Palace Hotel Buxton - Buxton

Bryony S.

We recently stayed at the Palace Hotel in Buxton and, unfortunately, left feeling disappointed. While the building itself holds undeniable historic charm, it’s clear the property has seen better days and is in need of serious attention to bring it back to its former glory.

The biggest letdown was the dining experience on our first night. We both ordered the pork belly, which arrived smothered in a beige-orange sauce that overwhelmed the entire dish - any other flavours were completely lost. The restaurant appeared understaffed, and our drinks didn’t arrive until we were nearly finished with our mains. To their credit, the staff did comp the drinks due to the delay, but the overall experience put us off dining there again. The dessert, a cheesecake, seemed to be cut from a tray and was cloyingly sweet, with little depth of flavour.

The room itself was unremarkable. We’d booked a double but were given two singles pushed together, topped with a thin mattress cover that did little to disguise the gap or add comfort. The room and adjoining bathroom were dated, and the bathroom’s extraction fan was not strong enough to deal with moisture properly.

All in all, the hotel has potential, but it’s clear that it's currently coasting on its once-grand reputation rather than delivering a genuinely comfortable and enjoyable experience. The staff were pleasant and friendly, however this did not balance out the issues that made this a disappointing experience.

We'd recommend spending less and stay at the local Premier Inn, which we've found to be a standardised comfortable stay that is better value for money.

Alexander K.

Check in was easy, was a bit disappointed to find that the parking is charged at £5 per 24 hours and the leisure center is additional cost of £6 per day pass.

Finding my room was a bit more tricky, 1st floor but more like in-between first and second and then through a maze of corridors and steps up and down.

Room was extremely hot when I arrived because the heating had been left on, I had to turn it off and use the in room floor fan to cool down.
After that the room was very comfortable and I had some great nights sleep.

Breakfast was good, plenty of options and a good traditional full English.

Duane G.

This is a lovely hotel. The building is grand and graceful with beautiful views and gardens.

The staff are friendly and courteous. The room I was in was huge for just one person. There was one small issue with the placement of the toilet. It is not possible to sit on the toilet because it is wedged tightly between the grand bath and the wall of the en suite. Other than this, the room I stayed in was nice.

The Spa was fantastic. My great niece had a wonderful time leaping into the warm pool and learning to swim. The steam room and sauna were nice. It was a lovely end to a long day on stage at the nearby Opera House.

The bar was comfortable and the bar staff were great.

izzyg244

Lovely overnight stay at this hotel again. On the plus side on arrival we had been given a room upgrade which was a slightly larger room to the front of the hotel. Very clean and tidy, the bed was so comfortable I actually slept the night through. The staff are all lovely and friendly, only downside is the breakfast. There is plenty of choice but due to the amount of people staying it's a self service and although the cooked breakfast is tasty, you do find its a bit luke warm to eat. On saying that I will stay again

Al H.

Very old and dated. Hotel has a lot of dogs in it with guests which i don't have a problem with but when your walking down for breakfast and there's dog pooh on the second floor landing that people who own the dogs having cleaned up properly i personally find it disgusting. Reported to reception on check out and was told they were aware of it and in house cleaner was going to clean up the mess. 2 hours later this issue still wasn't dealt with.

Tirley S.

Stunning hotel, fabulous interior and perfect location.

Only slight downside is some of the rooms have yet to be upgraded - my mattress was thin and hard.

But, everything else was lovely and I'm looking forward to hosting an event there in November.

A S.

To the owners and management: still scratching my head wondering how this place has a 4-star rating—must be based purely on fiction or bribery. We were shoved into what I can only describe as a glorified broom cupboard. Honestly, calling it a “room” is generous. I’ve seen walk-in closets with more breathing space. Not sure how it’s even legal to house two people in there unless they’re stacked like luggage.

The check-in staff put on a smile, bless them, but don’t let that fool you. You’ll be quietly charged an extra £5 for parking with zero warning—surprise! A little parting gift for trusting the booking process.

Now, let’s talk about the room: dusty, smelly, and questionably clean. The kind of place where you sleep with one eye open, wondering what’s living in the carpet. The air was so stale I almost started wheezing—and I don’t even have asthma.

The building itself is a masterclass in deception. It looks decent from the outside and the hallway puts on a good act—but step inside your assigned dungeon and the illusion shatters fast. It’s like ordering a fancy cake and biting into a sponge soaked in disappointment.

Stacey Y.

Beautiful hotel in a great location. Staff all lovely. Bit of an issue with the lift not working but we managed to get 1st floor. Nice clean room. Dog friendly. Breakfast was good.