My wife and I booked the whole of the Coltsfoot (15 rooms plus restaurant) for a special celebration party last weekend. We were already familiar with it, having stayed a couple of times and eaten in the restaurant other times in addition.

For those that don't know it, it's a barn conversion hotel, with rooms set out around a pretty courtyard - the perfect venue for a party. And we had a fabulous time.

Helen (manager) and Colette (owner) worked hard to meet our particular needs. They were particularly helpful in allowing us to source our own champagne (paying a reasonable corkage fee of course) and provide our own table decorations and hurricane lamps for the courtyard.

We started with champagne and canapés under a marquee, then moved on to a sit down buffet. The food was excellent - and when the fish dish ran low (it seemed more people wanted fish than chicken!) they unobtrusively rustled up some sea bass to keep all our guests happy. Most impressive.

We had a particularly special cake, made by someone the Coltsfoot recommended, and they were also very helpful to the musicians that we had hired ourselves.

What made the whole event particularly special, though, was the fact that we could accommodate our guests in the wonderful hotel rooms - no two the same, and every one a delight.

Breakfast was held for all our guests at once, and the food was freshly cooked and delicious.

All in all, it took a lot for our friends to tear themselves away on Sunday morning.

Finally, a word of praise for the staff who were cheerful, helpful and accommodating throughout - and even looked as if they were enjoying themselves too!

Thank you, Coltsfoot, for a memorable event.

I have stayed at Coltsfoot many times and can recommend it as a lovely small hotel in a very rural and relaxing location, yet only a few miles from businesses in Welwyn Garden City. The rooms are large with a separate sitting and sleeping area and are comfortable, well-furnished and very quiet with a view over fields. The restaurant is also very good. As a business traveller who wants to relax, the hotel Is a welcome change from the standard business hotels. Note however that being a smaller hotel, it doesn't have the facilities of a large business hotel if this matters to you.

We held our wedding reception here and it was even better than we could have dreamed for. The ambience is wonderful; so relaxing and friendly with a luxury feel. The hotel has a lovely peaceful countryside setting and the layout is great. Guests were able to move between their bedrooms, the lawn, bar and restaurant easily without ever being too far away. The food was superb; the canapes, sit down meal and evening substantial canapés, and many of our guests commented on the exceptional quality. All the bedrooms are spacious and beautifully furnished, each suited for different particular needs. The staff were very helpful, friendly and professional; everything just seemed to happen! I wouldn’t change anything and would recommend Coltsfoot Country Retreat to anyone looking for a special location for a wedding (or just a night or weekend away).

We held our wedding here on 4 June and Coltsfoot didn't disappoint us in any way. The staff made sure our whole day went without a hitch and in fact we would go so far as to say the whole day was just perfect. The venue is just gorgeous and the rooms are beautifully decorated and furnished in a traditional farmhouse rustic style, they were spacious, clean and with everything that is needed for a really lovely stay. Our coordinator Helen was fantastic. Nothing was too much trouble and she made sure that everything we asked for was available. Our wedding was a relatively small affair of just 57 people and everyone said what a fantastic place Coltsoot is. The setting is just beautiful, with lovely gardens and surrounded by open fields with horses grazing and bunny rabbits hopping around. Catering for 57 people (some with dietary requirements) is never easy, but we can honestly say that the food was devine and beautifully presented, from the canapés to dinner and finally to breakfast and again, everyone commented on how excellent the food was. On the whole, if we could capture our wedding day again we would not hesitate to choose Coltsfoot, they really did make sure our wedding celebration was a wonderful occasion. it really was just the most perfect day and we wouldn't change a thing about it.
Finally, our thanks to Helen and all the staff at Coltsfoot for making our wedding celebration such a wonderful and memorable occasion.

Jackie and Les Fossey