I stayed at Barnett Hill for 2 nights while at a conference. On arrival, I was impressed by the lovely gardens and the hotel itself looked lovely. However, the good impression did not last. The receptionist gave me the wrong directions to my room, which was in a "cottage" on the property. When I eventually found my room it was spacious and the bathroom was almost as large as the bedroom, but bed was so uncomfortable it was hard to get a decent night's sleep.

Dinner is ordered from a limited menu in the small bar. The meal is then served in the dining room. The food itself was very hit or miss. My meal on the first night was okay but the second night it was inedible. Breakfast was a choice of cereals, croissants or a greasy cooked English breakfast. Lunch was in the form of a good, varied buffet.

I found the staff to be quite unhelpful and unfriendly. Meeting rooms are not air conditioned and get very hot during the summer months. This makes it difficult to concentrate if you're stuck in a hot room all day with the only ventilation being open windows or a noisy fan.

The grounds are huge and are very peaceful, but they can't make up for the poor quality of this venue.