is this family-friendly Wiltshire stay worth it?

Woolley Grange was the first Luxury Family Hotel to open in England (there are now five) back in 1989 and the building underwent a renovation at the end of 2025. Its aim is simple: to provide a stylish, indulgent place for families to spend their holidays. I recently visited with my husband and two children (ages four and two) to put it to the test. Here’s what we found. 

The setting –9/10

Set in the picturesque town of Bradford-on-Avon, less than nine miles from storied Bath, Woolley Grange has the advantages of both the town and country. With lush, green grounds, walled gardens and plenty of space it’s a superb location in almost every way. However, I would advise that the experience is better if you have access to a car as the station is a 25-minute walk away (a bit far for little legs). 

Families are the hotel’s key target market, so it’s worth noting that Longleat Safari Park is about 30 minutes’ drive, while the caves of Wookey Hole and Cheddar Gorge are both around an hour away. 

Sleep – 8/10

Woolley Grange was originally built in 1665 for Francis Randolph and his family. Yet this Jacobean manor has certainly moved on since then. While echoes of the estate’s history are notable, with flagstone and timber flooring, hidden corners and wood panelling, there’s also plenty of the contemporary mixed in.  

In keeping with the historic nature of the hotel (once owned by the Baskerville family and immortalised in Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes novel, The Hound of the Baskervilles), the room sizes vary. In the main building, you’ll find the smallest rooms (cosy rooms) – which are exactly as the name would suggest and not ideal for families. 

With two toddlers in tow, we stayed in the two-bedroom Chapman Suite, which is located in the Pavilion, set back from the main hotel. Ideally set up with bunk beds, a small lounge, bathroom and main bedroom, the suite had access to a small (yet incredibly quiet) garden and a small playpark where my children spent hours bouncing on the trampoline. 

Play – 9/10

There’s so much to do here that, if visiting for a weekend, you’d never need to leave. There’s a zipline, treeswing, lawn games, table tennis, garden trails, indoor games room, kids lending library, movie nights featuring popcorn (Toy Story 2 ran the night we went), a fairy garden complete with my daughter’s favourite – Bella the bunny. 

That’s without mentioning the Four Bears Kids Club, small spa area, indoor and outdoor pool and hidden wendy houses in the walled gardens that my children discovered and to their delight found colouring activities left out for them. In short, we weren’t bored for a moment and tried every pool and activity with very little time to spare over our weekend stay. 

Eat – 6/10

While we loved the grounds, activities and sheer beauty of the place, we were underwhelmed by the food. My first impressions were that the menu was small, but I wasn’t too dispirited as it read like a gastropub menu – and I love a gastropub. 

The setting was also lovely in a conservatory-style room with an abundance of light, place names and colouring for the kids as well as high chairs, booster seats, kids’ cutlery and colouring. The listening service (a baby monitor with signal to stretch to your room) is perfect for parents in need of a meal that they don’t end up wearing. 

However, when the food arrived it was rather average. Everything was fine, but at £23 for a burger or fish and chips, the value simply wasn’t quite there. Breakfast was similarly underwhelming with the buffet on the small side – the choice of cereals was limited and the cheese and cold meats offering consisted of a slate of ham and one of cubed cheese. 

Relax – 7/10

I found that even just being in the grounds made us feel instantly relaxed – the strangely cosy grandeur of the hotel was at its finest in early summer, with the gardens and ability to spend all day outside a wonderful treat for little kids. 

We spent time exploring, running, playing and examining the pond life and beautiful wildflowers. Beyond the immersion in quintessentially English nature, the hotel has a small spa. The indoor pool is found in the same location – just within the walled garden. 

While this is the only place that we received rather brusque service (we didn’t see the sign to leave our flip flops outside), I managed to squeeze in some time to enjoy the sauna, steam room and hot tub before a wonderful bespoke massage. It’s by no means a destination spa – with the emphasis on small – but it does offer a nice chance to grab some downtime for stressed parents.  

The undisputed highlight for all members of the family was the outdoor pool – located near the restaurant and open in the summer months. Perfect for reprise from heatwaves. 

Value – 8/10

Double rooms from £250 including breakfast and two hours’ complimentary childcare session in the Four Bears Den Kids Club per night’s stay.

Overall score – 8/10

I really enjoyed my weekend at Woolley Grange with my family; we all loved the grounds and the children never got bored. Highlights included the excellent pool facilities, free childcare and wonderful additional touches by the incredibly affable staff – movie night was an undoubted hit. If they can improve the food offering, then this will be a family-friendly hotel that’s hard to beat. 

Booking details

Website: luxuryfamilyhotels.co.uk

Address: Woolley Grange, Bradford on Avon, Wiltshire, BA15 1TX

Phone: 0208 0765 555

Accessibility: Somewhat (one fully-accessible room for wheelchair users and some public areas)

Family-friendly: Yes

Dog-friendly: Yes (by prior arrangement)

Penny was a guest of Woolley Grange. All hotels and experiences have been independently reviewed by our expert writers, who are usually hosted on a complimentary basis, but this never affects our review process.