If you read
this post you will know that on this weekend I stayed at the Macdonald Elmers Court Hotel in Lymington for my cousins wedding and I thought I'd provide a review of how I found the hotel.
We arrived at the hotel on Friday afternoon with the help of the iphone 5's trusty sat nav. The receptionist identified us immediately as wedding guests and told us the sofa bed had been made up for us. We were offered newspaper for the morning, provided a map of the grounds and given all the details needed for our stay such as where breakfast was served and where the wedding would be held.
Our room was in one of the groups of chalet type accommodations separate from the main hotel. These were very similar to rooms we stayed in last year for my other cousins wedding, large patio doors opening out in to a wide green space.
Considering there would be three adults in the room and the open sofa bed the room didn't feel too claustrophobic and clearly not realising that my parents daughter was of a certain age there was a boredom relieving activity pack waiting for me on the bed.
Unfortunately the weather on Friday meant that we were unable to explore the grounds you can see pictured but my dad and I did enjoy a drink in the Steak House lounge whilst my mum and aunt were helping the future bride and groom put some finishing touches to the reception rooms for the next day.
I had also not expected to arrive with so much time to spare so didn't think to bring my swimming costume or make an appointment at the spa but both looked like they would have been the perfect antidote to the bad weather.
With an hour or two to kill before our dinner mum and I decided we wanted a good old cuppa and rang reception for fresh milk which arrived about 5 mins a poor member of staff who braved the rain to bring it too us that I felt rather guilty.
Saturday morning we went over for breakfast in the Steak House which is separate from the main hotel building but luckily a minutes walk from our apartment. There was the usual offerings one would expect, cereals, pastries, cheese and meats and we were offered and brought tea, coffee and toast on sitting at our table. Hot breakfast orders were taken and a delicious English breakfast arrived after choosing how we would like our eggs cooked (poached FYI!).
We were able to get ready in the room without too much fuss and plenty of towels for 3 people. Despite the large patio doors there isn't much natural light in the room, likely from the shade of the stairs to the upper floors. And being on ground floor for privacy closed curtains is required and it could feel a little dark at times.
One criticism was the wifi capabilities of the room and it's location. It was a bit of black spot for normal service and 3G and armed with my laptop I'd made enquiries on internet access. The hotel didn't offer a service but referred me to BT Openzone which I paid for a 24 hour service to cover me from Friday evening to Saturday afternoon in the lead up to the wedding. The next morning I was unable to log on to the system which caused some stress due to the YouTube make up tutorial I had planned to use for the occasion and frustration at having paid for a service I couldn't use. Obviously this is an issue to pick up with BT but worth noting if you are staying at the hotel.
The wedding service was held at a local church with the reception held in the hotels function room and I cannot compliment the staff more in how they handled the day. They were swift and appeared in the background when needed, keeping everything moving along smoothly.
Our meal was delicious, served promptly and served warm - not always the case with many a wedding meal! No complaints from me on the wine but unfortunately for my designated driver brother the diet coke being served was flat and unpleasant that he moved onto water for most of the evening.
I retired to bed before my parents (official sad case here!) and happily walked back to the room past the outdoor swimming pool and garden draughts board and snuggled into bed with a cup of tea and piece of cake and was not affected by any noise coming from the main building.
Sunday morning arrived with another trip to the steak house for breakfast, this time for the abundance of people staying overnight for the wedding. Again despite the numbers breakfast was served promptly, tea and toast was brought in abundance and I had some of the best boiled eggs in a long time.
The sun was shining more glorious than the day before and it was lovely to sit outside on the grounds and admire the views of the Solent and just a shame we hadn't booked for another night to enjoy what the hotel had on offer.
Obviously my review is as a wedding guest so my activities were provided for much of my stay and plans were in place for me so I can't advise on the evening meals at the Steak House or the restaurant in the main building. In terms of location it is somewhat in accessible by foot and unless you're into some long walks you will need to drive into the local towns and high streets.