Matfen Hall Hotel, Golf & Spa

Not sure where to begin, I have visited Matfen 3 times and everytime it’s been an incredible experience in terms of everything. The hotel itself and the grounds are stunning, the food and rooms are second to none but for me it was the staff and their service. The staff made the experience, nothing is a problem, Claire on reception, Desmond the porter, Joe and Kara in the restaurant and Hamish. Our requests might have been questionable at times but the staff go above and beyond. I left my coat in the car and it was cold the staff went to collect it for me and delivered it to the room. There is not one request they wouldn’t deliver on. Received an upgrade from Claire when we arrived last week into a stunning garden room. We are maybe not the most easiest guests to please when we stay places but it is our perfect place based on the staff you are all amazing

I went with my daughter for an overnight stay and spa treatments to celebrate her birthday. It was amazing. The building itself is extraordinary. Very beautiful, with so many lovely areas to eat, drink or just relax. The staff were superb, from the front desk to the spa, everyone went out of their way to make our stay extremely special.

Enjoyed a delicious Sunday lunch today in the Emerald Dining Room at Matfen Hall. We had been given a gift card for this for Christmas and chose a glorious summer’s day to spend it in this lovely calm atmosphere in a stunning setting. Staff were excellent and we think the set menu is great value for money.

Great place to stay Very relaxing The staff are very professional and hard working but at times the staff were a little too thin on the ground to meet the needs of the customers so some patience is required. Great bedrooms which are very comfortable. Good location to visit areas around plus the opportunity to golf on the 27 hole golf course.

A surprise birthday lunch in the cloisters today , food was tasty, well presented and served by lovely helpful staff. Our first visit in quite some time so we were eager to see its transformation since the huge refurbishment by the new owner , it didn’t disappoint, on a bright warm sunny day it looked resplendent, after lunch we took ourselves off for a little tour & reminisced fondly of wedding day memories … quite a few years ago now though . The decor inside and the gardens are fabulous 👏🏻👏🏻… a bit pricey nowadays but as the saying goes .. ain’t no pockets in shrouds 🤣 Negative … cloakrooms ( toilets) off the cloisters … each one was blocked and unusable 🤢🤢 I did tell the staff as I asked if there were other facilities but they didn’t seem too interested as they redirected me to others on the next floor

Went for the Sunday lunch and overnight stay package. It was so very nice. Food choice was quite different for lunch and the food quality was very good. Had a lovely walk through the villager and local countryside then spent some nice relaxing time in the spa. Breakfast next morning was very nice too. Such a lovely treat

The Hotel and golf clubhouse have undergone a multi million pound investment and next it will be the turn of the Leisure club and Spa. As a golf member we are very fortunate to be benefitting from a programme which will make Matfen the premier destination in Northumberland by 2025. The only drawback, as many members will tell you, is the quality of the coffee and when there are so many brilliant suppliers and roasters on the doorstep like Pink Lane I hope that when the new clubhouse opens we will not have to put up any longer with the current offering. It’s not cheap but unlike the Hotel it’s decidedly 1 star. I know of members who after a game of golf drive 2 miles to Northumberland HQ just for their brilliant coffee. Great staff deserve a better bean!

Lovely spot, beautiful hotel, bedroom and shower fantastic. All else very disappointing.Breakfast a complete shambles every morning for 3 mornings running. Small portions, style over substance. Every morning eggs served wrong . On one occasion our soft poached eggs were rock hard. Toast and croissant served stone cold. On last morning waited over 40 minutes to be served, they forgot our cereal and when our poached eggs arrived,turned out they had brought boiled eggs !!! We had enough and walked out, complaining to the restaurant manager who didn't say a word. Told him we would have our say on trip advisor,he just responded " Ok " All in all we will not return to Matfen Hall, There are plenty of better same type hotels in this area.

So, we stayed here for one night on our way east. First impressions really exceptional as you pull up - grounds delightful and hotel building very splendid. Hamish came out to greet us and is a gem - check in was fast and efficient although the room number on the card was not the room we were were actually in which caused confusion later at dinner. The welcome letter addressed us but then notified us of two other guests allergies which was very sloppy! Dinner in the Cloisters - no other option given - was a mixed bag - the space is rather strange - you sit at the side of a bar and it is very hot with my view being into a staff kitchen as they had propped the door open with a fire extinguisher. The waitress was sweet but really didn’t have a clue and the manager seemed overwrought and constantly looking incredulous when she told him things like “I don’t know how to open champagne”! Sadly because the bar area is right in the middle of the guest seating you are privy to all the staff “banter”. My first glass of champagne was flat which they replaced, the fillet steak was good but the rib eye awful and was left as were the fries which were utterly tasteless! We brought this to the managers attention and he took the rib eye off the bill. The rooms and bathrooms are really lovely but very warm and the temperature control has no effect at all. Breakfast was not amazing - we had to ask four times for things like our order to be taken, butter, the gf toast to be done on both sides - very basic stuff. Overall our feeling is that they seem to have way too many staff but no one actually managing them well or training them up. Things are just not sharp enough for five stars which is a shame as obviously a fortune has been spent refurbishing the place. It’s not enough however - other people have recommended staying there but not eating there - that’s crazy!! Just get it right!