Went here on a 1 night golf and spa weekend. Deal was very good, front desk service was good, rooms were very nice, clean and comfortable, enough tea and coffee, shower and bath were good. Spa was excellent I'm told and the 2 golf courses we played were excellent. Drink prices were very high. The restaurant food and older staff members were very poor, the younger staff members outshone the so called more experienced staff with their attitude, and friendliness. The manager at both dinner and breakfast was very poor, no interest, not polite, and just not very good. The food was poor, do not have the pie, pathetic, a 2 inch chimney tower, probably 2 inches wide filled with chicken supreme and a crust of puff pastry is not a pie, a stick of carrot and a piece of kale is not veg. Really very poor. Breakfast was OK, but would be £24 if you don't go on a deal.

My daughter and I looked forward to enjoying a spa experience.... She had her hen party here last year and I've been a few times so quite confident we would enjoy it. At £100 each is not a cheap option to spend some special time together.... The treatments were very good.... The afternoon tea was a little bland, especially compared to previous visits....what we didn't enjoy were the cold changing rooms and pool area and pool..... There was no possibility of relaxing by the pool when you were dry and certainly not in a wet bathing costume after trying to use the icy pool..... When I mentioned our disappointment to the reception lady she just replied that it was cold out!!!! That's not good enough... We cut our stay short which meant our experience was over priced!! A refurbishment is definitely overdue. If you're not a polar bear or penguin give this spa a miss until they turn the heating on!!!! 🥶🥶🤬🤬

Birthday spa treat. Was a half day including lunch. Was looking forward to it! Checked in. Got a nice rob and towel and slippers each. Went to the pool and it was filled with kids having a lesson. They were not quiet - fine normally but not when you are selling spa retreats! Not relaxing. That ended though and managed a bit of pool time. Then did the rock sauna which I liked as not super hot. If you want your sauna to be hot then might not be for you. Had some tea in the relaxing lounge. Then onto the 25min treatment. Massage was great! Very talented staff. Back to pool. Filled with women doing an aqua class. Blimey. Not getting much luck here. Went to steam room. Closed due to cleaning. Aroma spa had no aroma and the ice room was a random tiled room with a cold shower in?! Went to other steam room. Wasn't working right and had no steam. The woman in there said it does this sometimes. Wow, really not a good experience so far. Gave up and went to lunch. Wanted a hot meal. Risotto unavailable. Ended up with a sandwich that I could have made at home and chips that were three minutes off being cooked. We wanted to share a spa meal and not a Costa style work lunch. It was so disappointing. However, the dessert was really good. Absolutely dire experience. Worst spa retreat I've had. Since seen the reviews and realise this has been repeated over and over. Staff were great though. Defo not a comment on them!

Booked Sunday night here. The setting is lovely and so is the area. Check in was good. Staff good and friendly too. The room was clean and bed comfortable. BUT - We had no hot water running through the sink tap and as we weren't needing the shower we had to wash in luke warm water at best. We could cope with that but at breakfast we were hugely disappointed. The coffee served by staff was weak and not nice. A better coffee was advertised at an extra £4 per head !! Really ??? I ordered a traditional breakfast but didn't want sausage, mushroom or black pudding. When it arrived I was shocked to say the least. It was less than a child's portion. 1 rasher, 1 egg and a very small spoon of beans. It looked so lost on the large plate ! together with the toast machine not working on the underside this breakfast was the worst we have ever had in a 4 star hotel. If we would have booked room only, this breakfast was advertised at £24 per head !!! Really ?? I think the manager needs to seriously take a look at what he would consider as a 4 star breakfast. I wouldn't stay here again as a good breakfast is a treat which this was not.

I have given it 2 stars because the staff were always very helpful and friendly. Unfortunately the rest of the experience wasn’t good. The outside is well maintained probably because of the golf but inside was like stepping back in time. The food wasn’t great especially the breakfast. Our room wasn’t serviced after being out for 6 hours and leaving the card on the door to ask for it to be done. I had a lovely spa treatment booked but without that I would not call it a spa. It’s a swimming pool with a steam room. Overall not great unfortunately. Hopefully it’ll get updated soon and the food will get some we deserved attention!

I visited The Portal for a Spa day with my son who has Autism. We both had a very relaxing back and neck massage treatment, both of us were pleased with our therapists. We enjoyed the pool and the various saunas and steam rooms. We had a delicious lunch in the restaurant and finished off our day with some time in the tranquil relaxation room. All of the staff we came across were lovely and delightful, seems you have a great team. My son has issues with changing rooms and isn’t confident going in alone and sorting out the locker. I asked for assistance and a guy called Chris was happy to help. The toilets and showers in the changing rooms were out of order (these things happen) but alternative provision was available and didn’t impact our day unduly. We were given a robe and slippers but not a towel. Luckily we did bring our own towels. I do feel a spa should also provide towels. Also blankets in the relaxation room would have been extra nice. If I’d have thought I would have asked for the blanket used in the treatment room! Next time! 😃.

Spent two days there. Played the premier course first, which I have to say was looking tired and needs work on the greens which were showing signs of disease. We played the Championship course which was in immaculate condition but very tough. Stayed at the McDonald's hotel sited adjacent to the Championship course. Rooms were clean and tidy and the staff were friendly. Sadly the food was a great let down in both the time it took to be served and the quality. I opted fir sausage and mash as my main which consisted of a dollop of mash in the middle of the plate with two sausages perched on top and some gravy, no vegetables. Very poor quality of food and I was aware some guests waited nearly two hours to get served. To top that at breakfast this morning we were told that the hotel had run out of butter. Whilst I would recommend playing golf there I would seek some assurances from the hotel about the food in particular.

Booked a last minute spa break through spa seekers for new year. The spa treatments were great (I had a mini facial and a back massage) - lovely relaxing treatment rooms and knowledgeable, friendly therapists. The spa facilities were good enough though one of the sauna rooms was out of order and pool seating was limited (it was fairly busy). The rooms in the hotel were clean and spacious - my friend and I got a twin room in which we had a huge double bed each, which was a welcome surprise! We had a 3 course meal at Salt, the restaurant, in the evening and the food was delicious. My steak was cooked perfectly. The breakfast the following day was mediocre, though due to going on an event day, it was self-serve buffet style. I believe there is usually table service and a menu to choose from, which given the standard of the dinner the previous night, I’m sure would’ve been really tasty. All in all, we had a really pleasant stay for a very reasonable price. I’d definitely go back.

The room was lovely, we dined in the bar and Lounge area and the food was delicious. Booked a slot for breakfast but there was no menu to previously look at also wasn’t told where this would be. Spa facilities were lovely also! Only thing I would comment on was I was woken up by a yapping dog at about 8am, I have dogs myself and i appreciate they can be loud at times but this was the only annoying aspect of our stay

I came here with my friend for a two night spa break to celebrate both of our special birthdays!! On entering reception, we were upgraded as there was some mix-up with our room. The spa areas are lovely! We both had a facial, and we were then able to relax in one of the other relaxation rooms!! We even managed to take a dip in the pool, which also has saunas steam and ice room!! We ate in the restaurant on our first night both had the burger and fries which was lovely!! Compliments to the chef 👨‍🍳 Had afternoon tea the next day, which was also delicious!! Breakfast was good, but on the second morning, mine could have been warmer, but that was only a glitch! All in all,we had a lovely time and even managed to get out and about to Tarporley!

Hotel was lovely and the scenery is gorgeous. Staff were mostly helpful but constantly dealing with check-ins instead of the current guests. Restaurant was poor in terms of choice and portions but nearby restaurants were great. Spa was relaxing but does currently lack a jacuzzi.

Probably one of the worst hotel experiences I've had. Over priced for out dated rooms, no aircon in the bedrooms or in the restaurant. Had to ask 5 times for my room to be cleaned and towels replaced. Ordered fish goujons from the children's menu for my toddler and upon cutting it up for him we found bones in it. Staff didn't seem bothered, didn't apologise and took an eternity to bring a different meal. Most definitely won't be staying here again

Everything is great. Can't fault the facility, location, the grounds, the enrivonment it's lovely, inviting and calm. The only downside to our experience at Macdonald hotel was the breakfast, there was no process on getting good out on time, people had to wait between 30mins -1.5 hr one of our friends never received her breakfast which is appalling. They need proper management in the kitchen. Other than that, I'd stay again but forget about the breakfast.

We had a fabulous stay. Room was big and bed extremely comfortable. Evening meal and breakfast was tasty. Pool and spa rooms were amazing. We practically had saunas and steam rooms to ourselves. Facial was luxurious and relaxing! All staff we encountered were friendly, efficient and informative. Especially Conor who served out evening meal. We will definitely return in the future!

The reception and spa staff were fantastic, happy to go the extra mile to make sure the stay was memorable for my son, really friendly and accommodating. The room was large, clean and comfortable, but quite basic based on what I had expected from the ‘Deluxe’ description, and what I’ve experienced at other hotels. The breakfast (included in our stay) was very basic and the service was slow. There wasn’t a huge amount of choice on the continental breakfast and the full English wasn’t a big portion or high quality - if I’d paid for either of these options I would have asked for a refund. The fact the majority of options on the breakfast menu carries a £5 supplement was pretty surprising too. Great location and lovely grounds, would definitely stay again, probably just plan to go out for breakfast!

This place is a real mixed bag. The courses are incredible , both are really well kept and challenging, the hotel is fairly decent , rooms are large and comfy , the spa is extensive with a great selection of steams rooms and an ice room and decent size pool ( sadly no jacuzzi) . The food is average to good , however some of the dining staff are shocking, completely unwilling to accurate anything that requires them to offer a modicum of effort I.e move to a different table because breakfast was already set up , real shame, had an air of faulty towers

Went to the Portal Hotel on a two round, one night golf break. The two golf courses (The Premier & Championship) were excellent and the staff were polite, helpful and knowledgeable. The food, dinner & breakfasts, was average at best. Service was decent apart from at the bar in the evening when it was poor. As regards the building, our room was spacious but ‘tired’. We did enjoy our stay, but improvements are needed.

No complaints. We booked a spa break because it was our anniversary. The staff (from all departments) were all lovely and made our stay easy. The room was clean, I loved the elemis products. The grounds where the manicured to an inch of it life....well done groundsman. The spa itself was a little basic but the pamper rooms where very calming and I liked the attention to details there. I am glad the food was included in the package we got as I do not think we would have paid those prices. However the sweet potato and chickpea tagine was delicious and reminded me of Morocco. My partner loved his pork chop dish, the English breakfast was fine. The meats tasted like quality meat but like other had said before, there wasn't much of it. We would do this again!🤗

Fantastic venue catering to large groups of golfers. Air conditioning in rooms would be the only improvement I can suggest. Championship and Premier Course excellent. Very hilly, recommend booking buggies in advance as non available when we arrived.

We had a lovely relaxing spa break this weekend. The hotel room was great and the staff were all really helpful. The spa was really nice. My therapist was a lady called Chloe and she was excellent. Absolutely loved my treatment. We will definitely book another trip to this hotel.

We came here for a friend's wedding. The whole day was superb. From the civil ceremony out on the rear lawned area to the evening entertainment indoors everything was brilliantly delivered. The food both the Wedding Breakfast and evening warm finger buffet were superb. Every member of staff including those serving at the bars were impeccably dressed and wonderfully polite. The Wedding Coordinator who had clearly worked well with the bride, groom and family and friends involved in the days' preparations. All-in-all it was one of the most enjoyable weddings we've ever attended. I feel sure the bride and groom were pleased with it all. I know we as guests thoroughly enjoyed the whole day.

As a couple we ate in the restaurant at night. The service and food were excellent. We were given a choice of menus, from which we ordered haddock and chips, venison. Drinks were excellent too. I thought prices reflected the quality, making the evening a worthwhile event. Will be coming back.

We stayed at your hotel McDonald Portal on the 8/6/23 - 10/6/23 , we upgraded both nights paying £30 per night. The room was lovely but was disappointed that we did not have dressing gowns the first night and did ask again at reception from them, but still did not get them, till I asked the house keeping for them, which she kindly got the following day. The door to the room did not shut/lock properly and was worried about my belongings, again did notify receptionist. The breakfast on the second day was also disappointing, as they forgot our breakfast order after waiting over 30 minutes. When we asked they said our order did not go through!!! When we finally got our breakfast they forgot both our beans, tomatoes and an extra sausage, and it was cold. My husband also booked two rounds of golf for four, two months ago, which your company forgot to reverse. After checkout I did inform the receptionist, he did apologies and said he would pass on my complaints.

We stayed here in January and it was terrible to put it politely. The only positives were our excellent massage in the SPA & the lovely staff in the hotel. So we returned for a complimentary stay. Wow it was like we were staying at a different hotel. There were no complaints at all. The service was brilliant, the food was great and our stay was thoroughly enjoyable. Once again our massage was outstanding and the staff in the hotel are a real asset to the place. The sun was shining and we sat out for a few drinks in the terrace. The views were spectacular. The only negatives for us is that the hotel is a bit tired. It is in need of a revamp. A lot of the furniture is tatty and in need of an upgrade in the spa, bar and the bedrooms. If the hotel gets a much needed revamp then it will be up there with some of the other 4 star competitors within the area!

Went here for a surprise treat for a friend who lives 20mins away. I used spa deals to book as 3 single ladies all in our own rooms, so we got a. Good deal with dinner and spa the next day. The lady that met us was lovely, we had a great dinner and the rooms where massive so we could of shared, no we wanted sleep and the chance to starfish in huge beds 🤣. Kids at heart. Have been to better spas, no hot tub, but for the money and the treatments this was very god value and we would do again. Looking for something to do with a friend, great choice.

Having chosen this specific spa over other MacDonald spas in the area due to the highly rated reviews, I was extreme dissatisfied that my guest and I had such a poor experience. Upon arrival, we were advised of our treatment times and advised to go downstairs to change however there were a network of doors that led to confusion for my guest and I. We used the toilets which were unclean and only 1 of 3 cubicles had toilet roll, which we would not expect from such a prestigious establishment. We then went to change into our swimming costumes in the changing rooms however there were several people all queuing to use the single changing cubicle within the whole changing room, as a result we were very nearly made late for our treatment. There were multiple members within the changing room all discussing how poor the establishment had become in recent months and felt sorry for us that we had spent money to come to you for a relaxing day. After making our way back up to the treatment lounge, we sat and had a glass of water where we noticed the padding on the chairs to be old and worn and generally very poorly looked after. I was called by a therapist, who had a strong aroma of cigarettes, and ushered into a treatment room where I was asked very little apart from if I had any allergies and if I minded having oil put into my hair. I have never had a facial before where I have not been asked about my skin concerns and had the products discussed with me before hand, I found this very unprofessional. When on the the table, I was encased within the tobacco aroma and I can only say that being given a facial by an individual who’s hands smelt so strongly made my feed nauseous. The therapist was very short with me and was physically very rough and not at all gentle. I found the experience very uncomfortable and in no way relaxing. My guest also had a poor experience where again, no skin concerns were discussed and no products were discussed. As customers I feel that we should be informed of the products being used as they were available for sale but we had no way of knowing what had been used to be able to purchase. After having our treatments we went down to the pool where there were limited loungers and an abysmal atmosphere. For a spa resort I expected a level of relaxation pool side however there was none of this. After using the sauna and steam rooms we quickly left. The showers, like the toilets, felt very unclean. There was no way to turn the shower on without first being met with very cold water. The shower cubicles we’re in extremely poor condition. There was no way to lock the shower door and the back of the shower doors with peeling, dirty and mouldy. When back in the changing rooms I found that the towel I had been given was stained. We then queued again to use the changing cubicle and the only working hair dryer. Overall we found our visit atrocious. The standards were extremely poor and not what I expected when I booked to bring my guest for a celebratory spa day, especially as we had both taken time away from work to make the visit. We both left feeling extremely dissatisfied.

Food was awful-cold, under cooked and virtually tasteless. Bar service very slow and they all looked under trained. They ran out of ice????Really…why?? Room - not cleaned properly, glasses not exchanged, cookies not restocked. Offered tea and coffee but no kettle to make it with. Chair in room was unstable and I was afraid to use it. Several lights burnt out making the room dark. Staff were pleasant and bed was comfortable but other than that this hotel was a real disappointment. Told by staff that I could not use the dining room because they had a party going on. I will not stay again.

lovely staff, my mum booked her a massage and me a facial and it was great. very relaxing as there is a relaxing room that you can sit in. there’s a pub down the road called the alvanley pub and the food there was lovely. the breakfast served in the morning was great. the rooms were in good condition. would definitely return again

Nice surroundings venue quite modern nothing special. Rooms were OK . Nice big beds. your typical travel lodge style rooms. Menu in room with available spa treatments and what was available from room service would have been nice ( is available online if you can be bothered with downloading the menus).

An overnight stay, evening meal, breakfast and lunch. All very good but very slow service. Everything very expensive especially drinks. Plenty of 'managers' wandering about out numbering the working staff. Reception staff were outstanding. Catering staff under pressure due to lack of numbers and appeared to need training as no idea of basic process of Services.

Absolutely beautiful surroundings in the countryside. Nice, spacious and modern hotel. Our room was quite large, and our very comfy bed was massive...had a great sleep. Rooms could do with modernising/brightening a little, but nice and clean...had everything we needed. Food in the restaurant perfectly cooked, but more choice on the menu would be an improvement. Service in the restaurant, bars, reception and spa were excellent..very welcoming and efficient. Loved the pool and spa....one of the best we've been to. Great stay...would definitely recommend.

Would have been 5 stars but large party of golfers meant dinner was over an hour from ordering to table on first night. Also incredible noise from same large party of golfers overnight. Couldn't sleep at all on the first night. That said, Zoe, the day manager, took ownership on complaint and ensured the rest of our stay was very much 5 star. Zoe and the head Chef deserve a pay rise and/or promotion. Their customer service was second to no one. The services and facilities were perfect and above expectations. All staff were courteous and professional. All in, after first night, a wonderful mini break for my family and I.

Lovely place!, great staff. . Lauren in the main bar and Morgan in the function bar were fantastic. Bar food unfortunately wasn't great on the first night we stayed but really good on the second day. As with pretty much all hospitality, staffing issues seem a problem, but a great job done by all staff . . Well done.

Went for a Spa Day! The girls in the spa were amazing. Fantastic full body massage, really professional and polite therapists, felt so relaxed afterwards. Used the Spa, good facilities. We had afternoon tea in the restaurant, was nice, plenty of tea, only downfall was the cakes and scone which tasted stale and hard - not fresh.

Outdated decor, vomit on lounge area floor on arrival. Once staff were told it was cleared pretty quickly. Spa was AMAZING! everything else sadly disappointed. Had to wait over 40 minutes for a starter and even longer for mains. When it arrived it tasted beautiful but service needs to be improved, we were serving the water from our table to other guests as they were understaffed and all of the staffs focus went to a group booking while the rest of us were ignored. Breakfast was mediocre, doubt we'd return!

Not great. Rooms very dated and not that clean. There was hair on the bathroom floor and an old dirty cup on the bath! Bar is a joke - no Guiness or IPA and warm white wine! Serving with dirty glasses all over the bar and staff absolutely clueless. Restaurant - food was good to be fair but the service dire. 50 minutes for a glass of wine!! Young restaurant supervisor was run off his feet and trying very hard. There is no presence to senior staff to support and train these young people and whoever the General Manager is needs a rocket behind him/her. This place could be great if it had dynamic leadership and a bit of care about guests staying. Top end prices for a low end experience.

The swimming pool was lovely, so was the room, apart from the tv! Couldn’t be turned off! Or turned over! So had to put a towel over the screen so we could sleep! No A/C, only in reception! Had an amazing meal in the restaurant, served by the very polite & attentive Jordan, but was so so hot again due to no A/C! Also, the bar wasn’t stocked very well!

Used the spa, walked into the reception area to hear a man and a woman behind the desk talking about a client who had had a personal training session and was "built like a brick sh1t house".....not a great first impression. The blond woman, who looked like the spa manager, was rude, seemed to possess absolutely no manners whatsoever and talked down to me as if it was beneath her to have to deal with me. Treatment however, was good, the therapist was fantastic, she possessed lots of knowledge and was very professional. For a fairly expensive treatment overall I'd say go somewhere else where they don't look down their nose at you, or slag you off when you leave the facility.

Experience was excellent. Matt Dew organised everything for us, a group of 12 with demanding needs. Arrival was excellent, Joe on reception was excellent, welcoming, efficient and friendly. Rooms were good, very comfortable and well equipped. We played 3 rounds of golf on two excellent courses. Professional was superb, friendly, helpful and very knowledgeable. Couldn’t do enough for us. Thank you. Food was good and restaurant staff were excellent, friendly and helpful. If I had to say anything negative; Poor choice of vegetarian options at dinner. Groundskeeper needs an investment in modern equipment to help with their hard job, it is a massive course. Grass collector etc. Clubhouse on the premier course needs knocking down and rebuilding. Thank you all for the experience, we are looking forward to booking next year.

The spa service was excellent and very helpful staff . However, the afternoon tea was a disaster, from beginning to end...... staff were nowhere to be seen. The first hot drinks took over 20 minutes, afternoon tea arrived, dried up bread, dry chicken on one, just piccalilli on another, some unknown cream paste on another, and asked for the manager, who said, would you like some more....... spoilt the day.... Never again

My boyfriend and I enjoyed a one-night stay at this charming hotel. The spa experience was delightful, although we encountered a few hiccups with some lockers and showers. Our massages and the variety of steam, sauna, and ice rooms, along with the pool, were thoroughly enjoyable. Dinner, especially the duck, was delicious, but breakfast was fairly standard. The hotel's picturesque golf course provided a lovely setting for a stroll. The staff were incredibly friendly and helpful, and the bedroom and bathroom were beautiful and clean. However, we faced a few challenges that impacted our sleep quality. There was a persistent sound resembling a washing dryer throughout the night, making sleep difficult. Additionally, light from the corridor seeped through the door, affecting our preference for a darker room. The having two single beds pushed together rather than just a double bed was somewhat uncomfortably as one of us kept ending up in the ditch. Despite these issues, we found the overall value for money good, and we would consider returning if not for the sleepless night.

Room was comfy and clean, tho bathroom a little tired. Food, drinks and service all good. Loved the spa, especially the relaxation room and complimentary teas! Pool area also a little tired - ceiling paint is crumbling and parts of the steam rooms had loose tiles. Mamy lockers out of order and fiddly to figure out