Grosvenor Hall - Ashford

Lianne Y.

Based on a couple of bad reviews here, students and parents were terrified to stay here. I must admit, as a teacher, I was also quite nervous. So here follows a trustworthy review from a high school teacher from the Netherlands. We’ve stayed at Kingswood for 4 days 😉

Accommodation:
As Kingswood is an old police training building, it comes with the usual problems old buildings have. Besides that, whoever runs the cleaning team is not playing at the top. A quick swipe and mob and done. Sticky stuff on the floor isn’t removed and also the bathrooms are rarely checked. On a poster it said: every other day, but that sure didn’t happen.
One toilet didn’t flush and wasn’t fixed. Some rooms had heating that couldn’t be turned off, some rooms had no heating. Showers and bathrooms had normal doors and could be locked. There was one shower with a milky window, they freaked out about that, but in my opinion that was a lot of drama. Nobody could see through that glass 😂. Students in my buildings slept in bunk beds in rooms of two or six. Bedding and sheets were fine. Mattresses were firm but not hard. It was not noisy so we could actually get a decent sleep. Teacher rooms were fine too with a personal bathroom and water cooker.

Staff:
There’s always someone present at the front desk which is good. When we arrived we were welcomed by our activity team for the week. They stayed with us until we were all settled in our rooms and they showed us around. Staff overall was friendly and professional. Some of them were more energetic then others, however someone told me take sometimes make shifts over 12 hours.

Food:
No matter what everyone says in the reviews: the food is great! Portions are good and there’s fresh salad every day. There’s even dessert! I think when students say that the food is bad they expect either Mac Donald’s or their favorite home cooked meals. The food at Kingswood offers meat and vegan options, usually potatoes or rice and vegetables. Every child could have a healthy filling meal here. The only problem for us teachers was that there was no good coffee around the place (only instant or tea). If you would roll a barista food truck in there you could make a lot of money 😉.

Activities:
When you book the trip, you can book activities for day or evening. Those were okay. Students found the 3G swing the best. Maybe the activities are usually aiming at a lower age group. I would definitely not recommend the disco. It only lasts an hour and is just to early and short for 15 year olds.
Maybe campfire is a better option instead.

So…would I send my own child to Kingswood?
Definitely, I think it’s good that kids learn that not every accommodation is a 5-star hotel. Our students learned to deal with it and encouraged each other to be positive. That is also part of a school trip.

Stars per item:
Cleanliness: ⭐️⭐️
Rooms: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Activities: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Food: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Staff: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Safety: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Picture 1: student room
Picture 2: teacher room
Picture 3: sport field

Sorry I didn’t take more pictures, but the but it’s not at the top of my mind during a busy week with the students 😂.

Roosmarijn V. M.

WORST PLACE EVER! dont go here! Its grose everywere is mold, the food is grose and nothing is clean! The building is ugly and rooms were hot when we came there the rediator coudnt go off, Till the next day. The schower curtains were GROSE they are see trough and are stained brown at the bottom. Never going back!

thomasnotfound.

I recently attended a retreat that had its ups and downs. The location was beautiful and serene, perfect for relaxation and disconnecting from daily life. The staff was friendly and helpful, making us feel welcome. However, I found the activities to be a bit lacking in variety and depth. Some sessions felt rushed and didn’t provide the personal growth I was hoping for. Overall, it was a decent experience, but I think there’s room for improvement in the programming. I would consider returning if changes were made

Jacob D.

this place was an absolute scam. the food was somehow dry and wet at the same time it had no flavour and gave me food poisoning. also i had to wait an hour to do the the activities waiting in the cold rain for the most anticlimactic experience. and the rooms all had stains on the sheets and there was mold in the corners of the room.

Freya H.

Went here for a year 8 trip. The activities were good dispite wait times between and staff were good.
BUT
The rooms were horrible and barely habitable. When I pumped the soap mould came out and when I look there was more bugs than soap.
I visited in summer and the room was more a sauna than bedroom with a heater that didn't have an off switch. Due to this I got around half an hours sleep.
The rest of the room was also appalling with empty bottles in the radiator and socks outside the window. The showers have a glass door so you could see into them.
Overall would not recommend for overnight stay but good day trip.

Alejandro S. M.

Beautiful place. Has tons of buildings, a lake... And its surrounded by nature. Very easy to arrive from Ashford train station.
The atmosphere in the place is great for trainings/academics... I was there 10 days doing a course of audiovisuals and it was great

alivia

honestly, the activities were really fun. the outdoor facilities are incredible and the sight isn’t too difficult to navigate due to signs. i thoroughly enjoyed myself. sadly the dorm did not really look as clean as hoped. the toilets often smelt, some showers didn’t work to well and were cold and there wasn’t really anywhere to put your stuff, at least not in my room. would still recommend though as it was a good time, just bring a pillow with you (and maybe some air freshener!)

Oliwia W.

Definitely a mixed bag experience - but going here was an experience in itself. The food isn’t too bad (breakfast is the best) and the activities are fun enough. You make a lot of friends too, but based on personal experience the fire alarms are a bit too sensitive