Last month, after a week of youth hostelling and camping we took our four children aged 6 to 13 to Moonfleet Manor, one of the Luxury Family Hotels collection, in Dorset. We had been looking forward to three nights of luxury as we had previously enjoyed staying at Woolley Grange and Fowey Hall from the same group.

But the exterior of the hotel was shabby with rodent traps near our accommodation. The upholstery and shower in our room needed a good clean and our toileteries were not replaced when they were used during our stay. When we arrived all the dinner slots that allowed children were full so they all had to have high tea which was not sufficient for the older two or appropriate (even my six year old had trouble sitting at the small tables). The adult food was adequate but not as good as advertised. The breakfast buffet choice was on a par with what we had eaten at a youth hostel we stayed in the week before.

The children enjoyed the facilities but they were also scruffy. The swimming pool had a poor changing area, was missing tiles and could also have done with a good clean. The creche despite being advertised for children up to eight was only really suitable for toddlers.

We feel price - £400 per night for all of us - was extortionate for what we got. We were happy to pay the price at Fowey Hall because it was a luxury break, but Moonfleet was not of the same standard. We've had no response to our complaints. - Elizabeth and Paul Leonard, London E11

Times online family travel expert Chloe Bryan-Brown responds: How disappointing. I do sympathise. For £400 a night you deserved better. That said, I am impressed with how the Luxury Family Hotels group has responded to your complaint. Often when a reader writes in with a moan, the hotel or holiday company sends a bland reply, sometimes trying to pass the buck. So the Luxury Family Hotels’ letter was particularly refreshing and I hope it goes some way towards making you feel a bit better.

In a nutshell it said it was sorry you had a rotten time and would try to learn from your experience. It defended Moonfleet (“It’s a successful hotel… we get our hospitality right more often than not and our systems and processes work well”), but also admitted that it does “provoke extremes of opinion,” and is primed for redevelopment within the next couple of years.

Best of all it offered you and your family a two night complimentary stay at any of its hotels. So I suggest you get on the phone right away and book yourself in for a relaxing break.

For your information, while the Luxury Family Hotels are particularly well known, there are several other very good family hotels in the UK that cater for families with young and older children.

Have you thought about Calcot Manor near Tetbury, Gloucestershire? It has a fistful of awards and offers great family facilities such as an Ofsted-registered creche and The Mez with Playstations, X-Boxes, computers and the like for older children. It has also has indoor (limited children’s admission) and outdoor pools, tennis, bikes and an outdoor play area. Babington House is also popular, as is the Westin Turnberry in Scotland – especially good for dads and lads – and dogs.

Got a question about family travel? Email our trio of experts at yoursay@timesonline.co.uk - Chloe Bryan-Brown takes care of questions for the 0-6 year olds, Emma Mahony handles the 7-12 age group and Jane Owen the teenage and single mother groups