Retreat East

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 treatment? 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 treatment, 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.

We stayed in the hayloft. It was so warm and inviting as we went in from the underfloor heating and there was also a log burner for extra comfort. The kitchen was very stylish and had everything we needed for our stay. The bedroom was beautiful featuring a large comfortable bed and a free standing bath to the side of the room. The water softener and beautiful complimentary products made us feel so soft when we came out. Complimentary bike hire allowed us to have a wonderful ride down to the local pup in the evening. The grounds and location is stunning.

An enjoyable stay! We stayed for two nights and booked via country escapes. I was a little surprised to see the Little Hive room we stayed in was as small as it was. I thought the images when booking showed we had a kitchen as well as the bedroom with the description being a ‘one bedroom barn’ but never the less it was very cute. I would say the bed was pretty uncomfortable and hard so if you prefer a squishy soft mattress be aware. I would also recommend a more durable shower mat as the floor does get soaked from the shower. We ate dinner in the main barn on the first night and food was lovely, full of flavour and well presented. My only suggestion here is perhaps the portion size could be a little bigger. Service was also great, all of the staff were super friendly and helpful throughout our stay. The spa treatments were also good, we had the muscle melt massage which we enjoyed. I would say the ‘spa’ itself could use some work. The steam room was virtually impossible to use as the floor was soaking wet like a pool and there was a bad smell, it smelled like chlorine which is pretty intense in such a small environment. The hot tub is okay but it’s not the most secluded or relaxing when people are walking by and the car park is next to it. I also feel that 30 minute slots to use the ‘spa’ and hot tub could be extended - as this is a retreat I think guests should be able to book hour long slots to really feel the benefit without being rushed. Overall I would say our trip was very enjoyable and the experience was nice. The staff were absolutely lovely especially the two ladies on the reception.

We stayed 2 nights in a cabin. The decor was very nice inside, but the cabin was dusty. The clothes shelves in the wardrobe area, the shelf by the mirror and under the furniture had not been cleaned and our clothes got covered in dust. I sent feedback but I got no response. The cabins look out on each other or on cars. You get the sauna and steam room to yourself for the half an hour booking, the same with the hot tub, though people can walk past you whilst you are in the tub so its not private. The massage and facial (mini retreat) was really good but overpriced at £100 pp. We saw the reviews and expected delicious food. The food was OK but nothing special. I had a lemon sole one night, the delicate flavour was overwhelmed by a really strong piperade. Any veg was £5 (for greens!). The second day there was an event in the main restaurant, but we hadn't been told, which meant you couldn't use the restaurant, or reading/sofa area. If we had known we would have stayed out for lunch. Continental breakfast was included. One day we chose the cooked option and we were charged the full price, not the difference between the two (continental is £18, cooked was less but we got charged for that plus our tea and coffee at full price). Overall the 2 nights bed, breakfast, dinner, 2x half hours in the sauna and the hot tub, 2 massage/facials, came to circa £1000.