We stayed at the Lifehouse for 2 nights. The grounds, although a little tired from this summer's drought, are spectacular, with plenty of quiet space to walk among trees and around the beautiful lily pond etc. Sadly the outside of the buildings range from unpreposessing to downright ugly, perhaps similar to a medical facility.
Food both at dinner and breakfast, is consistently above average. Most staff are pleasant and helpful.
The hotel buildings are something of a maze so moving between room and public areas can be somewhat challenging.
The rooms were clean and the beds comfortable. Unfortunately the furniture both in rooms and the restaurant and bar are functional but substandard for a 4 star hotel. More akin to something from a Premier Inn. Decent tablecloths in the dining room would disguise this. However, the ambiance in the restaurant requires more than tablecloths to make it welcoming and aesthetically pleasing to match the standard, and price, of food. This definitely detracted from the dining experience.
Outside area of bar also had basic furniture.
The drinks we had were all good... Decent wines, beers and ciders.
Spa areas were busy. We did not use these facilities.
This hotel has much to offer, but requires some attention to make it worth another visit and it's four star rating.