The Tawny Hotel

Brilliant stay, especially if you’re looking for something a bit different from a traditional hotel break. The grounds are stunning, so I’d definitely recommend exploring them on foot or hiring the bikes like we did. Our cabin was compact but full of character, with lots of lovely little touches. The outdoor bath is great!||There’s a nice bar on site with a pool table, and you can even have drinks delivered to the outdoor pool, a fantastic touch. We ate in the restaurant in the evening and the steak was honestly one of the best I’ve ever had, so my number one tip is: have the steak! Breakfast is also superb with plenty of choice.||All in all, it’s a fantastic place to visit, especially for couples looking to relax.

The Tawny is a really unique place to stay. The rooms are so beautiful and comfortable, and have a lovely calm feeling. They feel very private. We had views over the lake, and a balcony with an outdoor hot tub. We ate dinner in The Plumicorn restaurant which was absolutely fantastic. The quality of the food was excellent, and presentation really added to that. The staff were excellent across the board (hotel reception, restaurant staff, and the drivers of the cars taking you to and from the room to the restaurant). We have been lucky enough to stay here twice now, and would love to return. Would not hesitate to recommend, for a bit of a treat.

We had heard many great things about the Tawny and it completely lived up to the hype. We stayed in one of the boathouses and it was beautiful, in spite of the grey weather! The room was well-equipped, spacious and very clean. The turn down service on the Saturday night was a bonus. We loved the hot tub and ended up using it four times throughout the weekend. The grounds were stunning and extremely well kept, with lots of stunning view points. We ended up walking to a local pub (the black lion) in the neighbouring nature reserve, Consall. If you time it right, you’ll be able to catch the steam train go by (of if visiting at Christmas, the polar express!). We also took advantage of the heated pool where we were able to order drinks to keep us warm. We ate dinner at The Plumicorn restaurant both nights and it was fantastic both times. We paid £50 for three courses and it’s great value for money. On first thought, the portion sizes look small but they were spot on. For breakfast, we ate once at the restaurant which was also fantastic and then we enjoyed the continental breakfast from our room the second morning (also great). To get around the grounds, you can call for a lift in either a buggy or jeep and they always came quickly. I wanted to end this review with the standout feature of the Tawny and that is its staff - every staff member we met were extremely friendly and helpful. They went above and beyond to ensure we had the perfect stay - this included a bottle of Prosecco on arrival to toast our anniversary (and then a lovely dessert in the evening at the restaurant). We will absolutely be back, hopefully in the Summer or Spring as I can imagine it’s even more beautiful then.

Thank you to the entire team at The Tawny for such an incredible stay for our wedding anniversary. From putting us in the same room as we had for our mini moon, to “happy anniversary” cards from the team and even a bottle of Prosecco in our room! We are so so grateful and had such an incredible time. |The afternoon tea was the best afternoon tea we have ever had (and we’ve had one at Betty’s tearoom in York) - from the quality of the sandwiches, to the scones, the petit fours, the selection of teas and guidance on which would compliment which course from the amazing Caroline… it was just outstanding. |We also got to try the Sunday roast for the first time too which was utterly incredibly. We honestly cannot fault one thing from our stay. The staff were so friendly and welcoming and the standards were just as high as we remember them.||Thank you so much and we cannot wait to return in the future!

I have stayed at The Tawny twice, my most recent visit being this week, I live fairly locally and have also eaten at their Plumicorn restaurant on separate occasions too. Every time I've visited the experience has been exceptional and I truly believe it's a special place, the attention to detail and special touches are very thoughtful, the food is creative and consistently superb and the staff are fantastic, excellent service combined with that famous North Staffordshire warmth and friendliness. I can't recommend the Tawny highly enough and thanks to you all for hosting another wonderful stay.

Truly terrible service. We stayed once before and had a lovely time, but this visit was an absolute disaster from start to finish. For a place that markets itself as a luxury retreat and charges nearly £1,000 for a single night the service was awful and I’ve never experienced anything like it. The room was fine, but everything else completely ruined our stay. Dinner was a joke. The food itself was decent, but the service was appalling. Staff started setting up for breakfast around us from 8:30pm, making us feel like we were being rushed out. Our plates sat on the table for around 30 minutes between courses. We booked the tasting menu expecting a special experience and instead spent the evening chasing drinks and leaving our table to try to order things because no one was coming over. Breakfast was even worse. After seating us, the waitress disappeared for about half an hour. We had to go up twice just to get someone to take a drinks order. When I asked the waitress directly, she was unbelievably rude, telling me she was “very busy” even though the restaurant was basically empty. I ordered gluten free croissants, and of course we had to chase those too. They eventually arrived after the hot food... This stay has completely put us off ever returning. It’s such a shame because our first visit was lovely, but this time the service was so bad, truly the worst I have ever experienced in a hotel/food setting. I hope management actually takes this feedback seriously, because no one spending this kind of money should have an experience as bad as we did. It was supposed to be a celebratory stay but nothing about it was celebratory.

A relaxing stay but given the price point I’d expect more attention to detail for it to live up to 5* luxury. Only cheap Prosecco in the mini bar - no beers, wine, champers. Boiler not able to keep up with filling the outdoor hot tub. Dog eared, laminated(!!) and dated wine lists in the restaurant… don’t get me started on the font. Cheap plastic Christmas trees. No actual gym or spa. Massage room is really random and space/detail not well finished. Quality / style of decor in places is a bit naff. Positives… The setting is stunning, it was really peaceful and the staff were nice, but if you’re into the small stuff and you compare with the Farm House (or similar) on quality it’s not up there for me.

This hotel is nothing short of exceptional. It was the perfect location to celebrate our wedding anniversary. The rooms are well designed and have stunning views over the grounds. It’s so peaceful and a perfect place to unwind. The staff were all so welcoming and helpful- nothing was too much trouble. We had a meal at the restaurant and also had a picnic in the grounds- both were first class. If you have a special occasion to celebrate I wouldn’t hesitate to book this hotel.