Four Seasons Hotel Hampshire

Stunning hotel, decor and facilities. Staff very attentive. Great location. Extra touches like free bikes to use around the estate.

Everything except the excessive charges on water and soft drinks which I thought was excessive.

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.

This is one of our many stays at this property. We were told by a General Manger from another Four Seasons property that we might be able to get an upgrade due to some issues at another hotel. Well, this team did not disappoint. We were upgraded to a Manor Room in the main hotel.

Also, to our surprise, we were gifted a bottle of English sparkling wine. Very much appreciated.

Pool and spa facilities were lovely and due to good weather, we even went for a bike ride.

Will definitely be back.

The spa itself is quite pleasant and relaxing, but it felt a bit shabby in places and could definitely use some maintenance. The outdoor hot tub was a particular disappointment – it was only lukewarm and not especially enjoyable, which was a shame because that’s usually a highlight of a spa day.

Lunch at Café Santé was unfortunately a letdown. The starters were very unappetising with poor taste/texture (vietnamese rolls and chicken salad) , which set an odd tone for the meal. The mains were better but still fairly average. Overall the food felt like a strange fit for what should be a relaxing spa day.

All in all, we had a nice day, but there were enough issues that it didn’t feel like a 5-star experience.

The location

This must be an amazing family resort, but for a few older women seeking rest and relaxation I’d stay somewhere else. This is my second time staying here, and perhaps because it is school break, there is chaos in every part of the hotel. I understand in public places that is to be expected, although they may want to consider kid vs adult only tea times or serving them in a different area. However, from kids screaming up and down our hallway to sitting alone in the women’s sauna and hearing the trampling and screaming of kids above/around us, it’s simply not relaxing. Trevor at the Drawing Room is a star and the signature Four Seasons service is ok here. But if you are looking for any type of peaceful or romantic adult getaway I’d recommend Pennyhill Park.

Everything

Went for a family weekend getaway. Overall, decent experience, but have experienced better at the price point.

Pros:

Large estate, plenty of space and things to do. We tried fishing and archery, tried the in house restaurant and pool/spa area.
Close enough to London and within driving distance.

Good breakfast spread with fresh ingredients and high quality food, though on a lower ground floor and pretty dark.

Generally pleasant service overall, especially the Malaysian and Indonesian staff worth noting positively. Some remembered the guest names which was a nice touch.

We were given an upgrade of multiple levels to a suite level room, which was nice but facing the rear of the hotel facing dumpsters and storage areas.

Could be better:

The kids activities were overpriced for what was on offer. 45 min archery lesson for 150GBP (and 300 GBP for two kids) didn’t strike me as particularly value for money.

For the fishing experience they give you a lift in a fancy Land Rover Defender, but then drop you off a 100m short of the lake where guests are then left to wade though the ankle deep mud on their own. What’s the purpose of the Land Rover then, for show? Not impressed.

Room service was a mixed bag. Food arrived a bit cold, requested bread basket was missing, and portions generally small.

Family time slots at the pool and spa area are quite restrictive. Lots of towels and bathrobes left lying around.

Their reservations (call centre?) was cumbersome to deal with, asking a lot of scripted questions and taking a long time to get to the point when I am ready to book. Then put me on long hold and eventually hung up on me. Booking was neither a pleasant nor an efficient experience, so I went via American Express instead. Lost margin for the hotel I would assume.

Whilst the hotel generally presents itself well, at the price point it is not as good as nearby Coworth Park, the Fairmont or Heckfield Place - where common areas are in better condition and service to a higher standard and with more attention to detail. Especially Heckfield feels like it’s in a league above.