The Cavendish Hotel at Baslow

We’ve just spent four days here and loved every minute. We were in Room 10 which has a lovely view and cozy sitting area. All the dining options are great and classically country house, upscale English decor. Our room must have five different patterns and it all works together perfectly. There is so much to do in the area and the walk through the fields to Chatsworth is beautiful. I did feel like I was in a Pride and Prejudice scene during my walk! There are significant hiking options and if you are here multiple days one can go see Chatsworth and Hardwick Hall more than once. Definitely allow 2-5 hours for each as there is so much to see. The food and service was great too. We splurged on the dinner one evening and got dressed up which was fun. While I think we were the only Americans here at the time, everyone was welcoming. This place is perfect for a long getaway weekend with friends or multiple couples.

3 months ago · via Google

I walked in and thought what a lovely place with such poor service considering it's cost. I had to ask 3 members of staff to be seated in the garden area as they did not want me to sit there and were very awkward about it. They were abrupt and appeared annoyed by me. No one asked me what size wine I wanted and they therefore assumed a large glass without informing and charged me for it. I asked for the service to be removed, the female member of staff who completed payment was actually very nice and polite. I found this a poor experience considering the restaurant rosette and michelen guide listing.

2 months ago · via Google

The room was of a reasonable size and well appointed. The staff were friendly and very helpful. We only had dinner once in the Gallery restaurant and it was excellent. If you are visiting Chatsworth, get your tickets through the hotel because I believe their package allows you multiple entry. Chatsworth House is about a 30 minutes walk from the hotel.

3 months ago · via Google

We booked this hotel because of its reputation, having seen it featured in The Times and the Michelin Guide. We regularly stay at some of the best hotels around the world, so we were really looking forward to the experience. Unfortunately, we left wondering how this hotel earned those recommendations. From the moment we arrived, the experience fell short. There was no one available to greet us or assist with our luggage, so we were left dragging our suitcases across the gravel to reception ourselves. Once we had checked in, a kind member of staff did offer to take our luggage to our room, which we appreciated, but we would have expected assistance on arrival rather than after we’d already carried everything ourselves. On arrival, we went to the Garden Room for drinks and waited around 20 minutes before anyone came to serve us. We asked three separate times if someone could take our order, only to be met with a poor attitude from the server. We were also told we couldn’t have a side of bread and they wouldn’t make an Old Fashioned, which was disappointing. We’d arrived hungry and couldn’t even get a small bite to eat. Afternoon tea itself was enjoyable and the food was lovely, so credit where it’s due. Unfortunately, the service again let the experience down, as we were left waiting a long time before anyone came to offer us drinks. The service was better once we did get served on this occasion and the staff members serving us were friendly and helpful. Breakfast was no better. Once our order had finally been taken, our cooked breakfast took around 30 minutes to arrive. The delay was so disappointing that on our second morning we didn’t even bother ordering a cooked breakfast. Another example of the poor service came when we asked reception to book us a taxi. Instead of arranging it, someone knocked on our door to tell us the taxi company they had called was busy, then handed us a list of local taxi firms and suggested we book one ourselves. As visitors to the area, this wasn’t particularly helpful. At a hotel of this calibre, we would expect the concierge or reception team to arrange alternative transport rather than leaving guests to sort it out themselves. On our second evening, we went to the hotel bar at around 9:30pm. One of the servers made it very clear that he was frustrated we had arrived, seemingly because it meant he wouldn’t be getting home as early as planned. His attitude throughout our stay was consistently poor and noticeably affected the atmosphere. The other staff appeared pleasant, but his demeanour overshadowed the experience. What made this even more disappointing was that we had paid almost £3,000 for a family stay of just two nights on a room-only basis. We travel frequently and stay in luxury hotels around the world, so we know the level of service that should accompany this price point. Throughout our stay we felt more like an inconvenience than valued guests. We also found it surprising that a hotel with such a reputation could only make a very limited selection of cocktails. The rooms were clean but felt very dated and in need of updating. During the same trip we dined at Fischer’s at Baslow for the tasting menu and visited The Peacock at Rowsley. Both offered considerably warmer hospitality, more attentive service and more impressive décor, making the contrast with this hotel even more noticeable. Overall, the service was consistently poor and nowhere near the standard we expected from a hotel carrying recommendations from The Times and the Michelin Guide. It’s disappointing because there are clearly elements the hotel gets right; the afternoon tea and food were excellent, but hospitality is about making guests feel genuinely welcome, and throughout our stay that was sadly missing. The staff, particularly those in guest-facing roles, would benefit from hospitality training as a matter of urgency. A warm welcome, attentiveness and a willingness to help are the basics of luxury hospitality, and unfortunately those standards were not met during our stay. We won’t be returning.

3 weeks ago · via Google