Alexander House and Utopia Spa, an SLH Hotel - East Grinstead

Natalie K.

My husband and myself stayed here for a special occasion and were blown away with our stay. We had booked a 2 night stay with spa treatments. We booked a suite which was very comfortable and spacious. Great shower! The spa facilities were extremely relaxing and our treatments were good. Cream tea was perfect; Just the right amount of food and all very delicious. Good choice of breakfast options. Our dinners were incredible, taste wise and presentation. I had catch of the day one night and steak the other and I can honestly say that the steak was the best Ive ever had (and I've had some good ones!). Whoever the chef is.....thank you for the wonderful food. Roland served us the first night and he is just lovely. Grounds are beautiful. All members of staff wished us a good day, good morning etc when we saw anyone. Can't wait to come back!

Sophia G.

We stayed at the Alexander Hotel in East Grinstead for one night with a spa day package on the 28th of June, celebrating our 20-year anniversary. While there were some lovely touches — such as the spacious, modern room and the kind gesture of brownies, a gift, and a handwritten note — the overall experience left us feeling extremely disappointed and, frankly, let down.

We expected a high standard for the price we paid (£1000 for a one-night stay and spa experience), but the service and quality did not reflect this.

The Good:
• The room was beautiful: modern, spacious, and clean.
• The spa facilities were pleasant, and the private hot tub was a nice touch (though a bit worn and an added cost).
• The bar manager was lovely and helpful, promptly removing an unsatisfactory sandwich from the bill.
• Reception staff were polite and did offer some apologies at checkout.

The Not-So-Good:
• Lunch at the bar was underwhelming. My husband’s chicken sandwich was dry, and my pastrami sandwich was missing key ingredients. It felt overpriced for what we received.
• The spa, though nice, was very busy and felt small for the size and caliber of the hotel.
• I accidentally left my necklace in a robe, reported it the next day, but it was unfortunately not recovered.
• Dinner service was a disaster. We waited well over an hour for our mains. My husband’s steak eventually arrived, but mine was completely forgotten. At that point, the mood of the evening was ruined. I declined a rushed replacement meal and left without eating. Our anniversary dinner ended with me having an egg sandwich from a petrol station.
• Breakfast the next morning continued the theme: very slow, and tiny, disappointing portions for the cost (around £20 per plate). The bacon looked boiled and was my husband didn’t even touch his.
• There was confusion at checkout regarding what was included in our package (which stated dinner and breakfast with a £40 dinner credit each and breakfast supposed to be included). While some of the charges were adjusted, it felt unclear and poorly handled. We didn’t want to query this at the time, as we just wanted to leave.

Final Thoughts:

This was supposed to be a luxurious, memorable stay to celebrate a milestone in our lives. Instead, we left feeling hungry, disappointed, and out of pocket. While parts of the experience were lovely, they were overshadowed by poor service, disorganization, and food that didn’t match the hotel’s five-star promise. Unfortunately, we would not return — and would caution others considering this venue for a special occasion.

Chia M.

I didn’t stay in the hotel so I can’t rate the rooms I went on a Monday for the day, I had a wonderful experience for a day relaxing weekend.
My fully body massage from May worked wonders and the ambiance of the environment was just right.

Service was great although the food options could be altered to the seasons. But I honestly had a great time.

I don’t drink alcohol and the do really good mocktails 😋 cool as a mule was my favourite!
Also the weather helped.

NSHP

My husband and I stayed one night for our twentieth wedding anniversary. I think compared to other hotels I’d looked at it seemed good value. Friendly staff (especially our waiter at dinner, I can’t recall his name but he was from Hungary). We were given an upgraded room which was huge. The bathroom could have been a bit cleaner (bathtub). The food and drinks were very good quality. The grounds were gorgeous and we went for a long walk. The spa was quite crowded tbh. Didn’t have treatments but used hot tubs etc. I would return.

Nix W.

This review is a bit of a mixed opinion from different parts of our stay. The staff were very attentive especially james on reception.
The hotel offers a well presented space with good food and drinks. The room was very nice and had good products to use in the bathroom and robes for the spa etc. However there were a few niggling things that have put us off going back. The room was meant to have a double bed which we check the day before by phoning and on check in. Instead it was two singles pushed together with wheels, so the beds kept moving all over the place. We were only there for one night so didn't raise a 3rd query about this.
Cocktails were very nice but feel they were over priced for what they were. At just under £18 each and then a service charge for each time we asked for a drink at 12.5% was a bit steep. The drinks also took quite a while to come over, even though the bar was quiet. We would have preferred to pay a one off service charge for the evening at the bar, not for each order. There was a charge for using the spa facilities on top of our stay which I feel should be included with the cost as it was quite expensive to stay as it was. Once we got into the spa it was over crowded that we could only find one lounger free that we had to share. The steam room in the womans dressing rooms was not working and the pool was freezing. The spa is quite small so not the best when it's busy. I personally didn't like that the sauna and steam are separated into male and female areas because as a couple we couldn't share this space together. Overall after an hours use we decided to leave as it just wasn't the experience we expected to get. Breakfast was an extra cost too which I feel should of been included in the stay. The waitress who served us the breakfast did not communicate with us very well and did not explain the packages we could have but we ordered the cooked breakfast and drinks. After waiting for our food for ages we realised that others had continental food with their cooked meal and fould it was included in the price. We ate our food once it came out but the hot drinks didn't follow till after we had eaten. Breakfast was good value for money with the quantity and quality. Evening dinner was nice but very small portions. We didn't go for the steak because 7oz was around £55, personally it would of been our first choice but the price does not refect on the sized portions.

Unfortunately we left feeling a little sour of our experience and expectations within our stay.

NM8578

We love staying at the AH. We had as always the most wonderful and relaxing time. The staff are like family to us. We stayed in Oak - spa room which was immaculately clean. The spa itself was clean with plenty of Sun loungers. We enjoyed having our drinks served to us in the spa. Thank you to Reece for organising our stay and to the front of house staff. It was great to see Malcolm again the GM who truly cares about the guests and his staff. We had room service for breakfast and dinner and could not fault it. We look forward to returning in September. Thank you again.

Philippa S.

The Alexander house and spa is a beautiful place, the food was excellent, except for one thing I won't mention, as the staff bent over backwards with apologies and putting things right, especially Rebecca at reception. Sitting outside in the sun with a glass of bubbles watch rabbits hop around the daffodils was an added bonus, don't expect to see rabbits, but they were definitely hopping around when I went. Rooms comfortable with everything you need. Breakfast was very good and priced well, at 19.95 for a full hot breakfast with the buffet style offerings of breads, croissant, fruit juices, plus more. So go down hungry! We had roast on the Sunday, and a meal in the restaurant the next, the food is very good. The spa is an excellent added extra for 20 pounds you can use the facilities including the outside area where the jacuzzi sits. Indoor pool etc all makes the 20 pounds worth it. Going back for cream tea in a couple of weeks, couldn't squeeze that in, in my overnight stay. Enjoy ! Philippa

Jilly T.

Recently back from a wonderful overnight stay in a stunning garden suite overlooking the beautiful gardens at Alexander House, pure luxury!
From start to finish the staff were so friendly, helpful and attentive, this fantastic service really sets them apart from other hotels.
A day in the spa was blissful, so peaceful and relaxing.
Would definitely recommend dinner in the Reflections restaurant, it was outstandingly good. Followed by drinks in the bar, we can’t wait to visit again!!