Peterstone Court Reviews 9

My friends and I have attended the Sunday Lunch with Father Christmas experience for the past three years, and until now it has always been a highlight of our festive season. We’ve returned year after year because it used to be magical—a warm, thoughtful, child-friendly event that created wonderful memories for our girls. Sadly, this year’s visit was the complete opposite, and we left feeling utterly let down.
To begin with, when pre-ordering we were told there was no children’s Sunday lunch option, only to discover on the day that one had been added to the menu. When my friend phoned to ask if her daughter could have it, she was met with an unapologetic “no.” On top of that, we were told to arrive at 12 instead of our booked 12:30 slot because they were “very busy”—yet we were the first ones in the room, and it remained half-empty even after we left.
Gone were the thoughtful touches that once made this event special: no complimentary tea or coffee, no children’s colouring or crafts on the table, and no staff to take drink orders—we were simply told to go to the bar ourselves.
When the meals arrived, the children’s portion was frankly insulting: one sausage, a teaspoon of peas, and a smear of mash across a nearly empty plate. We had to ask for more mash and gravy just to make it resemble a proper meal.
The Santa experience, the reason we—and so many other families—book this event, was the most disappointing part. We waited over 2 hours and 15 minutes for Santa to walk around, by which time the children were bored, restless, and asking to go home. When he finally appeared, even the children noticed immediately that he “wasn’t the real Santa”—the cheap suit and poor presentation made it glaringly obvious.
The usual festive, immersive setup was completely missing. No fake snow, no Christmas tree, no warm welcome, no Mrs Claus offering carrots or chocolate coins for Christmas Eve traditions. And the Santa himself seemed uncomfortable, unable to hold a simple conversation with the children, resorting to jokes far beyond their age range.
Attempting to raise these concerns with the owner was the final disappointment. He was dismissive, rude, and showed zero interest in listening—going so far as to say they “weren’t offering an experience” and that they “were not a kindergarten.” This attitude speaks volumes.
After years of lovely visits, this year was shockingly poor from start to finish. What used to be a magical family tradition has been reduced to a disorganised, joyless, bare-minimum effort.

We will not be returning, and we certainly could not justify paying for what was—by their own admission—not an experience.

Terrible service yesterday at what was supposed to be Christmas Dinner with Santa. As loyal coustomer for the last 5 years, and my sister and brother in law getting married at the venue, it was a real shame and disappointment.
1. The venue was packed with too many people, we were crammed on a small table for 8 guests.
2. The Christmas magic for the children was missing, no snow on the floor, no bell to ring, no Mother claws and no activities for the children to do, like in previous years.
3. We requested 2 high chairs on the booking, which was confirmed the day before by the venue. Turned up, despite asking on arrival and again several times, the high chairs were given to other families and I was told there wasn’t one left for my 15 month old son. After walking round the venue with my son, I found one in the doorway to the restrooms!
4. Extremely slow service, only 2 courses this year instead of 3, very small kids meal and the waiter only came over once in the whole 3 hours to take a drinks order.
5. My husband had to leave for work (the whole experience was significantly slower than previous years), so 2 hours in I requested for us to see Santa. I asked 3 members of staff who all ignored my request. The lady who was organising it asked me to wait in reception and she would come back. She left me waiting carrying my son for 15 minutes. Then walked past me and blanked me. When I interjected her and asked for the 4th time about Santa, she said that she was only then, 2.5hours into the visit writing the list for Santa and they were going in table order. I explained we had moved tables due to the wheelchair but she still wouldn’t move us up the list. We then left without my son seeing Santa.
6. As we left the Canadian lady on the front of house said, she’s not allowed to move us up the list and this was the worst service in hospitality she’d ever seen, with so many complaints.

Lunch with Santa… The past two years have been incredible — a genuinely authentic, magical experience that we talked about all year and couldn’t wait to repeat. Unfortunately, this year was nothing like that.
To start, there was no roast option available for children on the pre-order. Then we found out it was being offered the following week. I called at 10 a.m. on the day to see if we could swap a child’s meal for a roast and was told a firm “no.”
We were asked to arrive at 12 instead of 12:30 because they were “busy,” yet when we left at 2:30 the room still wasn’t full. The portion size for the children’s sausage and mash was tiny — barely a teaspoon of mash and a teaspoon of beans or peas. There were no colouring sheets or activities on the table as in previous years. No fake snow outside Santa’s lounge, no Mrs. Claus, no bell-ringing — all the little things that make the experience magical and that the children look forward to most.
After more than two hours with nothing to entertain the children, we were finally led to see what can only be described as “Temu’s version of Santa.” When we raised our concerns with the owner, we were told, “We are not offering an experience, just Sunday lunch with Santa,” and, “We are not a kindergarten.” The irony is that it was a children’s event — yet we weren’t even allowed to order a Sunday roast for the child!
We refused to pay. Nothing was offered as an apology; there was no acknowledgment of the situation at all. Many other families felt the same. Several said that after years of attending, they’ll never return. One family had to leave early so someone could get to work; after waiting more than two hours, they weren’t allowed to see Santa or offered the chance to swap places with another family.
A huge disappointment for everyone.

We arrived, excited for a few days away and looking forward to the peace and good food as advertised.
However, although i rang, sent an email and spoke to the receptionist on arrival about my food allergy, i was assured it was not a problem.
Unfortunately, I ate something that caused a reaction.
I left my partner at the table and sat in the lounge with a cup of tea to see if it would settle down but ended up going to my room where I was very unwell.

The room above us was a wedding party and were jumping around and running across a floorboard which i assume were not nailed down properly until we went up at 1 am to ask to keep quiet.
They could have put us in a different part of the hotel as it was not full.
We had popped down to the reception twice to ring the emergency number but no one answered.

On leaving in the morning , we told the receptionist who saw how unwell i looked.

So we wrote an email and had to call twice as no response and resent the email. Ten days later we had a reply which said they were very careful with my allergies and did take it seriously. Obviously not correct.
They ended up, after many emails, offering me a £50 goodwill voucher to spend at the hotel . I stated that I will not return as i do not trust them and we live 3 hrs away so I asked for a refund , which they replied that it was not possible and they could not do anymore.
I think this is not acceptable as we had to go home 2 days earlier than planned and I could not work for a week after our stay.
I would not recommend it.

This is a lovely place in beautiful surroundings. My partner and I eat Sunday lunch here. Our starter was mediocre. I had the Korean fried chicken, which was okay whilst my partner had the tomato Bruschetta which consisted of a small piece of bruschetta with a few sliced tomatoes and a few sliced olives. For the main course I had the belly pork and my partner the beef, both meats were tough. Up to this point service had been good, however we had to wait for about 20 mins for our dessert order to be taken and a further 30+ minutes for it to arrive. For dessert I had the ice cream sundae, which was nice and my partner had cheesecake which was a joke, as it consisted of a glutinous mass with a pile of crushed biscuits on the side. All this for £33/head. Good value had the meal been good, but unfortunately it was not. Ho and we each had a drink. I had a bottle of peroni zero, whilst my partner had a gin and tonic, that cost £23.40!

Booked a spa day on 20th March to celebrate my best friend’s 50th birthday However leading up to the day my friend became unwell with tonsillitis leading to fevers and a rash. I called the hotel just over 24 hours prior to our booking to be told there was nothing that could be done as it was less than 48 hours. Understandably I was extremely disappointed that they could not reschedule as it was to be such a special celebration and the fact I had spent just short of £300 at their hotel. Their response was that they would still be happy to treat my friend whilst burning up with a fever, which i feel would be neither professional or safe for my friend, with little thought for the masseuse who could be susceptible to becoming ill herself. The whole customer service was so poor with the first time I called being told someone would call me back and then having to chase up all day. I did not end up receiving a call back from management when I asked to speak to somebody with more authority until the morning of the spa day. I did attend with my son who managed to stand in last minute so not to waste the voucher. The treatments and food were lovely but I was left with a bitter taste due the extremely poor service I received prior, leading to me never wishing to return and not recommending anyone plan a special day at Peterstone Court. My advice would be to be extremely careful if you do decide to visit!!

Awful experience for our 25th anniversary lunch. Arrived, and it took them 40 minutes to serve us a drink. I had to chase twice in order to achieve even this time frame. I didn't enjoy my meal and when I complained I was told I had ordered it! The staff member came almost immediately and asked if all was ok. Too early to tell. No one came back. Have spoken to 'the manager' on the phone after leaving. He said his staff checked three times during the meal. They didn't! They were very understaffed which the reason given for the delay. When I refuted his assertion regards the staff checking on us he said he believed his staff - therefore I was lying!. I asked for his name and he refused to give it to me. Dreadful place. Thought we'd go for a lovely anniversary lunch. Big mistake. While we were waiting the 40 minutes for a drink listened to wedding organiser selling a young couple a wedding package. If out experience as a 25th wedding anniversary lunch gies I would say go elsewhere!

As wedding photographers, we had the pleasure of shooting at the charming Llanhamlach venue located in the heart of the Brecon Beacons National Park. The location is simply breathtaking, offering picture-postcard views and beautiful grounds that provided endless photo opportunities for the wedding couple and their guests.

The venue is not your typical 5-star hotel, but rather a 5-star restaurant with rooms that provides a friendly, relaxed, and informal atmosphere. The interior boasts beautiful oak floors, marble fireplaces, and a mix of antique and modern furniture that is set off with fresh flowers and local art. The spa, located in the old vaulted cellars, was also a lovely addition to the venue and offered a welcoming escape for the wedding couple and their guests.

The food at Llanhamlach is fresh, local, and honest, with a team that truly cares about their guests. The venue is just a two-mile walk from the historic market town of Brecon, with its medieval castle, cathedral, and charming streets, and only 20 miles from Hay-on-Wye, the famous book capital known for its independent shops, antique galleries, and delicious watering holes.

Overall, we were truly impressed with the venue and its surroundings, and we would highly recommend it to any couple looking for a relaxed, beautiful, and memorable wedding experience.

Kindest regards,
The Kensington Photographers

Where do I start, this venue was booked for a Wedding over 16 months ago, the cost of the venue, food, wine and wedding planner was very expensive, but the bride and groom were happy to pay this, hoping that the Wedding would all be catered for and run smoothly. The only credit I will give to Peterstone Court and this accounts for the One Star, was that they did allow the wedding to be rebooked at a later date, when it became inevitable last year, due to Covid, the Wedding had to be cancelled. With hindsight, what appeared to be a blessing last year, was definitely a double edged sword!

The wedding went ahead. I arrived that morning and went up to the brides room, she wanted some orange juice there were 4 flights of stairs to her room and she was going to pop down, I asked why she didn't ring down, to which she informed me that they had taken the phone from her room the night before, telling her that there was a ghost in her room and the night before guests had complained of the phone continually ringing, after having a good laugh I went down to reception, no one was manning the desk and it took some time to find a cleaner who eventually found the receptionist and others, in what appeared to be a cupboard (v strange). She continued to tell me the phone was ringing and upsetting guests, I explained that, this was their problem and either move the bride to a different room, or I would be expecting a substantial discount for the room. Within 20 minutes the phone was returned to her room. I will now list my grievances:-

The bride was in her room getting dressed, the wedding planner, whose job it is to ensure all runs smoothly was coming down the stairs behind my husband, she caught up with the Registrar and the Registriar's Witness coming down the stairs, she informed them the Bride was quote ' not even dressed yet!' on hearing this the younger registrar witness, said 'well we cancelling the wedding then, I have another to attend at 12.30' (keep in mind this is at 11.30am and the wedding was to take place at 11.30am) even the elder registrar said 'don't do that, every bride likes to be a little late' to which one replied, 'not here! we're not that type of establishment!' My husband immediately, rang the Maid of Honour telling her to get the bride in her dress ASAP. Within minutes the Bride appeared in tears (isn't the wedding planners job to help ensure a smooth day, not stir?) Given that this Wedding has already been cancelled due to covid. I feel this was very, callous and uncalled for.

There was no sherry available in the bar, or anywhere for that matter at Peterstone Court. There was no explanation given has to why? At one point, I did wonder if the allusive spirits, were to blame?

Initially, the card machine was down and guests were told if they wanted a drink, they would have to pay in cash!!!

The glasses of wine were only filled a quarter of the way.

Despite the wedding planner having a list of seating arrangements before the wedding event itself. All the seating arrangements were wrong, with the bride and grooms families and friends, in the second or third rows and strangers sitting in the front.

The wedding planner was speaking very unprofessionally to the hair and make up artists

Welcome signs were not displayed before guests arrived.

The food was not served until approx 4pm in the evening, despite the fact, prior to the wedding day, the wedding planner had given her assurances the food would be served at 2.30 pm.

We booked to stay the night, the room was over £100, it was like a converted stable, at first glance it appeared nicely done and was set over two floors, the stairs were polished wood, with a carpet runner on them and on the second floor was the bed, both in evening and the following morning, I twice nearly fell on these, has they are also in my opinion to small, closely packed and highly polished. The bed was far too soft, the tea and coffee table had to be moved, due to the fact there was no point to plug the kettle into and the room itself felt very warm and in my opinion claustrophobic. The bath and bathroom on the first floor were decorated nicely and it was a deep bath, but given the rest of the room I would not recommend or think it worth the price. Breakfast was average and overall disappointed with my stay, outside Peterstone you may be drawn to the open spa area with a pool which does look nice, has you walk around the grounds however, you will notice tiles missing off the roof and directly inside, large black radiator/s, just left lying on the floor, you have to question why these repairs and eye sores are not completed?

A nightmare, but all eventually taken in their stride, by the Bride and Groom. So a warning folks don't be fooled by Facebook pictures, they don't always tell the full story. I will update you, should Peterstone Court daine to reply, but really doubt it!!!