Woolley Grange Hotel & Spa, Wiltshire – a review

A weekend of family fun at Woolley Grange Hotel & Spa, Wiltshire

Set in the gorgeous Wiltshire countryside the Woolley Grange Hotel and Spa is part of the Luxury Family Hotel group. Who most definitely know how to look after families.

We took a winter trip to recharge our batteries and enjoy a weekend of relaxation, lovely food and fun. And it was wonderful.

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Location

Woolley Grange is only twenty minutes from Bath and just on the outskirts of Bradford-on-Avon in Wiltshire. So if you fancy some time out exploring there’s plenty to do on the doorstep.

If you’re here for a week it would be the ideal location to get out and enjoy the surroundings. But for a weekend you won’t want to leave the hotel. It’s so well set up for all the family so my advice would be to park up the car and enjoy everything around you.

Woolley Grange dates back to the 1600s and its history seeps through every corner and crevice. From its origins as a family home through to a maternity hospital in the second world war for mothers evacuated from London. It was even the first ever NHS ambulance station.

Woolley Grange has a rich and varied history. It’s lovely to find a hotel that embraces its past and still manages to be family friendly, combining luxury and character.

Woolley Grange Hotel & Spa, Wiltshire – Sleeps

Every room at Woolley Grange is packed with character and different from the next.

There are cosy, romantic double bedrooms in the main bedroom through to interconnecting rooms and suites throughout the grounds.

We stayed in the Hay Loft, a two bedroom suite just a short hop from the main house.

The accommodation was great for a family with a main central lounge area with sofas, television and plenty of space to spread out.

Lounge

There was also a dining area. This had a nice sized round table for us all to sit up at for some afternoon hot chocolates in the gorgeous Orla Kiely mugs provided.

Bedrooms

There was a lovely sized twin bedroom for the children.

Twin bedroom

And our oldest had a bed in the lounge which he loved. 

Our master bedroom was a lovely room with sumptuous cushions, a comfortable bed and just a serene, calm space. I really loved it.

Master bedroom

The bathroom

And there was a large bathroom which was probably my favourite room. Large and with a separate shower (the temperature of the water in which was a little temperamental but it was still nice and powerful).

It was a great space and I adore the Voya products which come in large non disposable containers to really enjoy.

But my favourite part was the beautiful roll top bath that was the perfect size to relax into. I loved the poster above it which featured the same bath from an advertising print of Woolley from 25 years ago.

Bathroom

General feel

It was lovely to have a TV in each of the rooms for some downtime. There was also a great DVD library for borrowing films at reception. We checked out Curious George which was nice for some night-time viewing.

We found the Hay Loft to be a lovely space to relax in and while the carpet and some of the decor feels a little worn it was also nice when travelling with kids to find somewhere which felt welcoming and lived in. It definitely helped us relax.

A weekend of family fun at Woolley Grange Hotel & Spa, Wiltshire - copyright: www.globalmousetravels.com

Food

Breakfast

We really enjoyed the food at Woolley Grange. Especially as wherever possible they use produce from their own kitchen garden.

Breakfast was a great spread of cereals, fruits, pastries and yoghurts. Like everything at Woolley it is super child friendly – there were plastic bowls and cutlery if you wanted them.

We loved the hot food service. Freshly cooked to order and the kids enjoyed waffles and maple syrup, and boiled eggs and soldiers.

Breakfast

While I had some wonderful field mushrooms with spinach and pumpkin seeds on bloomer. And Mr Globalmouse had poached eggs and smoked salmon on bagel.

It was a wonderful way to start the day.

A weekend of family fun at Woolley Grange Hotel & Spa, Wiltshire - copyright: www.globalmousetravels.com

Dinner – Woolley Grange Hotel & Spa, Wiltshire

We also ate dinner at Woolley.

They have a great system where you can accompany your children to kids tea at 5pm; have a family meal from 6pm; or go for the candlelit service from 7pm which is for adults only.

There’s a wonderful kids club (more on that later) if you want to go for the adult only option. And Woolley also offer a listening babysitting service. 

We opted for the family meal and sat down to a great spread, again with details from Woolley Grange’s own kitchen gardens.

I started with the artichoke soup with celeriac and smoked paprika which was the perfect size and so tasty.

A weekend of family fun at Woolley Grange Hotel & Spa, Wiltshire - copyright: www.globalmousetravels.com

And Mr Globalmouse went for the veggie scotch eggs with falafels and quails eggs. He declared these delicious.

A weekend of family fun at Woolley Grange Hotel & Spa, Wiltshire - copyright: www.globalmousetravels.com

The kids had some hummus and crudités to start. This was followed by macaroni and cheese or big pizzas which they all tucked into.

Pizza

And for a main course I enjoyed a mixed mushroom risotto which was lovely.

Mushroom risotto

We finished off with apple crumble for us and some banana splits for the kids which got two thumbs up.

Banana split

Kids Clubs

Kids clubs are not always something we take advantage of. Most people go away to have a break with their kids and we’ve often hesitated about putting our children in to kids clubs.

However our seven-year old adores them so it’s something we use more often now.

The Kids Clubs at Woolley Grange are fantastic and every day of your stay you get a morning or afternoon session for each of your children.

Ours loved the crafts that were on offer but there was plenty of room for free play too.

They take babies from 12 weeks to children up to eight years and it’s all Ofsted registered.

There are also opportunities to accompany your child to a session and join in with them.

The space is packed full of toys which you’re also welcome to borrow for your stay and take up to your room if you’d like.

With a film club in the evening to coincide with the adult dinner time this is a wonderful service.

The Spa at Woolley Grange Hotel & Spa, Wiltshire

I loved the spa at Woolley Grange.

They have a whole range of treatments including express 30 minute ones, some for teenagers and also pregnancy options.

I went for a thirty minute facial which was just lovely, my skin felt so hydrated afterwards and it was wonderful to have those thirty minutes to lay back and relax.

Again this is a great time to check the kids into the club if that’s their kind of thing. It’s great to take the opportunity to really relax knowing they’re off having fun.

Kids club

The spa is also home to Woolley’s indoor pool which is a really family friendly space. We all loved the opportunity to relax in the warm water and have a bit of a splash about.

There are plenty of kids toys and floats etc around the pool too.

Indoor pool

Worth Bearing in Mind

As I said before, in the suite we were in it felt a little worn in places. The carpet seemed a touch out of place but really this did not detract in any way from what is a beautiful hotel and a wonderful stay for families.

Child Friendly?

Where to begin. This is as child friendly as it gets but also manages to be wonderful for the grown ups too which is a tricky balance to manage.

The grounds – Woolley Grange Hotel & Spa, Wiltshire

The grounds are wonderful at Woolley Grange and split into various sections.

My favourite was the kitchen gardens which is where Woolley grow all their own produce. It also has some wonderful little worlds for kids to enjoy.

There’s the white witches house, sunk into the earth where little ones can crawl inside to see her iron stove and kitchen utensils and which my three thought was brilliant.

A weekend of family fun at Woolley Grange Hotel & Spa, Wiltshire - copyright: www.globalmousetravels.com

There’s also big tractor tyres to play inside, two play houses filled with wooden food and play things and a tractor to clamber on.

The large hen house with Indian ducks was also really interesting to our three, along with the rabbit.

Outdoor play area

Fairy world

There’s the sweetest little fairy world in the nature garden. Here you can search for fairy houses (but remember not to touch them as it scares the fairies away).

Fairy garden

And on the main lawn there’s a massive swing, croquet all laid out, a giant Connect 4 and a large trampoline.

A weekend of family fun at Woolley Grange Hotel & Spa, Wiltshire - copyright: www.globalmousetravels.com

Up over the fields is a really beautifully evocative garden glockenspiel to get musical.

A weekend of family fun at Woolley Grange Hotel & Spa, Wiltshire - copyright: www.globalmousetravels.com

Pools – Woolley Grange Hotel & Spa, Wiltshire

There’s the indoor pool and an outdoor one for the summer months.

Inside the hotel there are baskets of books and toys everywhere so you can sit by the fire, order a hot chocolate and relax with the Sunday papers while the kids play.

There’s a camaraderie between parents, an understanding that we’re all permanently tired, doing our best and hoping our kids don’t shout at dinner. And if they do it’s ok. Expect sympathetic smiles of understanding, there’s no judgement here.

What's on

Everywhere you go there are elements to make it easier for parents from changing mats in the swimming pool to a bottle warming service. But there’s no scrimping on style or the luxury elements for parents.

At every turn you feel like you’re having that luxury hotel experience.

If you’re looking for somewhere to get away from the daily grind, feel pampered and looked after while your kids have the best of fun then Woolley Grange is for you.

We can’t recommend it highly enough.

Watch our video of our time at Woolley Grange here.

 

Ready to book Woolley Grange Hotel & Spa?

You can find out more about the hotel and check availability here. Why not check out our top 10 things to do in Bath with kids if you’re nearby.

Enjoyed this post? Find more here:

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A weekend of family fun at Woolley Grange Hotel & Spa, Wiltshire

We were guests of Woolley Grange Hotel & Spa but as always all opinions are our own.

One thought on “Woolley Grange Hotel & Spa, Wiltshire – a review

  1. MummyTravels says:

    This looks fabulous – so unusual to get somewhere so child friendly with plenty of luxury and grown up touches.

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