Fistral Beach Hotel and Spa - Adults Only

Came for a spa day as a local. It’s been many years since I last came to Fistral Spa Hotel and was looking forward to seeing the changes and any updates, but unfortunately the spa itself is looking rundown and tired. I remember the ceiling in the pool area used to have twinkling lights to add to the atmosphere - now the ceiling looks tired and like it has white blooms of mould (I don’t think it is, but that’s how it looks!) We paid to do the 90 min treatment with afternoon tea. We booked nearly a month in advance and this hotel decides what time your treatments are booked on the day, rather than you selecting. You’re told to arrive at 9:45 to make sure your treatments are booked etc. On arrival, we were told “sorry we couldn’t book you together, you (my mum) are at 12:30pm and you (myself) are at 2:45pm and your afternoon tea is at 4pm” When I tried to raise the issue that my treatment wouldn’t be finished til 4:15pm, plus I’d need to change to be able to go to afternoon tea I was told “don’t worry about it.” The service by most front of house staff was disappointing. I was asked if we’d been before - I said not for many, many years and the spa receptionist just gave us vague directions from his desk. When we went searching for the spa areas, there were several other guests asking where to go. At other spas I’ve been, the staff have given a bit of a tour of where to go. The changing rooms are tired, half the lockers didn’t work, there is one hair dryer in the entire ladies changing room (which was being utilised for a full blow out so I was unable to use it), the handle to the sauna was hanging off (luckily it’s a push to get out) but the members in the sauna said it’s been like that for over a year. There is minimal seating in the spa itself. There are two pairs of rattan seats, and nowhere else by the pool to lie out and read a book. To do this, you need to go to the relaxation room which is 3 flights of stairs up. So you couldn’t do a dip, go and relax, then sauna etc, you have to do all of one first and then dry off and head up. Again, other spas of this calibre offer more of a cohesive relaxation experience. I should note, we were starving as well. As we didn’t end up having our afternoon tea til way past 4:30pm (by the time I was out of my treatment, arrived and waited for it to come out). We were there from 9:45am as well, and when booking it had said snacks would be available throughout the day (they weren’t). So I was desperately trying to stop my stomach rumbling throughout my very lovely treatment. The positives of this: Katie who did our treatment was wonderful. Really friendly and obviously loves her job. The treatment itself was also amazing. The bar staff were very nice too. But even when leaving, not one person said thank you or goodbye! To be honest, there are so many spas in Cornwall that provide a much more luxurious experience and are well worth the money. I wouldn’t head back to the Fistral again unless I knew some major changes had happened. In Newquay alone I’d recommend Watergate Bay or The Headland - even if it costs a bit more than what you’d get at this place, it would be well worth it.

5 months ago · via Google

Couldn’t rate this hotel enough, the service was impeccable especially from Ana the receptionist - she was delightful and very accommodating, even when I forgot my charge plug she was very helpful!! The spa is lush, one of the members said everything is always broken - but this wasn’t an issue at all! The nice touches are the little biscuits in the rooms, the cat air fresheners on reception, sometimes there were free sunglasses and a hydration station! Breakfast was perfect with mimosas to help yourself too - we found Mae very helpful at breakfast with Neil very welcoming! Just a delightful stay! Perfect location for the beach with walking distance to the bars, and Newquay. We found working very easy, and we didn’t book beforehand. Robes int he room with flip flops and toiletries a plenty! I preferred the showers in the spa to the room, but apart from that perfect! No aircon in the room, but even though it was a heatwave and a sea view room - they were surprisingly cool. However there was a fan provided in the closet.

a month ago · via Google

We had a lovely stay here for 4 nights in June. Very relaxing environment, good food in the bar/restaurant and very friendly service. We felt very well looked after for the time we spent there. The location is perfect, right on the beach and a 20 min walk to town. Breakfasts are excellent, extensive fruit and cereal options, plus good choice of a cooked main which is cooked to order. Only point for improvement would be to get a decent coffee machine in the bar, to be able to get barista-made coffees. The staff were attentive and friendly throughout, special shoutout to Beth and Daniel who managed all our requests with a smile! We hope to return again for another perfect stay 🙏🏼

2 months ago · via Google

Don’t get me wrong, there’s a lot to like here but somehow it just hasn’t hit the mark for us. The music in reception was so loud I could barely hear the receptionist checking us in, and could be heard from our room one floor up. The room was spacious but the light fitting rattled every time the guests above us walked around - which was a lot. The furniture was tired, blistered and chipped laminates, and felt more premier inn than adult only spa hotel. The bathroom was vastly huge, but lacking in any furnishings to make it feel comfortable and absorb the echo. Rust marks in the bath and on our robes. The spa was one of the reasons we chose to come but it’s a tired space. Harsh lighting, loud, a very strong smell of pool chemicals (I swim very regularly am an no stranger to pool environments but the atmosphere here stung my eyes), nowhere to sit and the sauna door had disappeared so no sauna for us. The continental breakfast was lovely, especially the granola. Unfortunately as with most of our stay the cooked options were disappointing, undercooked bland. Service was good, it would be unfair not to mention that the staff were all lovely. We were underwhelmed overall and this felt like an expensive seaside premier inn. There are better options very nearby where we have stayed previously at the same price point that felt much more special. Some more attention to the detail and thoughtful approach to the rooms and spa, quality of food, and cooking fresh would go a very long way.

3 months ago · via Google