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Review of the Larger Signature Room at Warner's Bodelwyddan Castle Hotel
Warner hotels have a simple and straightforward room grade system and you will find the choice is generally between a Standard Grade or Signature Grade room. You can read our full guide to whether it is worth the 10 - 15% price increase for the upgrade to a signature room for full details.
Warner does also offer some other room types depending on the hotel location for instance Historic Rooms and Lodges available at their period hotels and mainly coastal retreats respectively.
Bodelwyddan Castle is a historic castle located in Denbighshire North Wales and dates back to 1460. Warner Hotels have operated a hotel on the site for nearly 30 years and completed a £6 million refurbishment in 2015 taking the hotel to four star status graded by the AA. Note the hotel is actually housed in separate purpose built buildings within the 'domestic yard' of the castle so guests staying there get a sense of being right next to the historic building without actually entering the original castle.
On a practical level this means the accommodation is in fairly modern warm insulated buildings without the downsides of trying to achieve this within the constraints of a historic building.
The castle itself is an impressive sight set in over 200 acres of beautiful parkland boasting a magnificent large walled garden and woods which are well well tended by the extensive ground work staff. Guests are free to wander around the entire estate and there are clearly marked well built paths which are graded depending on energetic you are feeling.
The main dining area and bar is located within the central castle courtyard area and you access it by going underneath the impressive castle gates while the main guest accommodation blocks and leisure complex are modern buildings built largely behind the castle.
At Bodelwyddan your choice of room grades includes Standard, Signature, Royale and Lodges.
Signature grade rooms are by far the most popular choice and this grade is also available as a 'Larger Signature' room which is the grade we road tested.
Warner does also offer some other room types depending on the hotel location for instance Historic Rooms and Lodges available at their period hotels and mainly coastal retreats respectively.
Bodelwyddan Castle is a historic castle located in Denbighshire North Wales and dates back to 1460. Warner Hotels have operated a hotel on the site for nearly 30 years and completed a £6 million refurbishment in 2015 taking the hotel to four star status graded by the AA. Note the hotel is actually housed in separate purpose built buildings within the 'domestic yard' of the castle so guests staying there get a sense of being right next to the historic building without actually entering the original castle.
On a practical level this means the accommodation is in fairly modern warm insulated buildings without the downsides of trying to achieve this within the constraints of a historic building.
The castle itself is an impressive sight set in over 200 acres of beautiful parkland boasting a magnificent large walled garden and woods which are well well tended by the extensive ground work staff. Guests are free to wander around the entire estate and there are clearly marked well built paths which are graded depending on energetic you are feeling.
The main dining area and bar is located within the central castle courtyard area and you access it by going underneath the impressive castle gates while the main guest accommodation blocks and leisure complex are modern buildings built largely behind the castle.
At Bodelwyddan your choice of room grades includes Standard, Signature, Royale and Lodges.
Signature grade rooms are by far the most popular choice and this grade is also available as a 'Larger Signature' room which is the grade we road tested.
Bodelwyddan Castle Warner Hotel
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Guest Accommodation Blocks
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A two night stay in a 'Larger' Signature grade room at Bodelwyddan Castle Hotel
The first thing you notice when you arrive at a Warner Hotel is the efficiency of the check-in procedure. Because Warner's have set lengths of stays, generally 2,3 or 7 nights they have set arrival and departure dates for guests which allows them to organise a very smooth check-in process. Check in at Warner hotels is from 3pm.
There is no need to go to reception on arrival you simply drive up to the main entrance where staff in the gate room take you name and you are presented with all of your arrival documentation including your room passes (one for each guest) dining and leisure information. You are then directed up to the very large car parks next to your accommodation and you simply go straight to your room.
We were staying in Llywelyn Hall which is next to the leisure complex directly between the Castle and the Walled Gardens.
The first thing you notice when you arrive at a Warner Hotel is the efficiency of the check-in procedure. Because Warner's have set lengths of stays, generally 2,3 or 7 nights they have set arrival and departure dates for guests which allows them to organise a very smooth check-in process. Check in at Warner hotels is from 3pm.
There is no need to go to reception on arrival you simply drive up to the main entrance where staff in the gate room take you name and you are presented with all of your arrival documentation including your room passes (one for each guest) dining and leisure information. You are then directed up to the very large car parks next to your accommodation and you simply go straight to your room.
We were staying in Llywelyn Hall which is next to the leisure complex directly between the Castle and the Walled Gardens.
Signature Room Bodelwyddan Castle Hotel
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Spacious and well appointed Signature Grade
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First impressions: The common areas of the accommodation block we were staying in felt quite tired, with marked walls and some badly stained carpets which was disappointing. However the actual room was near faultless. Access to your room is via a digital door lock opened using your plastic keycard, this worked seamlessly.
The larger Signature rooms really are spacious with ours measuring (including the ensuite bathroom) 21 by 14 foot or roughly 6.5 x 4.0 metres. The room was bright and airy and very well lit with a multitude of lighting options from ceiling lights, tasteful standard lamp, backlit headboard, reading lamps and further individual lighting to the tea/coffee facilities and dressing table.
The bed was huge being a Super-King size and fitted with a very comfortable yet firm mattress with quality duvet, pillows and bed linen. Bedside storage was provided for both guests along with USB charging and standard sockets.
There was a useful table with two large and very comfortable chairs equipped with additional cushions. The chairs were very heavy and stable and would suit guests with limited mobility. Moving on there was a large dressing area with a well lit mirror and stool along with a decent hair dryer. A further separate area was dedicated to the complimentary tea/coffee tray with a silent running undercounter fridge which is easily big enough to stand wine bottles up in.
Being the Signature room we benefited from a very decent selection of complimentary snacks and drinks including a selection of fresh fruit juices, quality crisps, selection of biscuits and branded coffee, tea bags and luxury hot chocolate. A nice touch is the pint of real fresh milk in the fridge so you can enjoy a decent cup of tea!
The TV is a decent 40 inch LED model. All of the room furnishings were in excellent order including the paint work which was a nice and welcome contrast to the common areas.
The larger Signature rooms really are spacious with ours measuring (including the ensuite bathroom) 21 by 14 foot or roughly 6.5 x 4.0 metres. The room was bright and airy and very well lit with a multitude of lighting options from ceiling lights, tasteful standard lamp, backlit headboard, reading lamps and further individual lighting to the tea/coffee facilities and dressing table.
The bed was huge being a Super-King size and fitted with a very comfortable yet firm mattress with quality duvet, pillows and bed linen. Bedside storage was provided for both guests along with USB charging and standard sockets.
There was a useful table with two large and very comfortable chairs equipped with additional cushions. The chairs were very heavy and stable and would suit guests with limited mobility. Moving on there was a large dressing area with a well lit mirror and stool along with a decent hair dryer. A further separate area was dedicated to the complimentary tea/coffee tray with a silent running undercounter fridge which is easily big enough to stand wine bottles up in.
Being the Signature room we benefited from a very decent selection of complimentary snacks and drinks including a selection of fresh fruit juices, quality crisps, selection of biscuits and branded coffee, tea bags and luxury hot chocolate. A nice touch is the pint of real fresh milk in the fridge so you can enjoy a decent cup of tea!
The TV is a decent 40 inch LED model. All of the room furnishings were in excellent order including the paint work which was a nice and welcome contrast to the common areas.
There is a large wardrobe provided with plenty of hanging space for long garments and this also contains the complimentary (free use during your stay - not to take home!) white fluffy dressing gowns, and iron with ironing board along with a digital room safe.
Next to the wardrobe there was a large chest of drawers. Overall you get a lot of clothes storage capacity which would be more than adequate for the even the most demanding of guests for a stay of up to 2 weeks duration.
Further touches include full length dressing mirror and coat hooks.
Next to the wardrobe there was a large chest of drawers. Overall you get a lot of clothes storage capacity which would be more than adequate for the even the most demanding of guests for a stay of up to 2 weeks duration.
Further touches include full length dressing mirror and coat hooks.
The ensuite shower room
Moving onto the shower room and this does not disappoint. It is again spacious with quality ceramics, a very spacious shower fitted with a foldable shower screen and grab rail, the water pressure is excellent and you can enjoy a hot powerful shower.
The ensuite has a heated towel rail and you are provided with plenty of good quality white fluffy towels and a nice range of premium Temple Spa toiletries which includes hand balm, shampoo, conditioner and shower gel.
Once again the bathroom has excellent lighting and includes a very useful automatic night mode which turns on low level lighting automatically when you walk into the bathroom so you don't disturb your partner or need to fumble around in the dark for light switches.
Moving onto the shower room and this does not disappoint. It is again spacious with quality ceramics, a very spacious shower fitted with a foldable shower screen and grab rail, the water pressure is excellent and you can enjoy a hot powerful shower.
The ensuite has a heated towel rail and you are provided with plenty of good quality white fluffy towels and a nice range of premium Temple Spa toiletries which includes hand balm, shampoo, conditioner and shower gel.
Once again the bathroom has excellent lighting and includes a very useful automatic night mode which turns on low level lighting automatically when you walk into the bathroom so you don't disturb your partner or need to fumble around in the dark for light switches.
Spacious shower in ensuite bathroom
How well did this room work for us?
Well it is probably no surprise that we thoroughly enjoyed staying in this Signature room. Below we break down the overall ratings.
Noise:
Useful to know:
Well it is probably no surprise that we thoroughly enjoyed staying in this Signature room. Below we break down the overall ratings.
Noise:
- In practice it was very quiet, we were on the first and top floor with no rooms above us and had no noise disturbance from other guests during our stay. We did have our window slightly open in the evening and you could hear a small amount of noise from the cabaret bar across at the castle but this all stopped by 10:30pm
- The bed, chairs and temperature regulation in the room were all excellent
- The larger room really felt you had more like a suite than a simple bedroom and we thoroughly enjoyed having a bottle of wine and nibbles in the afternoon sitting on the comfortable chairs.
- The clothes storage, hot drinks tray and vanity areas including clothes storage were all excellent
- Again faultless, powerful hot shower, heated towel rail, automatic lighting and quality complimentary toiletries...what more do you want or need? Perhaps a bath would be a nice additional for some but personally I prefer a large shower anyday when staying away from home.
- The Signature grade room cost us an additional 11% premium over a standard grade and then we paid another 5% premium for the larger room in actual money terms at the rates we booked this equated to a total of £22 above a standard room - in our opinion this represented money very well spent and we would book the same again without hesitation.
Useful to know:
- Check in is from 3pm and check out is by 10am in all Warner hotels but despite the fairly early check-out time you can stay on the grounds and use all of the hotel facilities until 12pm so many guests take advantage of a leisurely breakfast and use of the spa or pool before departure.
- All hotels are cashless so within a few hours of arrival you register your credit card with reception and then any bar or cafe purchases are billed directly and the hotel sends you an updated statement of your account each morning before you get up and then your bill is settled automatically before you check out.
- Warner hotels are 'all-inclusive' and this includes your breakfast and evening meal. You will be allocated a particular table in the restaurant which will be yours for all meals during your stay, if you wish to pick an actual table rather than a random allocation then you can do this by going to the restaurant before 4:30pm on your day of arrival. Some tables are located close and level to the buffet counters where all the self-service food is offered and some tables are a few steps up on a higher landing area. If mobility is an issue for you I would recommend selecting the lower tables.
- Although not strictly room related I thought it worth mentioning just how friendly and helpful every single member of staff we had an interaction with were. I can see why Warner's score so highly in independent surveys for customer service.
