Four Seasons Hotel Hampshire, England

We had a truly memorable family stay at Four Seasons Hampshire, and much of that was down to the extraordinary warmth, attentiveness, and professionalism of the team. From the moment we arrived, we felt genuinely welcomed. The girls’ names were written on the mirrors as part of the welcome, there were juices waiting for them, and the hotel had thoughtfully left children’s robes and slippers in the room. These details were very much appreciated. We were also grateful for the complimentary upgrade offered on arrival, which encouraged us to pay a little extra and move into Room 1205 — an excellent room that was beautifully appointed, comfortable, and a wonderful part of our stay. What stood out most throughout the visit was how personally recognised we felt. Staff across the hotel knew not only our names, but our children’s names as well, which made the stay feel highly personal, warm, and genuinely special. A few individuals deserve particular recognition. Sam and his grandfather were wonderfully patient during shooting and made the experience great fun. Ryan was fantastic with archery and made it thoroughly enjoyable for the whole family. Richard was phenomenal at fishing — especially with children — completely engaging them and keeping them captivated throughout. Man at the hotel entrance was exceptional: he knew our children’s names, handled the car seamlessly, remembered our activity schedule, and was always proactive in offering transportation when needed. He left a lasting impression on us. The picnics were also excellent and absolutely worth spending extra on if the hotel is arranging them. There were, however, two disappointments. The first was the adult fly-fishing experience. We were encouraged by the concierge to proceed despite very windy conditions, with the suggestion that it would still be workable. In reality, that was not the case. That said, Richard did a fantastic job in difficult circumstances — he was knowledgeable, engaging, and made the best of it. We learned a great deal from him, and my wife even managed to land a fish, which was a highlight. It was therefore even more disappointing that the conditions had not been judged more realistically in advance. The children’s fishing experience, by contrast, was excellent. The second issue was more serious. A member of the valet or front assistance team appeared unfamiliar with our manual Defender and, while retrieving it, seemed to engage differential lock and four-wheel-drive low, stalling the car repeatedly before I had to intervene and ask him to stop. For any hotel operating at this level, there should be much greater care when handling rare, restored, or specialist vehicles. Even with those issues, this was an excellent stay overall, and the quality of the people is what made it stand out. Four Seasons Hampshire got many things exactly right, especially for families, and we left with real appreciation for the team.

There are some wonderful hotel collections/brands in the world which my family and I have so enjoyed over the decades and often recommend and also return to. These include FOUR SEASONS hotels as well as others such as Dorchester Group; Baccarat/1; Rosewood ; Belmond and Peninsular. FOUR SEASONS can be absolutely terrific…but not always. I doubt founder (the amazingly talented Issy Sharp) would have been too impressed at the four seasons in Prague, where we stayed some years ago. However, when it is great, it is genuinely wonderful. Four Seasons Hampshire is as good as it gets. An Exceptional, Brilliantly Managed FOUR SEASONS country estate with Spa and 4 restaurants…A definite “Must Visit” Welcome as we arrived was led by the general manager with our car swiftly taken off our hands and an absolutely lovely check-in and introduction to our gorgeous suite. We were impressed by the remarkable attention to detail throughout the property. Our suite was exquisitely furnished and with the most lovely drapes (the drapes throughout the entire property are equally tasteful). The hotel had clearly been totally refurbished to an extraordinary standard throughout. With fresh floral displays at almost every turn, both accommodation and public areas have attained perfection level. Surprises abound when strolling around inside or around the grounds. I won’t list everything we discoveries are part of the pleasure of staying at this property. We particularly loved the family of ducks who had settled in a particular enclosed area and on behalf of the ducks it would be wonderful if they could have a slightly bigger pond. The hotel caters for everyone be it business or families. Even the spa has everything covered. There is a separate pool for children and the large pool is reserved for adults for much of the day. Whatever you want, they have already thought of it. We particularly appreciated the skills of senior massage therapist Yuni, who had an exceptional level of understanding and ability in providing pain relief. The indoor pool is perfect and the outdoor pool service is exceptional…both as regards refreshments and recliner and sun umbrella management. It made a nice change for different departments to quickly respond to pre arrival queries and be in touch confirming arrangements. Trying to get most hotels to make specific arrangements in advance is like trying to raise the dead as they are often too busy coping with guests they have at the time. I am also so used to hotels making pre-arrival mistakes but none happened here. A few days earlier we had stayed at another country house hotel in Oxfordshire, also very well-known and what a contrast! We booked their second top suite in that hotel at a cost of £1600 a night and what we got was a broken TV, a kettle which leaked boiling water and a bathroom thermostat which needed replacing… as well as soulless public areas and visibly worn and uncomfortable seating. It was therefore a joy to find the opposite at Four Seasons Hampshire. Our suite was a joy to occupy and of course everything worked. Of particular note was the high quality of the dressing gowns, bedding and pillows. Excellent Wi-Fi, mobile phone charging points, very high quality large TVs, excellent coffee and tea making facilities… and beautiful views from every window. With a lovely atmosphere throughout and management and staff in abundance ensuring guests have everything they need, this is the best Four Seasons we have ever stayed at. Some years ago we stayed at the Four Seasons hotels in Prague, Lisbon and Florida. We will be trying a few more as well as returning to this remarkable Hampshire estate, especially for pain relief massages and pizza! I must congratulate executive chef Mr Talha Barkin on the wonderful pizzas at the hotel’s La Terrazza Restaurant (which also offers outdoor dining). The pizzas are created by chef Angelo Doganieri, especially the ‘historic’ DOGANIERI PARMIGIANA - CHEF ANGELO’S SIGNATURE PIZZA…made up of Burnt Multi Grains, San Marzano Tomato Sauce, Fior di Latte, Aubergine, Confit Tomatoes and Ricotta Salata…worth a special visit to Four Seasons Hampshire just for this signature pizza, possibly one of the very best pizzas available anywhere and terrific value. We since booked to stay at the Four Seasons in Kyoto and also in Singapore along with our family but sadly had to postpone due to unforeseen circumstances. After our experience in Hampshire we are hugely looking forward to discovering further new Four Seasons resorts. We are travelling to Seoul next and of course have chosen to stay at the Four Seasons. All in all, this hotel offers value and it delivers. This is no mean feat for any luxury hotel and I suspect that this hotel which opened in around 2005 is now better than ever. To achieve this level of service and quality takes exceptional management. We particularly appreciated duty manager Mohammed who seemed to be everywhere. Without a doubt the excellent staff in every department combine to make Four Seasons Hampshire very special. I usually only find this when there is an exceptional general manager in overall charge and where key staff also stay for very many years assuring continuity of quality service. I know for a fact that this is the case at the Four Seasons Hampshire. With two bars, four restaurants (including afternoon tea lounge) and opportunities for dining on the many terraces, all with views of the beautiful grounds, this Four Seasons is a joy to behold. As for the GM…what a great guy. We have returned twice … just for the pizzas as we actually have a home reasonably locally to the hotel. PS I only recently noticed that although I sent in this with you some time ago... I have not been published, and TripAdvisor were kind enough to send me a copy of the other day. I rate Tripadvisor very highly.

Perfect family staycation! Stayed for 2 nights with our two year old and would certainly recommend. Our daughter loved the pony grooming and she was so happy that we could visit the stables every day to see the horses and ponies. She also loved swimming at Sharkies and visiting the kids club. The food was all very good, especially the pizza and afternoon tea. Without a doubt the best part of the hotel though was the staff, they treated our daughter amazingly and every member of staff went out of their way to make our life as easy as possible. That is the main reason that we would happily come back

Does not live up to the usual Four Seasons standard. Much better alternatives available. Wild Carrot restaurant is particularly bad. Cold scrambled eggs at breakfast. Even a simple ploughman’s not executed correctly. Simple pot of tea arrived weak - only one tea bag used!! Expensive break and left feeling flat

So we have stayed here previously and had a completely different experience. But this was like an expensive Center parks, if you want to be surrounded by more kids than a nursery contains then this is the place for you. I do have kids 3 of them, but this was like staying in and dining in a nursery. Kids on iPads at every table or screaming, kids riding scooters in restaurants, I mean refined and relaxing this is not available here. The dogs staying here were better behaved than most of the kids. Drinks in the bar were sere served without the nibbles that normally accompany them we had to ask for them. The Eton Mess is not an Eton Mess, the kid’s knickerbocker glory was not one either, the fries were cold and chewy. The ac was lacklustre, there is no hand held shower in the shower, also the very bare minimum of toiletries are provided. This is way far from Four Seasons standards, and we have stayed at many. At £1700 a night you are better off at Coworth Park . We had to work hard to get a table for dinner, if you know the hotel is so full maybe advise your guests in advance to make reservations.