Our first experience with Cedar Court in Harrogate will be our last.

I booked six rooms for guests, including my own Chief Executive and speakers for other organisations, who were taking part in a nearby conference. I asked for all charges for each room to be included in the main account, and requested a table for eight in the restaurant.

On arrival, every guest was told they would have to pay for extras, and the restaurant had not been given our reservation. They eventually set up a table for us, but the service was very poor. This whole episode was very embarrasing for us. We will not be using Cedar Court again, and would not recommend it to anyone.

The Cedar Court Harrogate (part of the Best Western group)

The hotel is in a decent location a short walk from Harrogate town centre overlooking a park.

The hotel has the appearance of a more grand style of large georgian townhouse with plenty of free (fairly secure) car parking and has an entrance from both carparks (front & rear)

The reception area , Lounge Bar, Restaurant and the other public areas all have a similar rich wood panelled appearance and NOT worn and dowdy like some other types of older hotels.

Check in was quick (it was however on a Friday afternoon and a bit quiet) and the reception staff were very pleasant and helpfull

We had booked DBB in a double executive room which contained complimentary fresh fruit basket, 1 litre bottle of mineral water and two bath robes, and the usual Hairdryer A/C, TV, tea/coffee, trouserpress and internet connection.

The room itself was spacious clean and tidy and the bed was very soft and comfortable. The bathroom was compact in size (but was adequate and clean) and was fitted out with the usual bath, with overhead shower w/c and good size handsink.
There were not an abundance of the usual toiletries but there was Body shampoo, Hair Shampoo and handsoap in a dispenser.

In the evening we dined in the the Brasserie restaurant (the main dining room used for both evening and breakfast dining). The restaurant is located close to the entrance at the front of the hotel however it was comfortable and warm and and more like a proper restaurant than just a buffet style cafe.

The restaurant menue had a varied choice and appeared reasonably priced. The food (all 3 courses) was particularly well presented, very tasty and and very nice. The restaurant staff were very courtious and pleasant.

The lounge area in the Bar was comfortable and warm with a wall mounted plasma tv and also low key piped music playing. The bar prices were reasonable, much on par with most other hotels, and again the staff were courteous and pleasant.

Breakfast next morning was in the same Brasserie restaurant and was the usual, breakfast cereals, fruits etc and full english fare from a buffet of well presented and cooked food.
Again the food was very tasty (not dried out or overcooked)

The DBB Exectutive hotel room rate (for 2) was £149 which I feel was good value considering the standard of food served in the restaurant

Overall an enjoyable stay, and I would have no hesitation in staying in this hotel again.

The Cedar Court Harrogate is part of the Best Western chain of hotels and on this occasion I actually stayed for free as I had built up enough points from staying in one of their other hotels.

The hotel is very nice from the outside in a decent location just outside Harrogate centre overlooking a park. I imagine it is fairly easy to find although we actually stumbled across it by accident as we got lost (no map + no clue will do that I guess). The hotel has plenty of free (fairly secure) parking and has an entrance from both carparks (front & rear)

Check in was quick (although it was a Saturday aft so no surprise there) and the public areas of the hotel are nice.

Unfortunately as I had booked very late I only got a twin room but it had A/C, TV, tea/coffee, and all the usual stuff. The room itself was very spacious with room to pull out the little table for dinner if you were so inclined. The bathroom was fairly small, especially in comparison to the size of the room but it was adequate and clean. They were none of the usual BW toiletries but to be fair they're usually no good anyway. There is Dove handsoap in a dispenser though.

As the rugby was on we decided to stay in and ordered room service which arrived very quickly and was actually nice, non-rubbery food! For a steak sandwich, pastrami and blue cheese sandwich, wedges, soup and a drink it was £29 which i thought was ok (just!). The waiter did forget my drink but it was actually them that pointed it out and they returned with it very quickly.

The beds at the hotel were very soft, in fact way to soft for my liking and I had trouble sleeping. This was exacerbated by the complete morons in the room next door, who came back to their room at around 1am and proceeded to ring everyone in their phonebook. The walls were so thin I could here every word and I don't think they were being particularly loud. Also on the noise front was the fact that the room was suituated over the rear entrance to the hotel which I think is where they empty the bins so was also woken by bin lid crashing and bin compound gate!!!

Breakfast next morning was the usual BW fare, full english from a buffet and also continental (meats, cheese, croissants etc).

Check out was fast and without any dramas.

Overall a fairly pleasant stay, helped by the fact it was free. The standard hotel room rate is apparently £130 or thereabouts and I have to say if I had paid anymore than about £70 i would have been a bit peeved but I don't imagine there's much other choice in the area.

If you're thinking of staying at this or any other BW hotel then I would recommend signing up for a free Gold Crown Club card as even if you have no intention of using the points they will give you a free upgrade if one is available.

This is my forth time at the cedar court for business. The hotel is just outside the town, you need to navigate via the back streets in order to get to the town in a reasonable time.

Staff are efficient. The hotel looks out over a large park and is very pleasant on a good day. The gym is small. Breakfasts are good as is the restaurant. Seems to be used a lot by coaches of elderly guests.

Not bad