A hop, skip and jump from Beaulieu station, The Beaulieu Inn seemed to be a perfect choice for our trip. A wonderful location in a beautiful part of the world and on our doorstep.
So looking forward to a little break, long after Covid, we took ourselves off to what we read to be a delightful New Forest hideaway hotel promoted by Virgin. To really spoil ourselves I upgraded our room to ‘Grand deluxe’ at an extra £40 a night B&B. What can be said that would be complimentary? Very little I am afraid going by our experience.
On entering the first room all seemed airy, large and bright but looking round the walls were so badly scratched and marked they looked as though they had not been touched since before the epidemic and the carpet, even possibly reasonably new, had stains. The hotel online blurb promised “fluffy dressing robes” – nowhere in sight. Later the bath plug failed to release, allowing the water to have to remain all night long and that following one of the tap controls having been broken off previously and the vent failing to operate. The seals in all areas cracked and breaking away and looking very tired, scruffy and dirty.
Having reported this during that same evening we were offered an alternative equivalent room which was available the next day. On accepting this moving into it this was considered slightly improved but still the walls were badly knocked about, one single chipped espresso cup available by the coffee machine (which we don’t drink), and still no “fluffy dressing robes” for the use of. The bathroom taps were impossible to turn off on our arrival and flowed and dripped constantly throughout …….. this apart from the hotel’s apparent confident support for sustainability. No toiletries were available and had to be chased after and requested.
At least the linen was immaculate in both rooms and this is to be congratulated on if nothing else!
The hotel does have a lovely well kept garden with plenty of seating, a children’s well equipped play area, a small swimming pool, which we did not take advantage of so cannot supply any views on it and dogs are welcome although we do not appreciate them being taken into and being fed in the ‘Drift’ restaurant, a rustic furniture area. Even here, unfortunately, some of those seating covers are desperately in need of removal, cleaning or recovering. There is also an electric car charging station.
We would have thought the obviously deteriorating condition was now no excuse following the headaches from the Covid epidemic and the simple fundamentals and basics of guest services should be considered. While the majority of staff were very helpful at all times some supervisory is sadly lacking. Failures to fulfil and follow through made a sadly unsatisfactory stay.
This hotel could so be a wonderful, viable place but to be paying £165 bed and breakfast a little hard to swallow.
