Delightfully presented afternoon tea - mulled wine or champagne, finger sandwiches, scones with strawberry jam and cream, a tantalising selection of sweet and savoury items, and a wide selection of teas. Service is impeccable . . elegant, responsive, unobtrusive. Bleak winter weather limited the duration of our outdoor stroll in the stunningly impressive grounds. The indoors temperature needed ratcheting up by several degrees, and so was a bit chilly, which tended to undermine an otherwise positively memorable experience.

Spent one night at Cliveden and was lucky enough to receive an upgrade. The room was immaculate and absolutely gorgeous. The grounds as well as the building itself was breathtaking despite the terrible weather. Breakfast buffet was great and plenty of variety/options depending on how famished you're feeling. The staff were friendly and helpful, really made you feel welcome. We also had lunch at the Astor grill and the staff there were a great bunch too. Unfortunately, living in Australia means that this was a once off visit but I would definitely come back again if I have the chance to visit the UK again.

A great place to feel like the lord of lady or the manor for a little while. Beautiful grounds, old school building, and full of history. Our room was large and furnished with antiques, but not as good as one would expect for the very high price. The bed was next to the door, which is quite odd. The bathroom was all marble and candelabra, but it could have used more modern appliances. Similarly, the crafty windows may be part of the old school charm, but not ideal in very cold weather. Service is good and the restaurant was excellent for dinner and breakfast. The spa looked great, but sadly we didn’t have time to use it.Overall it was worth experiencing this place once, even if it is not the best value for money.

5 star hotel but 1 star afternoon tea. Cold draughty lounge, inadequate service, tepid tea and average food. Anticipated a premier level pre-Christmas experience and left deflated. Staff nowhere near attentive enough. They did offer more savouries then neglected to bring them. Tea was not hot enough-don’t they know to warm the pot? And how about lighting the fire to stop guests shivering? If the idea of offering afternoon tea is to provide a taste of the hotel’s high standards then it failed miserably. I’ve been to 3 and 4 star hotels for tea that have completely overshadowed this disappointing experience.

For all the grandeur of the buildings and beauty of the grounds, Cliveden does not live up to the hype it has received and the prices it charges. We were awoken at 1am with dogs barking loudly in the adjoining room. We called the front desk but nothing was done about the problem. I am a dog lover, but this was unacceptable! We could not possibly sleep. The front desk said there was “nothing they could do about it.” Presumably the guest with the misbehaving dogs was more important than us. Finally, at 3 am we were moved to another room. If that wasn’t bad enough, other staff members had very uneven manners. Some were gracious and welcoming, others were brusque, even rude. We walked into an empty dining room for afternoon tea and were told to leave because we didn’t have a reservation. It may be a reflection of poor English language skills or cultural unfamiliarity but Cliveden has some work to do if they expect to meet guest expectations.