Miriam Keeble

Booked a weekend luxury afternoon session for my mother in laws 70th and also booked a mini me pamper day for my daughter. I have to say I was really disappointed. I have been to Ickworth Estate many times and have loved it but unfortunately I think the afternoon was a huge waste of money and really badly advertised. Staff were lovely and very friendly but I would not say it was ‘luxurious’ and there is no spa!! You spend most of the time in the main hotel with all the other holiday guests and their children. The children’s room was a complete mess with no staff tidying it. The massage was lovely to be fair but you are just in the basement of the hotel with no signs where to go and you just get 20 mins of relaxing before your back up into the main hotel which is busy and noisy. The cream tea was ok but after 30 minutes we had to chase the food (we were one of only two tables being used) and the ‘spa’ is just a nice rectangular swimming pool open to all the guests and their children. No spa, steam room, sauna to be seen! I am amazed they can have the changing room set up as is as there is just one changing area with no door so anyone walking in can see you get undressed and although there are two shower cubicles these were always in use. Lockers had no locks so had to take all bags onto pool side and the pool was full to bursting with children so might as well have been at a leisure center!!! The mini ‘experience’ was basically a scone and half an hour in the pool… I could have taken her to Costa and the local leisure center for a third of the price!!! The Estate is really beautiful but unfortunately it certainly was not a luxury spa experience.