The Credentials:
Stapleford Park is situated in 500 acres of Capability Brown-landscaped gardens. The Georgian, sand-coloured country house is impressive and beautiful; it entices with promises of delights within. For those wanting to do more than order room service there is a swimming pool within the house, a spa in the old stables, an 18-hole golf course and the chance to experience country sports such as shooting, falconry and riding.
Dine:
Guests can choose between the two AA Rosette Grinling Gibbons Restaurant or a more informal menu. The former is a high-ceilinged room with original features but when we dined, there was only one other party which made the atmosphere rather cold and unrelaxed. The music didn’t help. A small stereo played music from a far corner; it was an album repeated through dinner and the next day at breakfast that would have been more suited to the Last Night of the Proms – lots of Elgar and military tunes; not exactly easy listening. The waiting staff looked as though they were on work experience from a local catering college; their scripted service and awkward manner made dinner rather uncomfortable. The food could have made all of this insignificant but sadly it only added to the disappointment. The meat was delicious but everything else that came with it was overworked and mismatched. The after-dinner coffee was so weak that it was undrinkable.
Sleep:
Apparently there are 55 individually designed rooms at Stapleford Park. Ours must have missed out on the design phase. It felt like the room that’s given to the young, single chap at a weekend shoot. Miles from the main house and with a view of the back of the kitchens, there wasn’t enough hot water for two baths. With the minimum rack rate room price at £288 a night, I thought it was a complete rip-off. Although the port on arrival was a nice touch; a bit of alcohol always dulls the dissatisfaction of paying over the odds for a trumped-up Travel Inn.
Out & About:
Melton Mowbray is 15 minutes away by car. Unless you’re very interested in pork pies and want to visit the museum there is nothing else to do there. The hotel’s grounds are lovely and with activities supplied by the hotel there wouldn’t be much reason to leave anyway – unless of course you fancied a decent meal. Our spa treatment was average; a massage by a beautician who also does waxing, facials, manicures, pedicures, make-up etc… It wasn’t the work of a specialist.
Who Goes There?
Local work parties and a couple of middle-aged couples were there during our visit.
The Best Thing:
The main rooms. Some of the décor is really beautiful but don’t look too closely. Dogs-dressed-as-humans portraits stick in my mind as the most tasteless decoration.
The Worst Thing:
The Staff. From the bar tender to the maitre d’, the staff made us feel uncomfortable throughout our stay due to their overbearing and nervous service. The house wellies I borrowed had a hole in; for that kind of money I want water-tight footwear.
