Matfen Hall Hotel, Golf & Spa

Having just returned from a two night stay at Matfen Hall we felt we needed to write this honest review. Following a disappointing stay in May 2024 we decided to return and hope things had improved. We were not disappointed. The improvement is quite exceptional. Our welcome was warm, not only by the staff but the fire in the hall, and the rum cocktail was delicious. A very pleasant, helpful young man took our luggage to our room while we were being checked in. The room was tastefully decorated, warm and clean. We started our stay with a visit to bar 1832 for drinks where, once again, the welcome was warm and friendly. Our first evening meal was at The Keepers, a recent addition to Matfen Hall. The food and service were excellent. The menu is varied and reasonably priced and less formal than that served in The Cloisters. The breakfast on both mornings was excellent and much improved. Again staff were friendly and attentive. Our second evening meal was the tasting menu in The Emerald dining room. The food was delicious and the chef happily exchanged the fish dish, as one of us has a fish allergy, with a meat dish. The staff were once again friendly and attentive, especially the Dutch lady whose name I forgot to ask. The management has taken onboard the past criticisms and we can honestly say they have made huge improvements and we would happily return and recommend it to others. Matfen Hall is a very impressive building and the service and food is now what you would expect from a 5* establishment.

My husband and I had a lovely 2 night visit to Matfen Hall. The staff couldn’t have been nicer, so friendly and helpful. The hotel has been recently renovated and is absolutely beautiful. Our room was wonderful, overlooking the gorgeous 18 hole golf course, and fantastic views beyond. Breakfast in the Cloisters was amazing, as were the staff. We enjoyed our time in the swimming pool and spa. We would definitely recommend this hotel.

Came for a couple of nights with my fiancée last month and I couldn’t resist leaving a review. A good venue should always get recognition so I really don’t understand some of the recent reviews on here. From the moment we got there the staff were so attentive and honestly couldn’t do enough for us. So professional but also making us feel welcome and they were all so friendly at the same time. They really know what they are doing. We went for dinner at Cloisters, the food was amazing, and the staff in the restaurant again were amazing. Thank you so much to all the staff, Matfen hall is worth every penny and I can’t wait to come back again soon.

My husband treated me to 3 night/4 days at the Maften Hall hotel, 7th to 10th September for my birthday. The hotel, gardens and golf course are beautiful and kept to a high standard. What lets this hotel down is the service and the breakfast. We booked a deluxe room which was fine, a little small considering we paid a great deal extra for an upgrade to their best room standard and the Bathroom was ok although the walk in shower is so very narrow. Lighting was poor and there were very few drawers. The breakfast menu was limited and unimaginative and poorly executed. Fruit salad was chopped up melon and tasteless and only sliced bread presented on a china dish so the toast went cold quickly. No rolls or any other breads which was disappointing. My husband tried the vegetarian English and the veg sausage was shrivelled and dry. Half a tomato and half a mushroom and they forgot the baked beans. I tried the eggs Benedict and it was served cold and the Hollandaise sauce was a commercial packet product and was not tasty. One morning I asked for an omelette and the waitress said we don’t do omelettes. This surprised me as what five star hotel can’t do an omelette? The service was really slow. Some people waited 30 minutes for someone to take their order. In fact the table next to ours already had their menu before we were seated. When we had finished the were still not served I joked with them "I hope you are here for lunch as it is apparent you are not getting breakfast! " Tables were not cleared after people left our plate were handled incorrectly so the server's hand was on the eating surface of the plates and the whole experience felt amateurish. We booked on arrival Sunday lunch but after having the breakfast we cancelled the lunch as we thought if they can’t get that right what would the lunch be like? The next thing that went seriously wrong was that no one made up our room. We returned to our room at 10.00 pm after visiting the beautiful sights in Northumberland and housekeeping had not been in to our room. Our bed was unmade and bathroom had not been touched. We called the night manager who came to our room and apologised but said there was no one on the premises to make up our room . We asked him to make a formal complaint and that the manager would contact us in the morning. We never heard from the manager. No apology at all. He did not contact us over the course of the next 3 days. We checked and were assured that he had received our message and a reminder from the staff. What a really bad attitude. In all this hotel was a big disappointment . The whole point of choosing a 5 star hotel is to have good service and good food otherwise go Airbandb.

Matfen Hall is an absolutely beautiful building. From arrival we were met at the door and assisted with our luggage. We were then invited to take a seat in the Great Hall whilst reception sorted out our keys and our luggage was taken directly to our room. We had opted to stay in a balcony room which was pleasantly situated with a view over to the church and beyond. The bathroom was quite large with a very good walk in shower. Apart from the rainfall shower (a pet hate of mine) there was also a smaller hand type shower which was fitted on to a rise and fall bracket This for me was very good. There were bottles of still and sparkling water supplied in the fridge along with a small bottle of milk. Ample tea and coffee and excellent shortbread. Two downsides to this room were (1) It was very warm, albeit a Dyson fan was provided and (2) the bed. The bed was an obvious zip and link but for some reason a quilted mattress cover was provided for each mattress rather than a large cover which should more or less stop you feeling the "join". It made the bed rather uncomfortable. I would also add that for me I found the mattress to be a little too soft. We had originally booked to have dinner on both nights of our stay in Cloisters. However, several days before we arrived the menu had changed from a la carte to table d'hote in that particular restaurant and we felt the range of food on offer was a little limited for us. We then opted to have dinner in the Keepers Lodge, which is really the golf club, a couple of minutes stroll from the main hotel. The lodge was a delightful building with very friendly and helpful staff. Regrettably it seemed that only one chef was on the evening of our visit and being quite busy this did reflect in the food and the lengthy waits to be served. On our second evening we did dine in Cloisters and were absolutely delighted we did. The whole atmosphere, staff and quality of food were very good indeed. Top marks to the chef who put together the exceptional and imaginative menu. The 1832 bar was also a delight to visit and I would definitely recommend their own Matfen Gin! There is also The Emerald restaurant for those who wish to partake of a tasting menu. Many reviews referred to breakfast and the service. I would say it obviously depends when you go down to breakfast. It did seem to get busier after 9am and perhaps a little slower. We perhaps were fortunate as we arrived around 8:45 each morning and we had no issues with being served or with the quality of the breakfast provided. Rather nice not to have to stand around a very slow toaster. Overall, this is a first class establishment and despite my issue with the bed we will certainly make a return visit at some point. I would add that the grounds are delightful and for those golf enthusiasts do not forget to pack your clubs.

We were playing in a golf tournament at Matfen. This was an all female competition. We were exceptionally disappointed that the clubhouse had a very limited menu. There were no scones, teacakes or other cakes that are usually a favourite with lady golfers. Undeterred we went up to the Hall and were more than pleasantly surprised when enquiring if there was the possibility of tea and scones the answer was a resounding yes, even though it was almost 4pm. What we didn't know was the Chef was make a new batch just for us. They were delicious and the price didnt break the bank. The staff that we encountered were all exceptionally friendly and in particular Perez, who looked after us in the lounge. Thank you Matfen Hall staff for making us feel welcome. Lovely surroundings, decor and people. Perhaps the Chef could make scones for the clubhouse...

I waited a month to write this review as I highlighted our issues when we checked out of the hotel and they had promised to email me with an explanation. We chose Matfen Hall for its location, 5 star rating and the opportunity to try out the tasting menu at the Emerald Restaurant. In the week leading up to our stay we had email confirmation of our room and restaurant reservations, along with a clear warning that if we wanted to cancel our restaurant reservation 24 hours notice was required or we would be charged in full. Understandable with it being a tasting menu where the ingredients were no doubt brought in specifically. This was followed up by a phone call from the hotel confirming the restaurant reservation and again reminding us we had to pay in full if we didn't show at the Emerald for the tasting menu. The approach to the hotel is through stunning countryside and we pulled up with very positive thoughts as we drove through beautiful grounds to be greeted at the entrance by a very polite concierge who took is to a grand hall, where we were seated and left to an equally polite colleague who brought us a welcome drink and completed the check in process, whilst he parked the car. During the check in process the reservations we had made were once again confirmed, and again we were told that if we didn't show up at the Emerald we would be charged in full. We were shown around the hotel facilities and taken to our room. Our room was lovely and quaint, however it lacked a full length mirror or suitable make up mirror. I will point out there was no air conditioning but fully understandable given the age of the building and the difficulty in retro fitting it, we were provided with 2 fans. On the the desk in the room was a letter, confirming our restaurant reservations and also re iterating that if we didn't show we would be charged. Before dinner in the Cloisters Restaurant we went for drinks in the 1832 bar, which has panoramic views over the golf course. The service was slow and the choice of drinks were limited for 5 star hotel with 5 star pricing. Dinner in the Cloisters was nice the service was fine. On getting back to our room we found there had been an evening turn down which was very nice. The bed and bedding were very comfortable and we had a good nights sleep, despite it being a very warm evening. Breakfast is served in the Cloisters, it was around 30 mins before we were offered a coffee. Breakfast when it eventually came was very good. After a morning exploring the local area we came back to the hotel for refreshments, ordering drinks in the 1832 we were asked to take our seats outside and they would be brought to our table. 25 minutes later they turned up, we asked if they had any bar nibbles (like most 5 star hotels provide) nuts or crisps or olives. The olives turned up another 25 minutes later by which time we had finished our drinks so we left them and set off back to our room. We were chased by the barman to pay £5.6

Cloisters Dinner and Breakfast service variable .The ethos of the venue is GUESS. Enquiring about web page got no reply - phones not answered - one night of three no shower as no hot water .Crumb debris between cushions in restaurant gross. The keeper venue a pleasant contrast but not included in Dinner/Bed/ Breakfast deal.