Gloucester Robinswood Hotel Review
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To kick off the year I had a really lovely break away in the Cotswolds with Lauren for her birthday. We had booked the Gloucester Robinswood Hotel as part of a special offer when it was still under the Best Western brand – two nights bed and breakfast with full leisure access for £100, an absolute bargain. Because it was so cheap we really weren’t expecting much.
Where is the Gloucester Robinswood Hotel?
The Gloucester Robinswood Hotel is just outside of Gloucester, randomly positioned on the edge of a housing estate. It’s popular with golfers and has a dry ski slope right next to it. This, along with the spa and gym facilities on site, make it a popular hotel for those locally and further afield.
Staying at the Gloucester Robinswood Hotel
When we checked into the hotel we were met with friendly, helpful staff. We were given a sheet with all the hotel timings on as well as key info and were shown a QR code to pay for parking. There’s a £5 per night car parking charge – although gym and spa users get 3 hours free parking.
When we got to our room it was pretty basic but clean and comfortable – although a fire door at the end of the corridor had been left open. We pulled it closed and started our break.
The room had a really big double bed, plenty of storage space, a good size TV and coffee and tea making facilities. The heating in the room didn’t seem to work and instead we had two electric heaters to plug in and use if we needed to and there were no plug sockets by the beds although there were plenty on the other side of the room.
The room had free wifi although it was quite slow at peak times and the staff were happy to give us more tea bags and milk as we needed them – they also gave Lauren a free toothbrush and toothpaste kit as she’d left hers at home! The service really couldn’t have been better.
The bathroom was a good size although a little tired and we had enough towels – as well as a bath mat and non slip mat to put in the bath when we had a shower and complimentary toiletries.
There was a sign saying there were more towels in the wardrobe but we didn’t have any extras – although I’m sure the staff would have given us more if needed.
Each time we came back to our room, after dinner and after swimming, the fire door at the end of our corridor was open and it smelt strongly of smoke. It was obviously being used by smokers who couldn’t be bothered to walk through the hotel to get outside. We didn’t think much more of it and just closed the door each time.
However, we were woken up constantly from 2:30am by the fire door banging and other guest doors banging closed. Smokers used the fire door all night, giving us one of the worst nights sleep we have ever had. At 7:30am, after an argument with someone smoking at the fire door, we rang down to reception who came up, assured us the people were leaving today and offered us a late check out – which didn’t help as we were staying another day.
Instead, we were given a room upgrade and a bottle of wine, which was appreciated but a good night’s sleep was what we really wanted! The new room was nice though, still very basic and with electric heaters rather than working heating but it was a suite that consisted of two rooms, a bedroom and a lounge/dining room.
This room had nicer touches like extra decorative pillows on the bed, robes hanging in the wardrobe, a fancy coffee machine and a fridge in the corner. But, most importantly, there was no fire exit nearby and we slept so much better than we had on the first night.
The leisure facilities at Gloucester Robinswood Hotel
On our first night at the Robinswood Hotel we went to use the pool. The staff were friendly, gave us towels and pointed us in the direction of everything. Strangely, the changing rooms don’t lead to the pool and instead you have to walk through reception to get to the pool, making everywhere quite wet on the return journey!
But, the changing rooms were a good size and had plenty of lockers although you did need a proper padlock to lock them. There was also a swimming costume spinner and an area to dry your hair which is always appreciated.
The pool, on first glance, was lovely. It had a tropical feel to it, almost like a big cabana in the middle, and had different areas to swim in and plenty of loungers to relax on. However, the air temperature was so cold that we couldn’t relax and just chill.
The pool water was an ok temperature but felt quite chilly as the air was so cold. There was a jacuzzi, which wasn’t much warmer and didn’t have any bubbles, and a sauna and steam room although these were constantly full with people trying to keep warm.
Sadly, the pool at Gloucester Robinswood Hotel really let the hotel down. It wasn’t a nice place to relax and I really would have been sad if we’d booked a spa day at the hotel as it just wasn’t warm enough despite the really lovely appearance. Because it was so cold we didn’t go back to the pool despite being at the hotel for two nights.
The hotel also has a gym, which we didn’t use, group exercise classes, a squash court and a whole array of spa treatments on offer. As you can see, it could be such a fantastic place to spend time.
Dining at Gloucester Robinswood Hotel
At the Gloucester Robinswood Hotel we had breakfast included in our stay which was a highlight of the break and exceeded all expectations. On the first day we had the buffet explained to us and were impressed by the range on offer.
The buffet had an area with tea, coffee and juices plus a bread station and toaster around the corner. There was also a hot buffet area with all the hot options you would expect – sausages, bacon, fried and scrambled eggs, beans, tomatoes, mushrooms and even hash browns.
Plus, there was fresh fruit, cereals, yogurt and pastries. You could have as much as you liked from the buffet and there was a sign giving the option to ask if you wanted things like poached eggs or vegetarian sausages. This breakfast was lovely, one of the best hotel breakfasts I have had in a long time and a great way to start the day.
We also had dinner in the hotel on the first night and when we went to get a table the restaurant staff really seemed to lack enthusiasm and immediately gave us the option of dining in the bar area instead – which we chose to do.
The restaurant and bar have the same food and drinks menus but the bar area was definitely busier, although there was no real atmosphere at any of it. We decided to get some food to share – a pizza, nachos and chicken goujons – and the bar service was good.
The food was fine. It was pretty much what we’d expected and really we were glad we weren’t on a dinner inclusive package at the hotel. It filled a gap but I have definitely had better hotel meals in the past.
During our stay at the Gloucester Robinswood Hotel we explored some of the Cotswolds – stopping at Bourton on the Water, Stow on the Wold, Westonbirt Arboretum, Gloucester and Cirencester on the way home. It was a great base to explore the local area and we had a really nice child-free break away.
However, the hotel has so much potential and could have been so much better. There were a lot of signs of the hotel trying to reduce costs – with no heating in the rooms and not enough heating in the pool – and this may be because it has just moved to being an independent hotel rather than part of the Best Western group.
The reception, breakfast and bar staff were lovely, helpful and a real credit to the hotel and I feel bad for them that the overall hotel offering isn’t as good as it could be.
The Gloucester Robinswood Hotel is well located, the breakfast is great and we slept really well on our second night. However, I wouldn’t book to return as there’s just too much room for improvement.
You can find out more about the Gloucester Robinswood Hotel over on their website and for reference the hotel address is: Matson Ln, Matson, Gloucester GL4 6EA
