First of all, the hotel is really quirky, luxurious and would be recommended if it didn't have unacceptable elements that would put me off from going again. The food was, despite the reviews, only just above average, but the service was poor. Missing a side order that came at the end of the meal, underdone meat, more like Fawlty Towers than a high price luxury restaurant. We were so disappointed, we went elsewhere on the Saturday night.
The main reason for my poor scoring was the fact they oversold everything throughout the whole weekend. From birthday parties, wedding parties, baby parties, the whole hotel was sold out. We paid close to £2,000 for a family weekend, but couldn't get a seat in either lounge, because they were reserved for functions. Normally, hotels reserve somewhere for guests to go after dinner, but not the Painswick. The lounges were great, but if you have sold them at the discomfort of your paying guests, that strikes me of a bad business decision.
Add to this,