Peckfortoncastle Recensioni 

Booked for afternoon tea Saturday 5/4/2025 for my wife’s birthday and I mentioned this when booking, the staff member said we would make a birthday platter which we’ve had on a previous visit( slate with happy birthday writing in chocolate 2/3 chocs and a helium balloon)Firstly they didn’t set this up and I hadn’t mentioned to my wife as this was a surprise very disappointed. Secondly on the two previous visits for afternoon tea we were made to feel special but not this time, just wedged in next to the bar, not good then the sandwiches came and certainly not the freshest scones ok but small carrot cake dry and not tasty. Shame the last 3 times in the week were amazing but this experience felt like very budget conscious and I will not be going again. 😞

We stayed for convenience following a dear friends wedding at the venue, we paid £200 for a four poster room as a treat and after waking up from a late night celebrating the shower was covered in mould! Needless to say I refused to shower as a complete health risk and drove home 6 hours for a well needed shower. It’s a shame I am unable to leave photos, I have added to online forums to warn people. Avoid !

we stayed here a few weeks ago for my husbands birthday.
Unfortunately it didnt live up to our expectations.
The room initially looked lovely, but it was in our opinion not upto any standards.
The shower head had no way of staying fixed so had to be held, the tap in sink turned complety around and no hand towels suppied.
The food in the restaurnat again wasnt upto a good standard. my meal came swimming in gravy. infact the waiter did spill some onto the table and my husbands didnt have any. Breakfast was ok, but nothing supplied ie no milk, condiments, butter, had to keep asking for everything to be bought to us.
We did stay about 5 years ago and it has certainly gone down since then.
The hotel has eventually., offered a free afternoon tea if we return, but considering it was over 2 hours drive away, i cant see us wanted to return. needs some TLC immediately.

Had a fantastic afternoon Tea here last Sunday. A big thanks to Dan who looked after us so well. The Tea was a voucher gift from our son which we had to move because of weather. Dan and the lovely Sophie gave us a warm welcome. The Tea selection was delicious (Fresh yummy sandwiches and the freshest scones I have ever had). Thoroughly enjoyed it and we WILL be back xxx

I am writing this to express my deep dissatisfaction with the overall experience I had during my recent stay at Peckforton Castle in November. Unfortunately, the service and standards provided were far below the expectations set by the establishment and the prices charged.

First, I was extremely disappointed with the cleanliness of the hotel room. Upon arrival, I found the room to be poorly maintained, with visible dirt and dust on surfaces. On both days of my stay, the toilet rolls were not replaced, and the bed was not properly made. The blankets were carelessly thrown onto the floor, which I found both unacceptable and unhygienic. This level of neglect is not what I would expect from a hotel of this supposed standard.

Additionally, the breakfast experience was extremely disappointing. The pricing for breakfast extras felt like blatant profiteering, especially considering the limited and subpar quality of the options available. It was clear that your hotel is taking advantage of guests by charging excessively for items that should either be included or offered at a much more reasonable rate. £5 passion fee for Avocado and eggs which was even charged when we said we didn’t want the eggs !! Whilst I queried this the table next to us complained about hair in their food..

I was also taken aback by the prices for basic branded drinks within the hotel. The charges were excessive and, in my opinion, an unreasonable markup given the quality and nature of the products. Future guests - watch carefully for this. I run a chain of hospitality venues and you will be charged premium prices for drinks that are very cheap for the venue to purchase.

To make matters worse, our stay was in connection with a wedding, and it became very apparent that wedding guests have little option but to stay at your hotel. Given this limited choice, it seems that your hotel is taking advantage of the situation by charging excessively for both accommodations and basic services. This kind of pricing feels particularly unfair when the overall service and standards fall so far short of what is expected.

Given the combination of poor service, lack of cleanliness, and inflated prices, I feel that I did not receive the value I was led to expect when booking my stay. I hope this feedback is taken seriously and the hotel take immediate steps to address these issues so that future guests do not encounter the experience that we had

Went for afternoon tea today
Really disappointed after making a long round trip journey
Poor quality sandwiches & scones
The price is ridiculous for what you get
Avoid

Visited Peckforton Castle which is absolutely stunning! We were celebrating a friends birthday, all staff were professional and attentive, although rooms were on the 3rd floor the only access was via stone steps which was fine with us but would recommend you ask if you need access to a lift. Other than that meals were delicious an overall wonderful stay 10/10

We recently visited Peckforton Castle, and completed our three “Boutique”hotel stays.A splendid hotel run efficiently and with great warmth. Everything was as it should be:rooms,food and staff all outstanding. We can’t wait to return ,we have been truly captivated by these three gems.

Afternoon tea was very poor. Sandwiches equated to one sandwich per person with the world’s smallest ever scones. Clotted cream wasn’t clotted cream at all and we weren’t served a single cup of tea. Quality was poor so don’t expect much.
It’s a huge rip off and to be avoided. £30 for the privilege! Be warned it’s a money making scam.

Really scraping the barrel to be critical of Peckforton Castle! All I can can come with is no USB ports in the rooms! Staff, food, the room, atmosphere all excellent.

47th Wedding Anniversary spent her. Wonderful welcoming staff, nothing is too much trouble .5* In every sense. Large comfy bedroom , modern bathroom with underfloor heating . Top quality bedding .Best night's sleep for ages. Restaurant staff & food perfect.
A huge THANK YOU to the management & all the Staff for making our celebratory stay so perfect.

They demand a £30 "holding charge" which they then hold for 7-10 days. Place was a lovely stay and we thoroughly enjoyed it, but holding this money is absolutely ludicrous. If it wasn't for the mrs birthday i'd have refused and demanded a refund for the stay, then left. This wasn't mentioned anywhere in the booking.

Went with my friend who had a afternoon tea voucher for his 40th, well what can I say other than dont bother keep your well earned money and spend it somewhere else,the whole experience was a sad affair sandwiches which where very dry and drab,hardly any filling and stale, the cakes where rock hard and could be used for missing bricks in the castle,the scones were terrible we did say to the waitress on duty about it all being dry and stale she just kind of showed lack of interest never came back with anything to make it better,then we asked a few questions about the castle the staff were not interested, the reception staff made us feel like we shouldn't have been there, so we thought let's have a glass of wine house wine two glasses £16 REALLY!!!! will never go back there how can they charge £42 for this afternoon tea when what they put in front of us was around £8 if even that .. absolutely ridiculous expensive rip off doesn't even cover this p... take

The staff in the restaurant and reception etc., were as helpful as they could be in sorting out our problems;
1. It is a very long walk from the official car park to reception, which was a serious difficulty for us as we are both disabled and have difficulty walking. The hotel reception response " Just bring your car up to the reception area to park, but make sure you do not obstruct the access for emergency vehicles."
2. Despite having had six emails booking the afternoon tea, something had gone wrong and no reservation existed. " no problem just pick a table and we will sort things out.
3. very good afternoon tea, with full consideration of food intolerances taken into account .

4. On the basis of these experiences I would highly recommend the Castle as a venue for afternoon tea.

Just awful. Aggressive manager threatened me with legal action for posting a review because they took my deposit and refused to return it when we were forced to cancel because of Covid. Uncaring, aggressive hotel. Don't waste your time and money with this abusive ownership

Our 11th wedding anniversary!
After getting married here we wanted to show our children where we got married.

Booking process was fantastic! easy, staff really friendly and professional put me at ease while trying to book a treat away with the family, Spoke with Ryan reception manager.

When arrived receptionist was helpful, easy checking and show us to our room.
When we got to the room such a lovely surprise that we was upgraded and had a welcome platter in our room.

Cellar bar, we had pre drinks in the cellar bar before our meal, children were made feel welcome, good selection of drinks and loved the theme and feel of the bar.

We had dinner in the Brasserie as we was dining with our children.
Children’s menu had a good selection, menu for adults was good.
Starters and menu course was very delicious, service was good.
However when it came to pudding it did take about 20mins however we didn’t mind, waitress did come over to apologise about the delay but children were ok waiting.

Room really happy with the room, facilities within the room was fab, bath and shower great and really catered for the children with the roll out beds when the family rooms were booked.

Breakfast, in the morning we went to the main restaurant for breakfast, good selection of food and drinks, staff were helpful to show where everything was and arranged toast for you.

Overall really good stay and our children loved going to the castle where we got married.
Another big thank you to Ryan for making our stay special

As wedding photographers, we have had the privilege of capturing numerous weddings at Peckforton Castle. The castle is an absolutely stunning venue and the perfect place to hold a fairytale wedding. The architecture of the castle is exquisite and the elegant spaces and beautiful grounds create a truly magical atmosphere.
From the moment we walked into Peckforton Castle, we were struck by its breathtaking beauty. The castle is steeped in history and romance and makes for the perfect backdrop for a wedding. We have captured many beautiful moments at Peckforton Castle, from the bride and groom's first look to their first dance as a married couple. The castle's stunning grounds provide a perfect setting for romantic portraits and the perfect place for guests to enjoy the day.
The castle staff is incredibly accommodating and makes sure that everything runs smoothly on the day of the wedding. They are professional and attentive to the needs of the couple and their guests. The castle's breathtaking beauty, elegant spaces and beautiful grounds, combined with the warm and welcoming atmosphere created by the staff, make Peckforton Castle a truly special and unforgettable venue for a wedding.
Overall, Peckforton Castle is the perfect venue for a fairytale wedding. If you're looking for a venue that combines history, romance and beauty, look no further than Peckforton Castle. We highly recommend this venue to anyone looking for a truly magical and unforgettable wedding day.
Kindest regards,
The Kensington Photographers

Stunning venue and grounds and had booked for my parents as a wedding anniversary gift - such a shame the afternoon tea did not reflect this at all.

45 minutes after being seated, we had not been offered or served a single drink and had to ask for the tea/ coffee to come whilst we were waiting for the food. When the Afternoon Tea arrived, the sandwiches were stale, the one scone served was cold & rock hard and we were offered 3 small cakes. (These were the only good part) Apparently, the oven had broken, and the waitress had noted the number of guests wrong, but no one had come and communicated anything to us. The staff seemed put out to replace the sandwiches but did so quite quickly and brought a glass of champagne as a way of an apology.

Truely disappointing experience after travelling over an hour to the venue. Unfortunately, would not recommend.

The initial build-up was bad enough i.e. having to move the original 'big day' from 2021 to June 2022 (no fault on the Castle, simply down to Covid). A new, alternative, date was given to us by the Senior Wedding Coordinator - this was gladly accepted, but only after checking that all our suppliers were available. Good so far .... until a month or so later when it was announced there was to be an extra bank holiday in June and this is where our experience with the Castle began to decline. We received a call to say as our date was now officially a bank holiday, the cost would be an extra £5,000. I took this up with the Sales & Marketing Director because for some reason he had become heavily involved in our daughter's wedding, (we had no dealings with the Senior Wedding Coordinator after this point). He asked where I had gained this information re the extra £5,000, I confirmed and he in turn told me to ignore, it was just the team being 'pro-active'. A few days later, we received a call to say actually the cost would be an extra £3,000. We had no choice but to accept as otherwise the date could have been pushed-back into 2023 due to our suppliers’ availability. Now, looking back, I’m wondering what the extra cash was for?

On 11 February 2022 the Sales & Marketing Director emailed our daughter, the contents of which read:

"Apologies for the unsolicited email.

It has been brought to my attention that we have tried to contact you previously regarding important outstanding documentation, namely the terms and conditions for your wedding date. It is vital that we are both on the sane page with this so can I politely request this is actioned within 48 hours or we will consider it a breach of contact"

They had already received this, two years beforehand, and again we forwarded a further copy. We were in no way prepared to sign a new contract

So, the build-up wasn't the best experience

I wrote to the Senior Wedding Co-ordinator and a Ms Eirian Ensor (who we had dealt with on our last visit when firming-up the final arrangements), listing the various points we were unhappy with. Neither responded, they instead forwarded my email to, yes you guessed it, the Sales & Marketing Director yet again. The list below details some of our concerns on the day as follows:

1. Rude/soulless reception staff – they are front of house, the first to meet & greet. One-word answers don’t come across very well

2. Boiler issues at the lodge, leading to insufficient hot water for everyone to have a shower/change (the first two guys took cold showers before the others were aware of the issue). Seems they were aware but failed to advise us of this beforehand or, better still, get it fixed

3. Our eldest daughter had her and her family's entire belongings, everything, piled into black bin liners and removed on the night of the wedding! Our daughter was actually staying in the room a second night and had to “hunt down” her belongings

4. Groom’s bag handed to reception earlier in the day for delivery to the bridal suite. The groom approached reception at 9pm to find his bag still sat by the side of the desk

5. Long gallery bar closed at 11:45pm, guests then had to wait for the wine cellar to open at 12 o'clock before purchasing further drinks

6. Wedding coordinator busy showing “potential bookings” around our daughter’s wedding rather than focusing on the wedding itself

7. Wedding breakfast – excellent food, very slow service, one of the children was not given a meal, the groom had to chase a member of staff for this

8. The mike used by the Master of Ceremonies ran out of batteries –mid-flow! Everyone had to wait whilst he disappeared to find new batteries

9. Lack of available staff – they, themselves apologised, explaining they were low on staff numbers and looked exhausted

10. Overcharges on rooms for guests i.e. rollaway beds charged to guests when covered as part of the bridal package

11. Attempted to charge our eldest daughter full room rate for the night of the wedding when in fact this was included in the wedding package. Still waiting to get this resolved

12. Wedding coordinator was nowhere to be seen, she was too busy showing a “potential sale” round our daughter’s wedding

13. Approached by a waitress attempting to work out where everything was going when in fact we had already gone through arrangements with the wedding coordinator weeks before

14. FOUR power cuts! Three during the course of the evening reception – embarrassing

15. We at least expected a coordinator on hand should anything untoward happen during the course of the day – which of course did, on quite a few occasions

The sad thing about all this is we’ve received no apology whatsoever and I’m sure if we had, then this review would not have been written.

Thankfully the wedding was beautiful, due to the suppliers/entertainment.

Disappointing afternoon tea experience. The smallest scone I have ever had, and only one per person. Many other places offer 2 per person, one plain and one fruit. No option to choose plain or fruit. Sandwiches not particularly filled well.
Service okay. When asking for a tea refill you get the same tea bag back with hot water poured over it. For God's sake its a bloody tea bag. Surely at £34 for a couple you can stretch to 2 more tea bags? Probably costs about £2/3 per person to put it together, really disappointing experience.
Surroundings inside the restaurant okay.
Exterior of the castle is wonderful and beautiful grounds.