Review | Woolley Grange Hotel, Bradford-on-Avon

Bath Echo Editor Sebastian Hawker visits Woolley Grange Hotel near Bradford-on-Avon following their recent refurbishment.

The Jacobean manor home to Woolley Grange Hotel

Tucked away just under 10 miles from Bath is a hidden gem that’s probably a familiar name to some of our readers, but somewhere they haven’t been. Woolley Grange reopened to the public in October following an extensive refurbishment, which saw its rooms, restaurant, spa facilities and gardens undergo a significant transformation.

When we arrived, a little earlier than planned, we made our way to the Orangery, where we took advantage of their Day Dining menu. The pricing was comparable to many lunch-locations in Bath (around £40 for two), and the service from Roberto was excellent. Halfway through our lunch, we were informed our room was ready, and we could make our way up when we were ready.

One of the bedrooms at Woolley Grange

The room, with views out towards the Westbury White Horse and out over the grounds, had everything you could need – and a quick call to reception would probably have provided even more. Little sweet treats and a welcome note were a special touch, and the fridge, which we discovered contained oat milk, was an added bonus.

The hotel itself is incredibly homely. The furniture and decor wouldn’t be out of place in your own home, and has been specially chosen to ensure guests are as comfortable as possible. Even those who have to do a little work when they are away have space within the lounges to do so, and the attentive members of staff are keen to ensure you’ve got everything you need.

Something that makes Woolley Grange incredibly special, and wasn’t something we’d picked up on before our visit, was how family-oriented it is. The hotel group is called Luxury Family Hotels, but that doesn’t even touch the sides of how family-friendly this hotel is.

When we arrived, there were children toasting marshmallows, there was an activity board in reception, a bottle warming station, and there were little ones running around without a care in the world. Something we continually noticed were the personal touches, such as dining table signs with names of the children. There were also many games, jigsaws and family activities dotted around the place. You’d certainly never get bored. There’s even an Ofsted-registered entertainment club, The Four Bears Den, offering free two-hour sessions for children aged 3 months to 8 years.

The Long Room at Woolley Grange

We later discovered that the hotel offers ‘High Tea’ at 5pm, a specially organised time for youngsters to have their dinner with mum and dad before heading along to the lounges with milk and cookies, on their way to bed. Story time was also on offer, and once in bed, baby monitors were available for families to keep an eye while they set about enjoying their evening.

The Spa facility at the Bradford-on-Avon hotel

The spa, which partners with Elemis, features a 12-metre swimming pool, along with sauna, steam room and outdoor hot tub, and provided much-needed relaxation. We both took a swim before heading out to use the hot tub – there’s something quite surreal about being sat in a sunken hot tub with steam emanating up around you in the dark. My partner took advantage of a hot-stone massage with therapist Louise – she hadn’t experienced one before, but afterwards decided it was something she’d certainly do again.

The 12-metre swimming pool available to guests and members

All in all, it was a fantastic 24 hours away from Bath. We would happily recommend it to families in and around the city – the facilities alone for children during the day are beyond anything we’ve seen before.

Though staying overnight may not be within the financial means for all, it would certainly be somewhere for friends and families to stay on a visit to the area, and we’re already planning to go back soon.

Woolley Green, Bradford-on-Avon BA15 1TX | www.luxuryfamilyhotels.co.uk | 01225 864705