offering of croissants, bread, cheese and yogurts. Again, for £350 a night, everywhere else I’ve stayed would include a hot breakfast buffet or made to order dishes. Lastly, I’d tried to contact the “spa” to book in via email ahead of our stay but got no response past my first email so we didn’t experience. All the staff were lovely & kind but unfortunately, for the price, Retreat East feels a little rough round the edge compared to similar properties like Farmstead Lodges, The Pig, The Ffolkes etc.