When you have booked into a £195 per night hotel room (not including dinner) you do not expect inefficiency, scruffy bedroom, late delivery of meals and you do not expect to find the management has had a complete turnover of staff within the last eleven days indicating a troubled working relationship previously. Unfortunately we were, perhaps naively, not prepared for the niggles that did arise.
Having booked directly with the hotel we were promised a welcome package because we had sidestepped booking agencies which would, no doubt, have saved us at least £30.00. The “package” with which we were greeted consisted of a 10p pen, a postcard of said castle and a box of nine of the smallest chocolates I have ever seen (and I worked in a specialist chocolatier) by Duc Dor – not the most extravagant presentation and certainly not worth losing a considerable amount of money over. Shown to our room we immediately had said “this is lovely” and to give it credit it looked out from a balcony over the grounds and garden, full of hanging baskets.
However, on closer inspection the “Hotel Inspector” would have had a field day.
Admitted the bed was beautifully comfortable with accompanying linen but the headboard was missing buttons from it, the furniture was looking a little tired and the drawers could certainly have been lined to produce a more clean-looking enticement to be used. Hotels of any consequence also offer an English tea to their tea and coffee room trays; not here though, just a battered box of fruit teas – and – no biscuits! How parsimonious. The wardrobe opened to the message that removed hangers would be charged for. We can assure everyone you would not want to take them away, so dilapidated as they were. By far the worst favour-losing instance was the cobwebs in the window of the bedroom and bathroom. They were not new and could have been there sometime. Photographs show this.
The dining tables in the evening were laid as for a transport café. With a small square of cloth over a rectangular table, leaving gaps of the table showing either side. While we appreciated new staff probably had received no formal training this showed a distinct lack of care by the owners in checking table layout. No condiments, cutlery incorrectly laid, no serviettes, no glasses of any description. We found the menu choice very mediocre, not well cooked and were not made aware of a specials menu until we were about to retire.
The so-called spa was the least inviting of everything. Covered in dust, old leaves, completely unswept it did not inspire confidence to be used. Discarded hose fittings, both plastic and brass, lay among the grass in the area, very painful if trodden upon.
This architecturally beautiful property, a castle folly, built in 1806, is totally spoilt by its lack of the finishing touches and its intransigent pretentiousness of its owners that just doesn’t match up.
When you are staying in a small, intimate hostelry with such a price tag it should indicate care and attention, this does not. Be aware also of account anomalies and their T&C’s. It is suggested you view “Four In A Bed” for you to make your own assumption; something we were pointed to afterwards. Overall we felt this is not the sumptuous experience offered. We did not feel very welcome and there are far nicer B&B’s/hotels (and at FAR less expense) to be visited. I would respectfully suggest you have been warned to avoid.