On the 15th of October 2010, 14 employees of Golfbreaks.com left the office and wedged golf clubs and overnight bags into overloaded cars for the drive up to Leicester, praying the Friday night traffic wouldn’t hit too hard. This was going to be a good weekend – 2 visits to 2 hotels, and experiencing the delights that Manchester has to offer. 

 After 2 and a half hours, we arrived at the Best Western Ullesthorpe Court Hotel & Golf Club in Lutterworth, Leciestershire in the pouring rain. This didn’t dampen our spirits – we were looking forward to experience what this quaint hotel tucked into the countryside had for us.

We met Paul Burgess the Operations Director who gave us a tour of the hotel and facilities.

Ullesthorpe Court – quintessentially English

I was surprised at the wide range of rooms they had on offer – 2 of our party were fortunate enough to stay in the Executive suite, which was impressive. The suite had lots of space, with a large sofa, wide screen television, plenty of wardrobe space and a bathroom I would be proud to have in my place! We then settled into our rooms and had a lovely 3 course meal in the private dining area, waited on by very friendly and attentive service staff.

We then had drinks in the bar – it became evident that Paul was very experienced and had a passion for the hotel industry as he had been working in hotels since he was 14. The hotel had a cosy vibe which coincided well with the quintessential English decor throughout – perfect after the long day we had. We woke up next day to a great English breakfast buffet awaiting us downstairs and swiftly packed up and headed up to Manchester, for some of us this being the first visit to this fantastic city.

Worsley Park – celebrity hotspot

Worsley Park was a fantastic hotel – all the facilities, including the leisure club, pro shop and bars and restaurants on site were all well presented, spacious with very professional staff. We also learned that this hotel was in use by a few celebrities – to name a few the Stoke football team had checked in and spotted Ryan Thomas wandering past the pro shop as we sat eating the hotel’s signature bacon sandwiches – we were in good company. The girls spent the day relaxing and went shopping in the vibrant Manchester city centre, whilst the boys played the 18 hole golf course, leading to a pretty competitive round.

Although we were unable to stay due to full capacity, they gave us a private dining area with some really fantastic food and a private bar, and arranged for us to stay at the Marriott Victoria and Albert hotel overnight. The staff were extremely friendly and bonded well with our party, and had a great laugh over a few drinks. We then went on a Golfbreaks.com night out which was great fun and experienced the lively nightlife Manchester is renowned for!

All in all we had a fantastic time and were treated very well by the equally gracious staff at both hotels – I would highly recommend Worsley Park for a group golf break, due to the combination of golf and nightlife in Manchester. Ullesthorpe Court Hotel & Golf Club is ideal for a quiet golf break for couples, looking for a retreat in the countryside.

Looking forward to what’s in store on the next FAM trip!