The Retreat New Forest, Hinton

I've used The Retreat New Forest to run three weekend yoga retreats and I love it. The centre space is stunning with high-quality wooden floors, high ceilings and beautiful long sash windows overlooking rolling green hills and forest. It makes a perfect spot to do yoga. The bedrooms are great and there is a full range of options - from basic to luxury. All of them are ensuite, which is really unique. The team that run the venue are professional, kind, prompt to respond and organised. The plant-based caterers in the cafe Crow Spotter are just incredible. They are a really lovely fun bunch and they cook conscious ethical tasty and interesting plant-based food. So all round, an awesome venue (and I have hosted yoga retreats at various venues around the country). I highly recommend!

You must understand that this place is NOT a hotel, nor b&b. There are no staff other than housekeeping. You basically rent a room and do your own thing. Our room (8) was clean and comfortable with ensuite, tv, tea and coffee - like you'd expect in a regular hotel. You are given codes for the doors and you can come and go as you please, any time. It's on a main road so rooms at the rear are likely quieter. The housekeeping staff were incredibly helpful and friendly. Different from a regular hotel, you make your choice! In our experience, there is nothing terrible here. And of course, it is very dog friendly with dog beds in the rooms. It is a quiet affair with a well-being vibe. There is a posh restaurant next door but quite expensive and you can get breakfast or lunch on site. The Retreat is a base from which to explore and enjoy the New Forest area. Some reviews are very negative, possibly due to thinking this is a hotel. It isn't. Lovely grounds for your dog to run around in. Easy access to all of the New Forest. During our stay, there were no barking dogs or any other noises to bother us. Recommended.

Awful smelly room. Lumpy old bed mattress was awful.Noisy traffic shut windows because noise room was red hot. Shower was dirty. DO NOT stay here waste money. We emailed owner they didnt even bother to email back thats how much they care. Just money making.

The room was tiny. The bed was really uncomfortable. The road noise was unbearable you had to keep windows closed. It's run like an Airbnb. No reception. You're emailed a code for the outside door and your room door the day before means you don't need a key. One tiny wardrobe no table or chair so no where to sit down. Wouldn't recommend.

Wonderful room and bathroom. Beautifully styled. Great cafe and good coffee. Lovely spot to relax. Didn't get a chance to try the restaurant, but my colleagues did and couldn't stop raving about how good the food is. Alice was incredibly helpful too. Highly recommend 👌

DO NOT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES BOOK THIS HORRIBLE PLACE. Arrived no reception the building is a empty shell with rooms . My room was front of the building and the traffic is so loud couldn't sleep for 2 nights but they did leave ear plugs by the side off the bed . The bed is so uncomfortable and pillows are like rock . I am a woman travelling on my own and the empty building does not feel safe: so disappointed that I booked if only I had read the reviews first .

I never write reviews but my partner purchased this as a surprise detox / relaxing weekend away. The main flaw is in the name ‘Retreat’. Some of the images on the website look very crisp, fresh and light but the reality is a little different. For me the little touches make all the difference. Up close you really see the cracks in this place. In places the decor is really in need of updating, the doors to the rooms remind me of cheap motel rooms. On entering the building you aren’t greeted and it’s all rather gloomy, not the best start. Terrible carpet, weird pillows on sofas which don’t match. At it’s core, there is a beautiful building here but that’s where it kind of ends. Whoever did the soft furnishings needs to seek professional advice. Not sure what you can say, it’s just odd. Our room was pretty decent (lovely bathroom), it was a good size compared to a lot of hotels but the road literally 10 metres from the window was incredibly busy. It’s didn’t really shout ‘relax’. Why is this place called a retreat? There are classes available such as yoga but that’s where it ends. No pool facility, no hot tub, no health food, creepy lifeless hotel and corridors. Where are the hotel staff? As an average hotel it works, it has a cafe which was lovely, a restaurant (we didn’t eat there as the menu looked like a pub menu and we really wanted something different so headed to a place called Limewood (they actually have a spa) and a food place called Raw and Cured), it was excellent. The gardens are lovely too but even from there you constantly hear road noise. So to sum it up, if you want a cheap stay and care nothing about luxury or relaxing, go for it. If you want a relaxing retreat, don’t bother.