Greenwoods Hotel & Spa

06.02.2025

Boats for overnight stay spa, evening meal and breakfast absolutely beautiful restaurant and service accommodation rooms. Superb The spa is very tired. Needs to be revamped the staff need more education in this area 4/10. The only downside of my stay it was my wife's 60th birthday so I ordered some beautiful flowers from the local florist stock florist 10/10 . Is that A twice? Phoned up to make sure the flowers were put in to my room on arrival so it would be a great surprise for my wife. Unfortunately this didn't happen. The reception staff are absolutely appalling. It just seems that that they don't want to be there. Lots of other apologies there are better spa venues in Essex. I will not be using this one again please do your research before you book hotel reception department need retraining You get one chance at it and they blew it 👎🏻

05.02.2025

Lovely relaxing mid-week solo break, definitely recommend.

02.02.2025

I am really upset to be writing this review, as I don't like to bad mouth company's, but I feel like I need to make people aware of the awful experience me and my husband have had at Greenwoods. We were booked for an overnight stay which included dinner and breakfast. If you have food allergies I would definately avoid Greenwoods. I am gluten free which I made the restaurant staff aware of several times. I ordered a soup to start and when they brought the soup they had placed bread on the top of it which was not gluten free, then at breakfast I ordered poached eggs and gluten free toast. The wrong order came out as they gave me poached eggs, hasbrowns, etc which I sent back. They came back less than a minute later with the poached eggs on a new plate, which had clearly been scrapped off the other plate as it still had hash brown crumbs on top of it. I was then told the gluten free toast wouldn't be to long, just under 10 minutes later my toast came out but the eggs were freezing. I decided to give up with the food as I don't like to complain and i just had a yogurt for breakfast. That morning me and my husband had to check out early as we had 2 treatments booked in straight after breakfast, as they had no treatment availability on the arrival day. After a terrible experience that morning, we wanted to relax and use the jacuzzi for 5 minutes after our treatments, we was then charged £40 for being in the jacuzzi for 5 mins after check out, even though the spa was empty and we had treatments booked in at the spa that morning. We thought 5 minutes in the spa to relax after treatments would be ok as greenwoods restuarant had made me feel unwell during my stay due to them not taking food allergies seriously; however, they insisted we had to pay the £40. The managers were really unhelpful saying the restaurant and spa are different departments and they can't get involved with each other, which is a terrible excuse and very poor customer service. They should deal with complaints as a whole as customers book with Geenwoods and not individual departments. Its just an excuse to pass the buck and not deal with complaints. I thought the whole experience was awful, I will be reporting them to the food standards agency, and I will never return to Greenwoods.

25.01.2025

Terrible service and truly overpriced drinks. Unwelcoming and uninterested stuff. Would not return.

31.05.2024

Did not stay in rooms attended a twighlight Afternoon Tea and Spa. The location is gorgeous and Service very good

11.01.2025

Had a great sister's spa day - very easy to spend a full day there and the food was A+++.

08.01.2025

I agree with other reviews. I have visited three times and found the staff to be uninterested, except for an Italian waiter and a cleaner. The lounge and dining room are nice. The afternoon tea was lovely. The food in the restaurant was very good but a little sparse! The spa is good but it's a real 'do-it-yourself' job. No help from reception staff or signage on how to use anything - the cleaner actually helped us with the lockers. We never found the relaxation room, assuming it to be in the reception area. Changing area rather a squash and only one cubicle. We went for coffee after Christmas. It looked lovely. The coffee wasn't very hot but unable to attract the attention of the waitress. She didn't come over to check everything was ok and was busy with two other waiting staff, laughing and taking photos of each other. £4.95 and didn't even get a biscuit.

06.01.2025

Fabulous day at the spa. Lunch was excellent. Staff friendly and attentive. Phoebe superb masseur. From arrival to departure 5 stars.

17.11.2024

Thank you to owner of Greenwoods Spa. He gave mum a birthday voucher on her 83rd for another spa day and two course lunch for two. Sometimes people give a present and don’t realise how much it means. After a pretty rough day in the week this present was well and truly appreciated. Compliments to the chef the lunch was delicious. We have visited Greenwoods many times and definitely recommend it! Feeling rested and relaxed ♥️

29.12.2024

I have to say I really am not pleased with this service. Upon booking for 1 night I was not notified of the restaurant being fully booked. I made the reservation and then recieved an email the following day saying the restaurant was fully booked and also they couldn't find my reservation, even after me sending them the booking number. Very very unprofessional and will not visit here again. Please be cautious and if you are thinking of booking here contact them prior of you want to arrange dinner in the restaurant. Never again.

24.12.2024

What an amazing experience. I took my sister here for a pamper day and it was just perfect. We had access to the gym for a workout, the bar area for a pot of tea, followed by a nice walk around the grounds. Then off to the pool, spa and both dry and wet sauna before going up to the restaurant for an absolutely exquisite 3 course lunch. After that, we were treated to a luxury facial to finish off the wonderful sisters day! I will definitely be going back!

22.12.2024

We went to the afternoon tea with Santa and it was amazing. Really nice food with beautifully decorated festive cakes, the service was brilliant and Santa and his elves were fantastic and they made the youngsters (and the old uns) day. Lots of activities to keep the youngsters entertained took place during the session too. Would highly recommend. Huge shout out to Manny and his team for giving us a truly memorable experience in a wonderful venue.

21.12.2024

I recently stayed at this hotel for my birthday, and unfortunately, it didn’t live up to my expectations. While the atmosphere is cosy, lovely decorations, and one staff member upstairs (a friendly boy who greeted guests with “ciao” and a smile) stood out, the rest of the team seemed uninterested and bored. Downstairs at the spa, a helpful brunette did assist with any questions, but overall, the staff’s lack of warmth and hospitality left a lot to be desired. Despite notifying the hotel via email about my birthday, there was no effort to make the occasion special, even by the manager where usually hotels do. (Maybe a decorated plate in room or an upgrade as the hotel was empty or something) Even when I mentioned it to the waiters, there was no acknowledgment, not even a simple “Happy Birthday.” Instead, I was met with curt and unsmiling service. It was disappointing, especially given the premium price I paid for the stay and was cheaper from the normal cost as I bought off wowcher. The facilities were another letdown. The jacuzzi water was dirty, the pool’s fountain—advertised in photos—was off, and the sauna in the relaxation rooms didn’t work. To top it off, when I arrived, the bed in my room wasn’t even made, and the sheets were hanging on the floor and I had to tuck them in. These are basic expectations for any hotel, let alone one at this price point. While the hotel has potential with its cosy ambiance, the lack of attention to detail, poor service, and non-functioning amenities make it hard to justify the cost. Sadly, I wouldn’t return or recommend this hotel. For the price, I expected much better. Maybe just for a high tea only id go again, as the sofas are comfy, even though the fireplaces weren't even lit too..

19.12.2024

Went for afternoon tea, which I booked over the phone as Christmas afternoon tea for my parents 19/12/24. Unfortunately it was just normal afternoon tea, so bit disappointed for my parents. The staff those you can not fault, they were helpful. However the sandwiches were dry & seemed they were left out quite a while before serving. The iced fairy cakes were dry too. We did come the week before with my Husband's parent which was perfect.

02.12.2024

We booked a 2 night stay. The twin room I had continually asked for in several emails was never confirmed so consequently we were given a tiny room with a small double bed. We asked to move to a twin and they said they had one available but upon entering it was just a larger double bed?!? I booked 2 nights dinner in the restaurant but they only had one night booked which I had, again confirmed several times in an email AND a telephone call a week before, so we went to a pub on the second night which probably worked out better in hindsight as they only had one vegetarian option on the menu in the restaurant which was a pretty average mushroom risotto. The spa area looked tired and there seemed to be a lot of empty treatment rooms and yet they said they were fully booked. Couldn't believe there were no slippers so I had to wear my trainers. Most hotels have slippers, never known a spa not to. We asked for an itemised bill on checking out and they couldn't produce a printed version or email it, I'm sure legally they have to, very archaic computers where I then had to take photos off their screen. Overall the service wasn't great. It's a shame as the building and grounds are beautiful and with some thought and staff who are a little more on the ball it could be a great hotel and spa but I won't be returning or recommending. For £310 night we could have stayed somewhere much much nicer.

30.11.2024

I accompanied my wife at the Xmas market fair recently, and staff were lovely and my wife had a great experience. I am also in weddings and events, and I noticed what a great event space, I look forward to returning. Highly recommended.

29.11.2024

This place was lovely got a wowcher spa deal and chilled for the whole day! Food was great 10/10

22.11.2024

We both just had a lovely spa day here at Greenwoods. The food was delicious and the atmosphere was very relaxing. However, I do think there should have been a free drink with the meal.

18.11.2024

Good spa and massage.

14.11.2024

I went to Greenwood’s hotel on 2 nd of November for a ladies night dinner and dance . Service very poor no water offered with food had to ask several times . Food was cold . Pasta was one clump congealed. When we got up to dance all our glasses with drinks were removed from our table . Also a lot of other people had the same issues . Unfortunately we had the same experience with on drinks on New Year’s Eve last year

12.11.2024

We can't do that...what can you do?? You can't book more than 6 people in the lounge bar, yes this includes a high chair. You can't 2 tables together of 4 & 3 people as they cant (or more like won't) go out of their way to get you booked even for a returning guest. You can't spend £250+ on afternoon tea for 6 on a Monday lunchtime so I've booked elsewhere. You can't get good customer service from Ebony, rather turn you away than give any customer service. Try to support the local business rather than the big chain services but this is what you get. One thing you won't be getting - me and my money returning here. Reading the reviews, this place has gone downhill. Good luck for the future.

11.11.2024

Beautiful place, staff were amazing, food was great, spa was a little busy but wasn't too much of a problem. A massive issue was that I did not sleep at all. I made a compliant and nothing ever come of it. A bunch of rowdy, drugged up, chauvinistic boys (i say boys as they acted like it) with one making me feel incredibly uncomfortable in the spa. They were in the room next to me and oh my god they did not shut up all night. My door was kicked, arguing all night, shouting at the top of their lungs just to name a few. I called down to reception twice in the early hours and they only visited the room once to tell them to keep the noise down. Obviously nothing ever come of it which led me to going downstairs at 5am only to be told to speak to the manager who was not on site at that time. I did not sleep at all. I left the hotel as soon as I could and as lovely as it was, I will not be coming back as the staff/security did not know how to handle the situation correctly. Considering I was a single woman with about 5-6 men in one room I expected a bit more care. Many thanks

11.11.2024

Went to 70th birthday bash. Great venue and lovely helpful staff

10.11.2024

We stayed here overnight end of October. The staff were very welcoming and friendly. The room was spacious, clean with a large comfy bed. The spa was lovely, it was busy, but we didn’t have to wait long to use any of the facilities, sauna, steam room or jacuzzi. The restaurant meal was amazing, photos below. I paid the supplement for the sirloin steak, was well worth it. The grounds were amazing and well kept. I thought the drink prices at the bar were pretty good for the location. Loved the breakfast too. Overall we highly recommend an overnight package and hope to return! We had two 15 minute massages that were very pleasant. Top tip, remember to take some sliders, slippers or sandals to wear from room to space.

08.11.2024

It's a very nice hotel. I had a lovely room and view, with good facilities and a spa. It's certainly worth considering if you want to stay in the area.

05.11.2024

Husband booked a spa day here as a birthday treat. He and I spent 30 minutes at the ‘spa’ before turning around and leaving. Reception were uninterested on arrival and looked bored to be there. We went down to the spa and told there were no robes available as they were being cleaned. We weren’t given any slippers or flip flops so had to walk around bare foot on the floor that was wet and quite hairy/grubby feeling. The locker rooms were tired with tiles coming off the wall and half the lockers weren’t working. I had to wait for a kind lady to unpack hers as she left so I could use one. I’m not sure why they call it a spa, because it’s essentially a leisure centre pool with a tiny jacuzzi that’s never available and some grubby sun loungers. We sat around the pool for 10 minutes, crammed in like sardines because it was so busy and then spent the rest of the time trying to find the relaxation room, there was no one in reception to ask so we wandered around in our towels bare foot trying to find it. The relaxation room is a cupboard with 3 loungers in it, two were taken so we couldn’t use it. We were supposed to have massages but we cancelled and asked for our £200 (yes, really!!) back. Luckily the manager was very helpful and refunded us immediately. The price tag doesn’t measure up to the experience at all. Won’t be back!

04.11.2024

After a lovely nights stay after celebrating the last part of my 40th! Has now turned into a bit of nightmare, so when checking out and handed our keys back they said there was a charge of £14ish to our room. well not sure how that happened, either some cheeky person tried there luck to put a charge on our room or a mistake from staff, ok we didn't pay for this but maybe before asking people check your cctv cameras or ask people for ID for there rooms before accusing people Next issue half way down the A12 on our way home we get a phone call to say we haven't paid for the spa treatments, shocking as we paid on this on the 21st September using vouchers we had! Maybe the staff need to complete a research before phoning customers and upsetting them to advise them of this. Unfortunately of this experience especially when I love a spa, this has now put me off coming here, due to the lack of communication from staff between each section to this hotel! Also yesterday around the pool area there was not enough loungers for everyone to use, some customers had to bring some chairs from outside to bring around the pool area, I think this hotel had over booked as there wasn't enough for everyone! Such a shame to this hotel as I heard so many great reviews.

29.10.2024

Wow, we attended Joe Bananas Halloween party hosted at Greenwood’s Hotel & Spa. We had a fantastic afternoon, not only filled with amazing entertainment from Joe Banana but also clean and tidy venue that definitely impresses. Staff were all tentative and friendly. Greenwood’s is a lovely venue and it was great to see our favourite children’s entertainer utilising such a lovely space. Hope to attend many other Joe Banana events at Greenwood’s! As for the entertainment, as always world class best entertainer we have ever seen, not only the for the kids but adults to. Would 100% recommend anyone to visit a JB show or better still book him for your parties. Thanks Joe and Greenwood’s for another fantastic event.

24.10.2024

Celebrated my sisters 60th with a spa day and evening meal yesterday. Had a lovely relaxing day and delish afternoon tea, was so full couldn’t manage the full meal in restaurant last night. Had a lovely treatment by Evi who was a really lovely girl. Will return

25.10.2021

A relaxing and well maintained spa with a decent restaurant. I stayed overnight in a Premier room. Bed was queen sized and comfy, and the room was a good size with a luxury feel. The spa pool is decent, with a sauna, jacuzzi and steam room, and outside seating area. It could use more seats / loungers though as during my stay there wasn't enough for all guests. The treatments are thorough and professional, staff are happy to adjust to your comfort. Though again the accompanying relaxation rooms need more seating to accommodate everyone. The restaurant is very good, a small room and short menu but well executed. For both breakfast and dinner food was served very promptly. Take time to relax in the bar lounge afterwards, the seating is cosy and welcoming. Wider cocktail choices (just 3 available) would be a really good addition to the drinks menu. The only downside is the lack of signs anywhere. Being the converted building that it is things are laid out unusually and trying to find rooms, toilets and other facilities is more difficult than it should be without decent signage. A very good spa hotel that with a couple of tweaks could be great.

07.10.2024

I tld my husband I wanted to go somewhere with a steam room for our anniversary. He booked a spa day here as a surprise. We arrived and couldn't figure out how to work the Jacuzzi as it wasn't on. My husband had to go to spa reception to ask and was told it is set on a timer. The steam room which was really the only reason we came was out of order. When my husband asked the spa reception why he wasn't told before coming as we would have rescheduled, he was told it was supposed to be fixed and they will get back to him about what can be done. We went for lunch after only spending only 1.5 hours at the spa and decided we just wanted to go home due to the disappointment of there being no steam room. On the way out my husband asked again regarding the steam room that was out of order to be told there was in fact another in the relaxation room which is in another section and apparently someone came to find us and tell us but we had gone to lunch??? As a spa you need to make use of having signage around that will benefit your customers. We should not have to go to reception to find out how the jacuzzi works. The fact the the spa staff themselves couldn't even tell us there was apparently another steam room in the relaxation area is an absolute joke. Please tell what they are paid to do other than sit around and talk to one another. A simple sign stating what facilities you have and where would have changed our experience completely and we would have made use of our 'spa day'. This trip was the biggest waste of money and we will never be back. What a disappointing anniversary I had.

02.10.2024

To celebrate my 50th , my friend booked a spa day with treatments and lunch . I had my treatment with Cara who was lovely and very knowledgeable about the products . Lunch was incredible ! Definitely recommend three courses, as every dish was presented beautifully and tasted amazing . The chefs clearly have passion for cooking ( I recommend the prawn crayfish tian , Seabass and biscoff cheesecake ) Waiting staff in the restaurant and bar were welcoming . Swimming pool and jacuzzi area are clean and worth a visit . We ended the day with a drink at the bar and scones ! Thank you Greenwoods for a superb day and we will be returning very soon

01.07.2023

Full review to come. My god how it's deteriorated. Absolutely so unprofessional. I have waited for a meeting with Lucy since I suspended my membership. But to no avail. None of management are ever available. Firstly may I say the desk staff work hard and are generally very good. However certain staff. They are in my opinion less than useless The new gym manager what a joke. I remember her from the David Lloyd. The least said about her the better! And Rob who has never dealt with any problem or issue for me since I have been there. I will say Manny is excellent and a real hard worker. My main problem has been the poor running of the place and in particular the pool area. I have not been able to use the jacuzzi for a year. I had serious health issues. This was not isolated. Many members reported burning and rashes. I believe some members cancelled their membership. I never saw any one ever test the pool since being there for over a year. I really think they are short of staff or the staff concerned are just ineffective. Because of my concerns around health .I along with others will keep a big distance from this place. I might add my girlfriend went once and found the scum and dirt around the pool and spa area to be disgusting and would not come back. Could be a good place with decent managers. I hope the owner reads this. Note I have had a response on trip advisor which is the first response from Lucy the useless manager. I know this is not the truth as many members including some staff have reported serious issues with the jacuzzi. I think health and safety should be aware.