The Village Hotel, Elstree Reviewed

Not too far from central London, in Elstree, you will find a superb, modern and sophisticated hotel. The Village Hotel promises “everything you want from a hotel, gym, restaurant and bar, all in one location.” We have to say, it was a surprisingly enjoyable visit and one that we thoroughly enjoyed!

You can experience 2 nights at The Village Hotel Elstree with dinner from the Buca Di Beppo restaurant and breakfast on both days using BuyAGift’s cut price offer of £179.99. Fantastic value!

Staying and sleeping!

Our room was perfectly clean, sleek, modern, comfortable and welcoming. We were pleasantly surprised by just how high-end the room felt. Plus, you can enjoy a giant flat screen TV, free wi-fi and for only £5, access to the gym facilities. For your morning pick me up, there is also an onsite Starbucks for that caffeine fix! If you prefer to stay in the room, there are tea and coffee facilities provided.

A top hotel gym!

The hotel’s gym is superb! Defined as one of the best in the Hertfordshire area, the gym has all kinds of equipment, sauna, spa, steam room, a stunning pool and fitness classes too. A testament to how popular the gym is, was the swathes of locals who travelled each morning to visit.

Buca Di Beppo Italian American Dining

According the The Village Hotel website, this is “America’s favourite Italian Restaurant, exclusively at Village Hotel Club in the UK”. The menu offers a blend of salads, antipasti, pasta, burgers and other typically Italian dishes. Within the allowance with our stay, we were restricted to a concise set menu, which did present limited options. Not perturbed we ordered from the small selection and awaited our food. This gave us a chance to take in the surroundings, which, if we are honest, was not too impressive. The restaurant, which starkly contrasted the smart and slick hotel rooms and gym, was quite tackily decorated. It wasn’t too dissimilar to a small scale Frankie & Benny’s.

When the food arrived it was a bit of a mixed bag and we were left a little deflated! The starters were all excellent, including a crispy calamari and a delicious Italian style garlic flat bread. However, when the mains arrived, it wasn’t quite as successful! The “Buca burger” we had opted for was relatively flavourless and even included cheese, which we had asked specifically not to be added. I had chosen carbonara, which although was topped with delicious prosciutto, it was also relatively bland and uninspiring. A shame. Disappointed, we left early and didn’t opt for an additional dessert. Quite unusual for us, it should be stressed!

The Victory

Not particularly impressed by our experience as Buca Di Beppo, we asked at reception whether we could transfer our dinner allowance over to The Victory, the hotel’s onsite public house with classic American dining on offer. Think burgers, chicken wings and towers of onion rings. Plus, craft lagers, ciders and plenty of family friendly options. Now, although not luxury, the food here was far superior and the staff were also fantastic. This was the real hidden gem of the stay!

We would firmly encourage a stay at The Village Hotel Elstree for a contemporary and modern break, we would just avoid the Buca Di Beppo restaurant, as it let the rest of the establishment down.

Find out more about the BuyAGift voucher here.