We stayed in the Hilton at the Ageas Bowl during our visit to Hampshire, before our visit to Paulton’s Park – home of Peppa Pig World. We were really looking forward to our stay at one of the newest Hilton hotels in the country.
This is our review of the Hilton at the Ageas Bowl.
As you turn onto the drive leading to the hotel and you see the impressive Hilton hotel enveloped into the curve of the Aegeas Bowl cricket stadium you just know that you are in for a unique stay. Car parking was complimentary and there were lots of spaces available.
The first thing you notice as you enter the large lobby is a bright and open space. We had a lovely warm welcome from the reception staff and the check in process was very quick and efficient. Because of it’s unique setting, within the home of Hampshire cricket – added a touch of excitement compared to most other Hilton hotels.
The hotel has 171 rooms across three different categories – deluxe, executive and suites. We checked into our spacious deluxe family room, which was perfect to recharge our batteries after a long drive down to Hampshire for our trip to nearby Paulton’s Park the next morning.
The deluxe family room, which like all rooms here at the Hilton Ageas Bowl are stylish with a very modern feel to them, complete with lots of cricket related artwork.
As we drew back the curtains the view out of the large sliding doors onto our spacious balcony was really something special and unique. This was the view from our room and the girls loved going out onto the balcony to take in the view.
There are very few hotels in the world with a view this unique, overlooking the iconic and picture-perfect Ageas Bowl – home of Hampshire cricket. During the warmer summer months it must be so lovely to relax on your own exclusive private balcony, watching the cricket.
The rooms had a comfortable and cosy king size bed and a double sofa bed for the girls. Together with the large wall mounted HDTV there was also a safe, a large wardrobe and iron with ironing board.
Within our room were tea and coffee making facilities but I felt that little extra touches that we have had in comparable hotels were missing. As the Hilton Ageas Bowl is a partner hotel for Paulton’s Park it would have been nice if they introduced a Peppa Pig welcome gift for children on arrival.
Welcome amenities such as bathrobes, slippers, bowls of fruit and complimentary water would have also been a charming and welcoming addition.
The bathrooms were modern, with a large luxurious walk-in shower, but no separate bath and an array of complementary Hilton-standard Peter Thomas Roth toiletries.
If you needed to work there was ample space at the desk, with plenty of power points and a comfy ergonomic chair. Wifi was complimentary and speeds were great during our stay.
It’s a shame that no executive guest rooms at the hotel could accommodate a family as it’s nice to have executive lounge access. We have received this at other Hilton hotels, and it’s a nice option to relax and enjoy evening refreshments, including drinks and canapés.
Although the hotel is only a short drive away from numerous restaurants and retail parks we decided to eat in the hotel. We dined at the Lakeview lounge bar which was a more relaxed environment especially with children overlooking the golf course.
Again for cricket and sport fans it was a great place to relax as there was always sport on the large screen television and the walls were adorned with sport related pictures and memorabilia which my husband loved looking at.
The girls enjoyed pizza and homemade crispy coated chicken nuggets and the fish and chips and chilli con carne that my husband and I ordered was delicious.
There are lots of beautiful communal spaces to relax in at the hotel, and one of the favourite areas for the girls was the business centre, located within the vast lobby area. Using the complimentary computers they quickly got to grips with Powerpoint and started creating Hilton branded stationary as they pretended to check their daddy into the hotel.
Although there was no swimming pool at the hotel, there was an eforea spa and large on-site gym which looked fantastic but we didn’t make use of these facilities during our stay.
The beds had the highest quality linens and were extremely comfortable and we certainly had a good night’s sleep.
Breakfast was served at Beefy’s, the hotel’s restaurant – named after the iconic English cricketer Ian Botham. Far from a standard breakfast buffet, the offering at the Hilton is really special.
We were greeted upon arrival and a beautiful buffet selection awaited us. A range of hot food, such as sausage, bacon and eggs, was all well cooked and kept fresh and well replenished by the attentive waiters.
Because of its strong sporting connections there was an impressive healthy spread of breakfast options together with lots of cereals, freshly squeezed juices, pastries, fruit and yogurts.
This is definitely one of the best hotel breakfasts that we have experienced, setting us up nicely for our visit to Peppa Pig World.
For cricket fans it must be a dream place to stay. During our visit we saw the Yorkshire cricket team at breakfast getting ready for their match against Hampshire.
The view from the large windows from the restaurant where breakfast is served had some fantastic views of the cricket ground below.
This was one of the very best Hilton hotels we have visited in the UK. The Hilton Ageas Bowl is an excellent family friendly hotel and is highly recommended.
Situated just 20 minutes’ drive away from Peppa Pig World at Paulton’s Park, with many other attractions nearby such as Marwell Zoo it’s the perfect location for a luxury family break away.
Booking direct with Hilton Hotels is recommended especially as they have some great promotions on at the moment. If you plan on visiting Peppa Pig World at Paulton’s Park it is also worth checking the deals on the Paulton’s Breaks website. The packages offers can be great value as they include 2 days park entry.
Video Review
We were guests of the Hilton at Ageas Bowl. All thoughts and opinions are my own.