Monkey Island Hotel. Bray, England. Good for weddings! Not to stay!

Monkey Island Hotel, Bray, England. Review and Video. Good for weddings. Not for staying?

Monkey Island Hotel in Bray is on a small island on the Thames. You have to cross a footbridge to get there. The grounds are stunning. It is a popular venue for weddings as a result.

My mother always told me that “if you cannot say anything nice, then do not say anything at all”. So I probably should end the review here!

I had heard about the Monkey Island Hotel for about a decade. I worked not far from the hotel out in Maidenhead. The hotel is located between Maidenhead and Windsor, and about 45 minutes from London. I had thought it was an up-market and plush hotel. It looks great from the outside and the gardens, but the rest was disappointing.

To be fair to the hotel we paid only about £100 on a deal for a night, dinner and breakfast. So it was very cheap. But it is clear that the hotel relies on, and is totally focused, on the wedding business. It was interesting observing the service and attention that people visiting the venue, and trying the food, as potential wedding bookers got versus the rest of the guests.

The room we stayed in (Room 3) was basic. It was perfectly fine for a night, though I did not find the bed and pillows was very comfortable. The fixtures, furniture and items like towels and bedding are “economic”.

The service in the restaurant for dinner was very poor. Staff avoided eye contact and it was painfully slow. The food was fine, though the process was long. Breakfast buffet was a bit better, but again with service flaws.

If you are looking for a beautiful wedding location take a look at this venue. I suspect that service is good and efficient, as they are very focused on this. However, staying at the hotel is not a great hospitality experience based on what I had.

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