Jules8pat

We were disappointed in the Barn. No one told us we were in The Barn because we would not have agreed to that as the walk over in the wind and rain was disappointing when you are dressed for dinner. Our room was not really ready for us. Dirty coffee cups, no coffee and tea supplies. Only got bottles of water last two days. Around the skirtings were quite grubby.and I had a pillow on my bed that was blood stained with a clean pillow case over it. I must admit I am not one for complaining but this was absolutely disgusting. I let this on show for the cleaner for see, but it stayed there for the whole time I was there, i.e. 5nights. The beds were quite hard which made sleeping uncomfortableThere was no lifts in the annex and stairs which were not mentioned, This caused difficulty with cases when we arrived. One the whole the Barn was not up to standard. Can t complain about the waitresses who were very helpful.

Restaurant review

Very poor main course steak very tough cut not cut even with a steak knife booked for my wife's 70th birthday surprise she was upset with food and waitress long time between courses

Excellent rooms, shame about the food service

The room and hotel itself were of a very high order. However this was let down by the standard of food in the bar and the service in the restaurant. We ordered a Salmon sandwich in the bar which quite frankly wasn t as good as I would expect from the local supermarket. Also the tables in the bar were so low it was impossible to eat from a plate on the table. A couple sitting next to us attempted this and ended up with their lunches all over the floor!
We were booked in for evening meal with a free bottle of wine on the promotion. The restaurant manager clarified this and confirmed it was house white or red. He stated which do you want Pinio Grigio or Cabernet Sauvignon? . We opted for Pinio Grigio which was duly served, except that it was a Sicilian White wine which tasted awful. When I questioned why it was not the Pinio that the manager stated he said Yes it is Pinio I asked him to show me where it stated that on the bottle and he retracted and said well anyway it is the one on the offer . I didn t dispute that except to say that he had stated it was Pinio and it was not! He then left and I thought that was the end of the matter. About 5 minutes later he returned with about 1/2 a bottle of Pinio Grigio and poured some into a glass for me. He then asked me to taste it and see if it tasted like the wine we had been given. When I told him there was no comparison he questioned whether it was a little different or a lot different!! First time I have had to do a taste test in a restaurant! He then poured the remainder of the bottle into my wife s glass and left the table.
This was not an experience that we particularly enjoyed and did rather spoil the visit. Needless to say I did not return to the restaurant again during our stay.

Both pleased and disappointed

As we entered it felt welcoming with it's panelled walls and large fire places, the reception staff made us feel welcome and check in was easy. We had a great room overlooking the fountain, which caught the sun, room 6, The topiary garden is worth a wonder around, along with the old church.
We used the pool and sauna, unfortunately the steam room was out of order, the pool was cold and the sauna was quite small, overall this area is uninviting, don't go around 4.30pm as it's shout/ splash/ little children time.
We had booked an evening meal and had pre-meal drinks at the bar, however, it does take a while to get served. THE MEAL! what can I say, all menu choices weren't available especially the things we wanted, what we did have was very mediocre and didn't live up to our expectations, the soup was cold, the Halibut was AWOL, overall a 6 out of 10 dining experience. The breakfast is adequate and plentiful.
At check-out I was astonished hat they had a gratuity considering the very disappointing evening meal experience, however, I paid it anyway as I guess it goes to the staff.

No review title

Disappointed in the restaurant, no change of menu during our three night stay. Breakfast no choice of scrambled egg and smoked salmon, only full English cooked breakfast. Limited choice in the Dinner menu

Lovely place pity about the economies?

Bueatiful place with good service however we encountered two problems.
First our deal included a bottle of house wine or 15 off other wines. I checked the house wine at the bar and it was an acceptable Merlo, when served in the Dining room they served the house wine they said, but it was a thin Italian cabenet savignon 10.5 % proof. I queried this but was assured it was the house wine which I reluctantly accepted. I was supprised that such a poor wine was served at this hotel. Later a member of staff said 'this is a cheepie we serve to those on a deal'!

Second my starter at diner was King Prawns but what was served was 4 small prawns, not a king in sight,.with a little compressed cucumber (cost 25p at most). I assume another economy measure!

Curate's Egg. Good in parts.

The hotel is attractive in a pleasant country setting. However it was not particularly good value. The bar was expensive - G&T 10. The restaurant menu was fairly unimaginative and expensive without further explanation - didn't see a wine list but the omens were not good - we live in France. There is a good choice of pubs and restaurants a short drive away - we chose this option each night. But most disappointing of all was the room (in one of the old barns) - cramped, more set out for one person and not really luxurious with a very small bathroom which had a very noisy extractor fan which should have been attended to ages ago, but fortunately a member of staff showed us there was an 'off' switch, which rather overturns the function of an extractor fan there being no other ventilation. Even the windows were sticky and took some effort to open being stuck with paint. The light switches were bizarre in how they worked - again, a member of staff, himself a bit confused, helped us figure it out! I think my son's family had a better time, having a larger family room, very good (for one child). They made good use of the pool. We all had a treatment which were so-so if pricey. Self-service breakfast was good with well-cooked ingredients and a good choice of other things. However it is close to Stratford-on-Avon which was our reason for choosing it. Wonderful A Midsummer Night's Dream. Very imaginative and funny. Great use of modern technology. Made it all worth while.

Let down by Food and Beverage offering

The hotel is beautifully situated in well manicured gardens and imposing driveway. Although lacking a lift to the top floor the room was very spacious and well appointed with excellent en suite facilities. The bar was compact with a log fire and a galleried landing above. Booking is essential for the restaurant as it is quite small but cosy and again open log fires. The bar was disappointing as there was no draught beer, no cucumber to go with Hendricks Gin and closed quite early. The restaurant menu is very limited in choice so we did not eat in on the second night. Our first breakfast was very good but certainly not to the same standard the second morning. This could be a five star experience with a change in the food and beverage offering. We did not use the spa facilities as were told the pool was very cold. Without changes we would probably not stay again.