The Retreat Elcot Park

What a lovely evening! I took a friend to the Taste of Italy evening - she's Italian and too fabulous for words, so expectations were high. We both thoroughly enjoyed the evening. Specifically: - What makes all the difference is service and it was wonderful - there were plenty of staff on hand constantly, so anything we asked for was provided really quickly. - One of my favourite dishes is butternut squash ravioli, I've lost count of the restaurants and brands I've sampled, this one was the best. The accompaniments made it, unique and spot on. - Each course was drizzled with something at the table, loved that extra personal touch. - The wine pairings were fantastic. - The ragu was amazing, I had a pescetarian version (I'd have been happy with veggie, but they provided fish - unusual but it worked). My Italian friend was raving about her beef ragu. - The limoncello was fantastic. All too often it tastes like dish liquid, even good brands and even in Italy - this was good stuff! - The setting was lovely, a private room with loads of sunlight as we sat down that became cosy as the light turned. Such a great setting. - The chef had a serving table set up in the room so we could see the meals being put together, with about 5 of them working together. The attention to detail was impressive and it showed. - Overall, what a fantastic evening! We both loved it and will definitely be back for another special event. Well worth it for a special night out, or in our case, just to spoil ourselves because we work bloody hard and appreciate great food, service, setting and ambience. Thanks guys, we appreciate the effort every single one of you made tonight to make our evening special!

Came for afternoon tea and it was a wonderful experience. Food and drinks were fantastic and staff were friendly and accommodating. Amazing setting and hope to return in the warmer weather to enjoy the facilities some more! Would highly recommend!

Booked a classic room for two nights at the last minute. We were upgraded to a Wessex room when we arrived. I think the difference is that the Wessex room has a view of the grounds, we overlooked the outdoor pool. The bed is large and there is no choice of pillows (I found the pillows to be too soft but used the chair cushion which was harder). The room was cleaned, but sheets not changed, just rearranged (I know this because there was a small stain on the sheet throughout, we didn't think it was worth mentioning however). Wonderful glass of welcome wine on arrival. Asked to put a £100 deposit on a card in advance for any item charged to the room. Very friendly and helpful reception staff. The 'pantrys' are a nice touch, able to get coke, orange, coffee, sweets at own convenience. Cute little seating areas and nice and warm inside when the wind howls outside. Also a good selection of board games to play in the bar. Very attentice bar staff. SPA Outdoor pool is heated and lovely to be outside even in April, although the cover was broken for two days so it was then out of use. The steam room was also closed. No information of when they would be repaired, and no offer of any discount by way of apology for inconvenience: If the outdoor pool/spa area are important to you check everything is working before you book. The spa area is lovely (although some loungers appeared reserved with towels and no-one around). We tried the flotation tank for 30 minutes. My travel buddy loved it, I found it quite boring, but an interesting experience (do not rub your face when you are in there, the salt will sting your eyes). We hired the electric bikes, great fun, (£50 each for 2 1/2 hours). You need to have a motorbike/moped licence for these and I can see why, they have a top speed of 30mph and are both wheel drive (motor on front and back wheel) so great fun but powerful if you are not used to similar. Mirrors were broken on both bikes but this did not affect their use. FOOD We ate at the brassery. Tasty soup and popcorn cauliflower for starter. Travel buddy had venison pasta and it was a good sized portion. I had cauliflower steak and chips for my main, cost £18.00. It was literally a great big slab of grilled cauliflower. Probably the weirdest, and most expensive, piece of cauliflower I have ever eaten. SUMMARY Overall not a cheap place to stay, but worth it for a treat. We look forward to returning again one day.

Beautiful place to visit in a stunning location. The food is delicious as is the setting. Staff are super helpful and keen to meet any individual requirements. I have visited a few times and have never felt rushed or hurried. It is a lovely place to visit.

Booked a massage to have a bit of a pamper before having surgery, turned up and they said they didn’t have my reservation then sat me down and started whispering not very quietly which I found very rude. Not the relaxing experience I had expected, and by the time they then said they have my reservation I was too agitated to stay so can’t say what the massage was like but the welcome was extremely disappointing to say the least

Had a fantastic stay and would certainly recommend to everyone. The food was delicious the and service was impeccable. The manger was excellent and went above and beyond to make our stay amazing! It’s clear that they have focused on all the small details which really makes them standout. Lovely walks around the area as well, just wish we had a chance to cruise around on the electric bikes to explore more!

We had the BEST stay at The Retreat! Everything was fantastic - we were in The Sutton Suite which we couldn't recommend highly enough. All the food was perfect and we really enjoyed spending time in the spa and heated outdoor pool. We also loved all the extra touches - complimentary glass of wine whilst checking in and little extras in the room. Not to mention the pantry with homemade biscuits, drinks and snacks to help yourselves too! Finally, a big standout for us was how friendly all the staff were. We hope to be back very soon!

Reception ignored us. The staff were ignorant and rude. The drinks never came. We tried to order drinks which took so long to come that we had to chase them. When we chased both the staff we were talking to turned and walked away without saying a word. They have also turned off Google reviews as they were getting so bad.

We were a group of 3 couples who stayed over and had a lovely private dinner in one of their lovely rooms. The greeting was informed and friendly and we were offered a complimentary glass of wine whilst checking in - a very nice touch! The room was lovely, the food was good and the service was friendly and on point. The location is beautifully rural, particularly handy for Newbury Races and the wealth of local trainer stables in the area. The Retreat has several interesting chic public rooms and large grounds to chill out or get active. As a base for a weekend or longer in the area, it's perfect...and we didn't even have enough time to enjoy their Spa or Outdoor Pool, which I feel sure will also be excellent. Highly recommended.