River Wellbeing Spa at The Hotel Rafayel 3.9 181 reviews

On arrival the staff weren't very inviting. They looked at you fairly blankly which made you feel that you were'nt expected. They seemed uncomfortable as to who would show us around as though it wasn't in their jurisdiction. The water provided in the reception area was really warm like it had been sat there for days. Very unpleasant! One of the lockers did lock and both the toilets were dirty until my friend flushed them both which we both thought...YUK!!! We used the gym but as we had no headphones and they didn't have any available; we could listen to the music. We had to instruct them when we wanted our tea and they brought us a small box with 4 chocolates in as a complimentary gift (we thought). Our invitation offered tea and cakes! When we asked for tea in the afternoon they made one pot of english breakfast although we asked for both EB and Earl Grey. Twice they ignored us on that. We were told our chocolate was instead of our cake and because I made a fuss the poor girl had to speak with the manager and we were brought a cup cake each We also had to ask for clean cups and a fresh jug of milk as they hadn't cleared away the pot from the morning and expected us to drink from the same cups We didn't order food from the hotel because the service was terrible There was no swimming pool but a plunge pool, sauna and Jacuzzi. The steam room wasn't working properly and the maintenance manger didn't appear to fix it so we didn't get to use that. It is based on the 3rd floor so is only accessible by lift. Anyone who has a phobia of lifts best choose another venue.
The facials we had were lovely but as neither of us have had a facial before we can't compare.
The girls were lovely though! Although mine spoke limited english, she was really kind and very good at ther job.
We probably wouldn't go here again as we had travel a fair way and were dissapointed.

I can understand the mixed reviews. I went on my own and, for me, the steam, sauna and jacuzzi was fine, but it would have been too small if I went with friends, or if anyone else was using it. The relaxation room is a joke - little bigger than my wardrobe. I was glad it was full (with 2 people) so I didn't have to sit in there. The gym was really well equipped for a hotel gym - overall, its by no means a 5* spa, but its quite good hotel facilities. I wouldn't go there for anything other than the gym, steam, spa and a treatment or two. My pedicure and therapist was lovely, but the two receptionists were terrible - brusque, rude.....awful. There also was a children's party in a function room on the same floor which was REALLY noisy. The tea and 'cakes' was also a box of 4 chocolates - I like chocolate so it didn't bother me, but the impression given was like a mini-afternoon tea - which this most definitely was not.

Enjoyed my day at the River Well-being spa, Arrived at the spa and was offered valet service for my car. The receptionist was friendly and was talked through the different treatments available. Wasn't given a tour however, the spa is small enough for you to find things by yourself.
The therapists were polite and talked through what the treatments were for and the benefits of having them done.
Was offered an Aloe vera drink which was tasty and champagne in the relaxation room which boasts views of the river.
Enjoyed my day thoroughly and will be coming back for the 2 4 1 offer, worth the money!

Great spa and facilities. Really enjoyed my day there and had a nice relaxing time. My therapist was very professional and took the time to make me feel comfortable and relaxed.

Spa was rather much smaller than we had imagined in the pictures and the pool was not working at the time. Sauna room was nice although did not fit many people and the steam room only fitted 6 people and was a little dirty. However, we were most impressed by the therapists who carried out lovely facials which left us glowing afterwards. The front of house receptionist was also very nice and answered all of our queries. Overall, the experience was more simple than we expected and we are very glad that we did not pay full price for our experience, as we would have been very unhappy otherwise, but for the deal, we can't complain too much!

What a disappointment! From start to finish this experience was a total let down.

My friend and I decided to have a girly day and when we saw the offer it sounded perfect - a pedicure at a 5 star spa with coffee and cake.

We arrived for our appointment and the receptionist argued with us about our appointment time (we said 10am, she said 10:15am). Instead of the welcoming reception expected we already started to feel uncomfortable.

Our 'tour' of the facilities consisted of the therapist walking us into the bathroom handing us a key to the locker. The robe in my locker was wet. :(

We had the pedicure which was average but acceptable. The therapists were nice. Every other pedicure I have had they normally exfoliate and massage your legs but this didn't happen (not a big deal in the grand scheme of it all). They also had my friend and I in a room with another lady getting a manicure which I thought was strange.

At the end of the pedi the therapist came up and handed me a box and said 'here - this is part of your package'. It was box with 4 chocolates. We were then told that the paint on our nails was still sticky but to go and use the facilities. Needless to say we ended up with smudged nails.

The 5 star facilities are a joke. I wouldn't even give them 2 stars. The facilities in my building where I live are much nicer (and free). It was tiny and only 3 people at a time could use the spa - despite 5 of us wanting to use it.

No cake and coffee materialised. On our way out we handed the key back at the reception (where the receptionist and our therapists were standing). Not a word of goodbye was said and we walked out in silence.

I would not recommend this package to anyone. I would not have had a problem if this deal had been cheaper and if the spa had been portrayed accurately but we paid for and expected something totally different.

To sum it up - Bad service, tiny facilities and promises of cake and coffee never received. At least we got a good laugh out of it.

Very disappointed with whole experience, from the start of the booking process with the hotel to be greeted, (or not) as the case was!! The very small facilities, the lateness of my appointment no apology. No tea and no cakes were offered!
So disappointed and upset about the whole experience-I had been ill for while and my husband had bought me the voucher!


While I was there waiting in reception, there was 3 people complaining about the small facilities and the false advert to a 5* spa, it's more like a gym. the relaxation room was a shoe box.
Need I go on...

I would definitely go back to this spa. My friend and I had a wonderful experience and would strongly recommend it. All the staff were really friendly and helpful throughout our treatments. As it was my friend's birthday, I had requested champagne twice, which staff agreed to, but it wasn't provided. This would be my only complaint! Overall I would recommend this hotel/spa!

Highly recommended venue with a great atmosphere and amazing therapists!
For a deal which costs £90 for two, my expectations were not that high but this spa surpassed them by far!
An hour of tranquility with a friend in the jacuzzi before an hour of relaxing massage and facial. We were not rushed to leave as soon as our treatments ended and we ended up spending another hour just gossiping in the relaxation room with a glass of champagne. Perfect Sunday.

This is a nice venue, the staff were ready for us when we arrived and the treatments were very good (I had a facial, my 3 friends had pedicures). The only downside to the experience was the fact that the spa area really wasn't big enough for the number of people wanting to use the facilities. Next time I would choose a day/time when there is likely to be less people (we went on a Sat afternoon). The tea and cake were a nice end to the experience.