Weston Hall
A 16th-century manor for a slower waterpark trip
About this hotel
Weston Hall predates Alton Towers Waterpark by more than four centuries, and staying here feels like a deliberate contrast to a day of queuing for flumes rather than an extension of it. The 20 acres of grounds give families room to rest after the pools, and the original stone fireplaces and oak beams throughout the rooms make this a genuinely different stay from a resort-style hotel. Free parking and a ten-minute drive into Stafford keep the practical side simple, while afternoon tea in the Cellar Bar and Lounge, with sandwiches and clotted cream, gives the evening a country-house rhythm. Bathrobes and White Company toiletries in every room add a level of comfort more common in a boutique stay than a family waterpark base, closing out a trip built around contrast rather than convenience.
- 20-acre grounds
- Free parking
- Afternoon tea
- Elizabethan features
Our take
Weston Hall suits families who want their Alton Towers trip bookended by something calmer than a theme park, particularly couples with older children who can appreciate 20 acres of grounds and a proper afternoon tea. It is less suited to a family with a very young toddler who needs everything within a short walk, given the ten-minute drive into Stafford and the drive to the park itself.
- ✓Book the room with a countryside view rather than a standard double if the grounds are part of why you are staying here.
- ✓Reserve afternoon tea in the Cellar Bar and Lounge ahead of your waterpark day rather than after, since tables fill on weekends.
- ✓Allow the full ten-minute drive into Stafford in your plans if you want anything the hall itself does not offer.
Why we love it
- 20 acres of private grounds
- Original Elizabethan stone fireplaces
- Bathrobes and luxury toiletries
- Free parking on site
Why guests love itFamilies who choose Weston Hall for an Alton Towers trip tend to remark on the scale of the grounds first, since 20 acres is far more space than a typical hotel offers for children to run off energy after a waterpark day. The original fireplaces and oak beams draw comment too, giving the stay a character a modern hotel room would not. The main adjustment some parents note is the drive into Stafford for anything beyond the hall itself, which suits a planned itinerary better than a spontaneous one.