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Tripadvisor gives a Travellers’ Choice award to accommodations, attractions and restaurants that consistently earn great reviews from travellers and are ranked within the top 10% of properties on Tripadvisor.
This 18th century mansion is situated within 14 acres of beautiful gardens and grounds, just a short walk from the town centre. Facilities include 70 bedrooms, spa and leisure club, contemporary bar and award winning restaurant, ample free car parking and wifi. The Hotel has undergone significant, sympathetic refurbishment since it was purchased by the Scragg family in 2007 and is now the Hotel of choice in Royal Tunbridge Wells.
Star ratings are intended to indicate the general level of features, amenities, and services to expect. This property is classified according to TheAA: The Automobile Association.
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Nestled near the town center amidst picturesque scenery, The Spa Hotel has won the hearts of guests for its prime location and spotless environment. The establishment exudes a warm and soothing atmosphere, much appreciated by those seeking relaxation. While some visitors commend the spa and gym, opinions on amenities and the spa's opulence diverge.
Accommodations receive mixed reviews, with comfort paired with critiques of datedness. The service's inconsistency and perceived value for money, with some deeming it overpriced, have been points of contention among guests.
Location
Convenient
Atmosphere
Inviting
Rooms
Dated
Value
Expensive
Cleanliness
Clean
Service
Inconsistent
Amenities
Mixed
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We have been visiting the Spa hotel regularly for 21 years now; we keep returning as, in all that time, the hotel has consistently maintained excellent standards, and we know we will have a lovely time. This December we have enjoyed two festive experiences. The first was a Christmas party and fun casino night held in the attractive Chandelier Room, this was an enjoyable event with great food, excellent service, good D.J. and playing at the fun casino added to our enjoyment. We returned a fortnight later for the New Year’s Eve Gala dinner dance. This event started with champagne and canapes in the Chandelier room, then we moved next door to the beautifully decorated Royal Suite for the main event; as always this was a very enjoyable occasion. The meal was delicious (I had the vegetarian option, and my husband chose the meat option, both were equally good), the service throughout the evening was excellent and the D.J. had everyone up dancing as soon as the meal was finished. The staff are a great credit to this hotel. On both occasions, from the moment we arrived we were made to feel very welcome by the friendly and very efficient staff; it was so nice to be greeted like an ‘old friend’ by some of the staff whom we had met before, the personal touch is much appreciated. As always, the hotel is clean, well maintained, well managed and the food is good. The Spa hotel was built as a private house about 250 years, other areas date back over 140 years to when it became a hotel and other parts are newer still, consequently the bedrooms are not all the same; personally, I like this as each trip can be a little different; we have been happy with every room we have ever been allocated over the years. Every room we have ever stayed in has been clean, well- furnished and equipped and we have always slept well. Since the rooms are all so different if one has special requests such as: the need for completely step -free room access, air conditioning, garden view or you just need a very quiet room then it’s best to book directly with the hotel and specify your needs at the time of booking to ensure a pleasant stay. The hotel has plenty of free parking. Whilst staying we used the hotel’s swimming pool. Although the pool is quite small, I have never known it to be crowded, indeed, we have often had the pool just to ourselves. Towels can be collected at the swimming pool reception. The hotel also has a gym but as I didn’t use this so I cannot comment upon it. Outside there are lovely grounds to be enjoyed – these are especially nice during summer days. The hotel is within walking distance to the town centre, but if one's mobility is limited one might find the uphill climb on return a bit of a challenge. Overall, on both visits we had a great time. Thank you to all the staff who made the experiences so enjoyable. We look forward to returning for the 2025 New Year’s Eve party (if not before).
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Date of stay: December 2024
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
Trip type: Travelled as a couple
Room Tip:If you have any special requests e.g. the need for step free room access etc it is best to book...
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Spa Hotel, Marketing at The Spa Hotel
Responded 3 weeks ago
Thank you very much for your wonderful review, we greatly appreciate the time spent. We are delighted to hear that you thoroughly enjoyed both of your festive experiences, and they matched your expectations!! It is always a pleasure to welcome you back and we hope to see you again soon.
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Beautiful classic historical hotel, with beautiful gardens, spa, and tennis court and multiple functional rooms to facilitate weddings, meetings or other events. Great main restaurant serving continental and cooked breakfast as well as lunch and dinners and separate bar area. Very well equipped gym, and nice spa area. Staff are amazing and hotel rooms are beautifully decorated and clean.
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Date of stay: May 2023Trip type: Travelled as a couple
Room Tip:If you need a hotel near Tunbridge Wells this hotel is a must. If you need a venue for your...
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Spa Hotel, Marketing at The Spa Hotel
Responded 23 May 2023
Thank you for your wonderful review. We are so pleased you had such an enjoyable stay with us and enjoyed using our vast facilities. We are grateful for you taking the time to review us and we hope to welcome you again soon.
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Overall this is a good hotel in a good location just outside Tunbridge Wells close to the Pantiles. Reception staff very helpful and friendly, Kira at breakfast efficient and great fun. The buildings and gardens are lovely and the rooms quite pleasant. However there are some silly things that could so easily be put right in the rooms. Our bathroom was huge, at least 10 x 7 feet with a shower over bath and a WC in a big gap and a wash basin the size of a teacup in the corner. This had no surround or shelf, so the only place to put things was on the window sill 9 feet away. A single heated towel rack had to accommodate two bath towels and two hand towels. In the room there was a small table under the window with tea and coffee facilities, I went to make coffee but there was no socket to plug in the kettle, we had to move it to the other side of the room on the dressing table. Our friends in the adjoining room didn’t have that luxury as there was no dressing table, they had the kettle on the floor beside the bed. We were quite disappointed by the restaurants, same menu every night and not particularly exciting. Our last meal in the bar was awful, supposed to be Asian slaw with sticky chicken, peanut sauce, almonds and coriander. We got a bowl of chopped cabbage dressed with soy, some not sticky chicken no nuts no coriander and the core of the cabbage with slits where they had chopped it and forgot to throw it away. My biggest suggestion is that the managers should book into a room for a couple of nights with their partners so that they could experience the reality of the rooms. Add a cupboard or shelf near the basin, put in a free standing towel stand, put the kettle near a socket. Finally the wardrobe in or friend’s room, a nice antique, is only half height so could not be used to hang a dress. Could be cured by adding a rail on the wall. Small things, easily fixed.
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Date of stay: July 2024
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
Trip type: Travelled with friends
Room Tip:Town is walkable if you are fit but it is downhill, car parks don’t seem to be too busy. No...
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Spa Hotel, Marketing at The Spa Hotel
Responded 11 Jul 2024
Thank you for your review. We are pleased you thought the hotel was generally good and that the reception team and Kira were helpful and efficient. We are however sorry that you were disappointed with aspects of your bedroom and your experience in the restaurant. I understand that the issues with your meal were discussed and an adjustment was made to your bill, nevertheless please rest assured your comments have been shared with our management team. Thank you for taking the time to review us, we hope to welcome you again soon.
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Stayed over for a works party. Drinks prices extortionate. Some staff rude and strict. Aware safety is important but we all felt on the edge and constantly told off for doing very little. 3 course party dinner was tiny portions. £66.50 a complete rip off. DJ wasn’t great, music like we’d mistakenly attended a 100th birthday party. Communal toilets like a night club. No toilet roll in all 3 toilets. Room was small and noisy. Looked out onto a noisy fan. Staff banging doors to the cleaning cupboard multiple times before 0800 on a Sunday. Breakfast took 50 minutes to be delivered to the table after ordering. Some people couldn’t even be seated due to the backlog of people waiting. Poached eggs were more like hard boiled. Absolutely won’t be visiting again
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Date of stay: December 2024Trip type: Travelled with friends
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Spa Hotel, Marketing at The Spa Hotel
Responded 30 Dec 2024
Thank you for your review. We are sorry that you were disappointed with aspect of your recent stay. We were surprised to read your comments about your Christmas Party as all of the organisers and companies we have spoken to were wholly positive. Please be assured your comments about the food portions and breakfast have been passed to our kitchen team and DJ feedback has been shared with the company used. Thank you for taking the time to review us.
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Pros: Decent, tranquil location Lovely grounds Friendly and helpful reception staff Thorough housekeeping staff Good facilities on site On site parking
Cons: One tiny lift Some parts a little tired Breakfast average
Stayed two nights using two rooms. Both rooms were a reasonable size and adequately equipped, beds and bedding really comfortable, and the rooms were cleaned very effectively. My elderly parents struggled to use their shower, which was within the bath, so if we were to stay again I'd ask if rooms with walk-in showers were available.
The gym, pool, sauna and steam room were all of a reasonable standard and maintained by hotel standards. Breakfast was adequate - one day we were asked if we wanted tea/coffee and toast, the second day not. The cooked breakfast (again, adequate but certainly not memorable) was served on cold plates. A reasonable choice at the breakfast buffet.
With some investment and staff improvements in the dining room, it could plausibly claim 4.5/5 star status, but it's not there currently. I'd rate it 4 star overall, with some elements better than others.
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Date of stay: September 2024
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
Trip type: Travelled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Spa Hotel, Marketing at The Spa Hotel
Responded 16 Sept 2024
Thank you for your review. We are pleased that you had an enjoyable stay with us overall and found staff friendly. Rest assured your comments about the breakfast have been noted and shared with our management team. Thank you for taking the time to review us, we hope to welcome you again soon
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Met friends here for morning coffee. The hotel is in a great location and its reception area is bright and comfortable, with friendly waiting staff. Given hotel prices the coffee could be more refined but it's ok.
It was galling to be charged £2.60 for a glass of water. When we queried what brand it was - in the absence of an actual bottle (receipt referred to 'bottled water') - the waitress said it was their 'own filtered tap water'.
The Spa then ignored the above detail when it responded to my review saying the waitress probably poured bottled water into the glass without giving us the empty bottle.
It’s one thing to ignore customers on the day but even worse not to take responsibility later.
I really think the Spa should be honest about this. Say it's tap water, or filtered tap water, but don't invoice for bottled when it clearly isn't.
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Date of stay: March 2024Trip type: Travelled with friends
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Spa Hotel, Marketing at The Spa Hotel
Responded 3 Apr 2024
Thank you for your revised review. Once again we are very sorry that you were disappointed with the water charge, as explained in our last response we have no way of knowing whether you were served tap or bottled water now, however the £2.60 would suggest that it was bottled as this is the price for it. Of course, if you were given tap water you certainly should not have been charged that and the team were reminded of this at the time of your original review post. Thank you once again for taking the time to review us.
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We have just spent our 18th New Year’s Eve at the Spa Hotel, as we keep on returning you can guess we are very satisfied customers.
As usual, we attended the New Year’s Eve Gala dinner dance which started with champagne and canapes in the Chandelier room, then we moved next door to the beautifully decorated Royal Suite for the main event, as usual this was a very enjoyable occasion. The five- course dinner was delicious (I had the vegetarian meal, and my husband chose the meat option, both were equally good), the service throughout the evening was excellent and the evening ended with dancing after the meal was finished and more champagne at midnight.
The Spa hotel was built as a private house about 250 years, other areas date back over 140 years to when it became a hotel and other parts are newer still, consequently not all bedrooms are the same; personally, I like this as each trip can be a little different. Some rooms are traditional others are decorated in a more modern style. On this occasion we had a lovely spacious room on the third floor that had a wonderful view of the hotel’s gardens and beyond. Everything was very clean, the King -sized bed was comfortable and plenty of storage space was provided . The bathroom was also spacious and clean, with room for a large walk in shower and an entirely separate bath tub. Our room had air conditioning but I’m not certain that every bedroom has this. Since the rooms are all so different if one has special requests such as: the need for completely step -free room access, air conditioning, garden view or you just need a very quiet room then it’s best to book directly with the hotel and specify your needs at the time of booking to ensure a pleasant stay.
Whilst staying we used the hotel’s swimming pool. Although the pool is quite small, I have never known it to be crowded. Towels can be collected at the swimming pool reception and a token to enable one to lock the lockers. The pool felt a bit chilly at first but was ok once one started to swim. The hotel also has a gym but as I didn’t use this so I cannot comment upon it. Outside there are lovely grounds to be enjoyed – these are especially nice during summer days.
We stayed an extra night and had dinner in the Orangerie Restaurant – a pleasant conservatory style venue. Service was excellent and the food well cooked and tasty. The menu is currently rather limited (although we had no difficulty in finding something we liked). I daresay that in these difficult economic conditions it may not be commercially viable to offer a larger choice of dishes at present. The hotel is in walking distance of Tunbridge Wells town centre so other eating options are available if the Orangerie is not to your taste.
Overall, we had a great time. Thank you to all the staff who made the experience so enjoyable. We look forward to returning for the 2023 New year party (if not before).
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Date of stay: December 2022
Rooms
Service
Sleep Quality
Room Tip:Book directly with the hotel if you special requests
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Spa Hotel, Marketing at The Spa Hotel
Responded 9 Jan 2023
Thank you for another wonderful review. We are so pleased that, year on year, you continue to return and enjoy our New Year's Eve events. We are also delighted that your stay was so satisfactory and that you enjoyed the facilities, found staff friendly land liked your bedroom. We look forward to welcoming you again in December if not before.
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Pros: Free parking, great restaurant food, welcoming, aircon, gave us money off when we raised issues listed below.
Cons: VERY dated room which is not shown in any photos on their website (false advertising), very small dated bathroom (again not shown on website so false advertising), very overpriced for the quality of the room (tiny old tv, tatty furniture), overpriced spa treatment (pedicure for £60 which wasn’t exactly professional or luxury)
Issues we raised: Pizza terrace stopped serving pizza at 6 despite the receptionist and the website stating they serve pizza till 6:30. Failed to bring us the breakfast we ordered even after phoning them to chase it. Tried to charge us for breakfast again despite the room price including breakfast.
Overall wouldn’t stay there again or recommend to anyone else.
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Date of stay: August 2024Trip type: Travelled as a couple
Room Tip:Double check your bill at the end!
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Spa Hotel, Marketing at The Spa Hotel
Responded 6 Aug 2024
Thank you for your review. We are very sorry to read that you were disappointed with the décor in your bedroom, we have 70 individually designed bedrooms in our hotel and are unable to display a picture of each one, however we do make sure that all bedroom styles are displayed (room 112 is very similar to 115 and is shown on the spacious category gallery on our website). We are also sorry for the issues that arose during your stay, we were saddened to read your review given the time and effort Tina spent to resolve this for you whilst you were here. Nevertheless, thank you for taking the time to review us.
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We have recently spent another New Year’s Eve at the Spa Hotel. We have been enjoying these events annually since 2003. As we keep on returning you can guess we are very satisfied customers.
Right from the moment we arrived we were made to feel welcome by the friendly and very efficient staff; it was nice to be greeted like an ‘old friend’ by some of the staff whom we had met before.
The New Year’s Eve Gala dinner dance started with champagne and canapes in the Chandelier room then we moved next door into the beautifully decorated Royal Suite for the main event, as usual this was a very enjoyable occasion. The five- course dinner was delicious (I had the vegetarian meal, and my husband chose the meat option, both were equally good), the service throughout the evening was excellent and the D.J. had everyone up dancing as soon as the meal was finished.
The Spa hotel was built as a private house about 250 years, other areas date back over 140 years when it became a hotel and other parts are newer still, consequently not all bedrooms are the same; personally, I like this as each trip can be a little different. Some rooms are traditional others are decorated in a more modern style. On this occasion we had a lovely spacious room, everything was very clean, the King -sized bed was comfortable, plenty of storage space was provided and the room had proper sitting area with settee, easy chair and coffee tables. The bathroom was also of a good size and very clean. Our room had air conditioning but I’m not certain that every bedroom has this. Since the rooms are all so different if one has special requests such as: the need for completely step -free room access, air conditioning, garden view or you just need a very quiet room then it’s best to book directly with the hotel and specify your needs at the time of booking to ensure a pleasant stay.
Whilst staying we used the hotel’s swimming pool. Although the pool is quite small, I have never known it to be crowded. Towels can be collected at the swimming pool reception and a £1 returnable coin is needed to use the lockers. The hotel also has a gym but as I didn’t use this so I cannot comment upon it. Outside there are lovely grounds to be enjoyed – these are especially nice during summer days.
Overall, we had a great time. Thank you to all the staff who made the experience so enjoyable. We look forward to returning for the 2022 New year party (if not before).
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Date of stay: December 2021
Value
Rooms
Service
Room Tip:Book directly with the hotel, by phone, if you have any special room requests
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Spa Hotel, Marketing at The Spa Hotel
Responded 12 Jan 2022
Thank you for your wonderful review, we are so delighted you enjoyed another New Year's Eve here at The Spa. It means so much to us that you continue to visit us and review your experience, so thank you. We look forward to welcoming you again this year.
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The hotel was very good & conveniently placed for the funeral we were attending. The bedroom & bathroom were clean,tidy & well equipped. The one improvement we would make is that the safe can only be used if you are able to get down on the floor to view the numbers. We could do that but we were in an accessible room so presumably some people staying in that room would not be capable of getting down to use the safe. The restaurant was excellent for both dinner & breakfast. We are looking to return when the weather is warmer so that we can walk in the gardens & to the Pantiles.
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Date of stay: January 2025Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Spa Hotel, Marketing at The Spa Hotel
Responded 1 week ago
Thank you very much for taking the time to leave a lovely review. We are very glad that all was well during your stay and you enjoyed breakfast and dinner in the restaurant. Thank you for your comment re the safe, we will of course look into a solution for this. We look forward to welcoming you back when the weather improves, hopefully that won't be too long!
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Manchester, United Kingdom10 contributions6 helpful votes
Sorry for the late reply - there are a few yes. The pool is quite small but always a good temperature and really pleasant surroundings. Hope this helps
There are more places to choose from in the Royal Tunbridge Wells area.
PRICE RANGE
£96 - £124 (Based on Average Rates for a Standard Room)
ALSO KNOWN AS
the hotel royal tunbridge wells
LOCATION
United KingdomEnglandKentRoyal Tunbridge Wells
NUMBER OF ROOMS
69
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Are there any historical sites close to The Spa Hotel?
Many travellers enjoy visiting Penshurst Place & Gardens (4.1 miles), Groombridge Place - Enchanted Forest & Gardens (2.6 miles), and Dunorlan's Chalybeate Spring (1.7 miles).