Champneys Forest Mere Reviews
Forest Mere, Liphook, Winchester, GU30 7JQ
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98 reviews
Champneys was a mixture of great and mediocre. We had a fantastic time doing the Bootcamp class which was a tough and well lead workout, and the gym - though tired - has everything you could need. The food was superb, all 3 meals we had there were absolutely excellent and the staff did their best at breakfast to accommodate for the rush. What let it down for me were the treatments. My friend thoroughly enjoyed her 1hr massage and 1hr seaweed wrap, but unfortunately mine were not up to standard. The hot stone massage I had was quite nice, but the treatment room I was in was grubby and desperate for a good clean. The aromatherapy wrap I had was awful - meek body scrubbing and essentially just slapped in oil with a bit of cling film rested on top of the skin. For the money I was really disappointed. That being said, Champneys does have some very good points - the surroundings are gorgeous, the hotel is very nice in places (the pool and ladies relaxation room are very nice) and the fitness classes are great. Just be picky with your treatments and if you don't mind it a bit rough around the edges whilst they are renovating then you will have a good time.
Unfortunately the builders were in on my visit so that kind of took out the option of going onto the terrace or down by the lake. The Thalassotherapy treatment is definitely a Marmite thing and, again unfortunately, I hated it. The facial I had was OK but I wasn't told until I was checking out that I could have made it longer if I'd paid more. I stuck with the option that was included in the day package which was really too short to be of any consequence. The food was delicious but you do feel like you're being rushed as the restaurant has timed entries. Overall I didn't feel pampered but just a number. I also felt that I was looked down upon as all the staff asks you how you're enjoying your "stay" and, when you admit you're only a one day person, they sort of look pityingly at you as if only the people who have forked out serious money to sleep there are likely to have the proper experience. Perhaps they're right...
All good but spent ages trying to work broken lockers only to be told staff that some are faulty. They really should be marked as out of order and fixed! Coat hooks are needed on the back of toilet doors as you end up putting all your belongings in the floor. The small ladies changing room has no hot shower - this too apparently is faulty. More staff is needed at the restaurant as had to wait long time to be served. Finally at the checkout the staff had not heard of Wahanda and tried to charge us the full amount again!
A lovely overnight stay with some fantastic treatments. The back massage from Tudor was exceptional - and as someone who trained as a Beauty Therapist and has experienced a wide variety of massages I can honestly say his was probably the best I've had. The lovely guy on the Departure Desk - I can't remember his name, but he was so lovely I just wanted to re-book and not leave.
The only slight fly in the ointment was the rather miserable lady in the Champneys shop. She didn't look up, or ask if we needed help. When asked, "Do you know the price of this, please?" her response was, "Not off the top of my head, no". She rather let the place down when everyone else, without exception, had been attentive, helpful, cheerful and sincere.
A fantastic day including thalassotherapy that really hit the mark; spot on massage that eased out particular knotty shoulders; a ballet tone class that hit muscles I didn't know I had but in all the right ways; and a tasty yet healthy lunch topped off with a lazy hour or two by the outdoor pool. Who could ask for more?!
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