Forest

Went along on a Thursday evening with colleagues for a leaving do, all the food had been pre ordered as there was fourtoof us. The place is well set out a large well stocked bar, plenty of tables and a generous outdoor area. At the bar I had a fifteen minute wait as there was only one person serving and twice barrels needed changing , at least when I got it , it was worth the wait a delightful IPA . The meal was something of the same only longer, let’s remember this was pre-ordered so they knew what they were preparing, or is preparing the wrong word because I don’t think there was much preparation went on. The food started to arrive at 7;30 , only an hour and half wait. As for the meals one of the chicken dishes was sent back as it was too dry, one of the starters was burnt and the person on the Caesar salad asked for more sauce but didn’t get any. The pizzas all seemed ok though. It seemed like a lack of staff and preparation and certainly did nothing to tempt me back apart from the beer.

The staff were friendly and helpful. Our dinners were really good. The full english breakfast was freshly cooked. Our room was decent and spacious. The pub decor was excellent and the garden had a great view. The only downsides were the slight music noise from the bar heard in our room and the cask ale ran out. 3 hand pumps only 1 working which ran out. A good choice of local real ale with all 3 hand pumps working we would have been brilliant. Too late we found out it distilled its own gin which we would have tried but it was not advertised anywhere even though they still was on display in the pub. I am sure if we had tried the gin and liked It we would have purchased a bottle.

My husband and I booked a one night stay on a DBB basis to celebrate my birthday so that we could visit a nearby restaurant for lunch and both enjoy a drink. The afternoon before we were due to arrive (having booked around 6-ish weeks before) we received an email from the manager (Sean) to say that there had been a burst water pipe on the main road and that the bedrooms were inhabitable. He asked us to call to discuss the matter further. He was unable to find us anywhere nearby to stay as an alternative. I was completely understanding and said that it did not matter in the slightest and explained that we could get taxis to and from the restaurant for lunch as an alternative. He offered us a compliment stay another time. I said there was no need given the difficult time they were going through and that it was circumstances beyond their control. He insisted and said they’d love to have us stay on another occasion. We duly went to the restaurant intended (20 minutes walk away) and had a wonderful lunch. We decided to walk down to the Forest Fence and support them at what seemed to be a difficult time for them, and grab a pint before heading back home. Sadly, the heavens opened on the way and we got drenched! When we arrived we were extremely surprised to find a sign saying they were closed all day due to a private event. We went inside and all tables were decorated with white balloons and table decorations. We spoke to a member of staff who claimed to know nothing about a burst water pipe and said they had a private booking for the entire venue. A lady in charge came over and initially claimed that the rooms were indeed flooded but that there had always been a booking in the restaurant all afternoon/evening. I queried how they had accepted our booking on a DBB basis and she became extremely uncomfortable before saying -along the lines of “I’m sorry, yes I’m lying we have a private event for the whole venue” Essentially our booking was cancelled less than 24 hours before arrival based on a lie. We had booked through Off Peak Luxury. I emailed Sean to express my sincere disappointment and how used I felt in offering him sympathy given the reality of the situation. I always emailed the owner of the group “Seafood Pub Company”. Neither have had the courtesy to respond. Nor have Off Peak Luxury. I have been refunded my spend albeit was without those funds for 6 weeks since booking. This hotel/restaurant does not care about people nor the truth. They care simply about maximising profit and don’t care whether they hurt people in the process.

Shame Restaurant is lovely and so is the food. We’re regulars in the restaurant but have never stayed overnight. We were unfortunately rather disappointed with our room. The carpet was frayed at the doorway and the whole carpet was dirty. There were marks on the walls too. Overall the decor was quite pleasant but the room is very tired. Basically okay for somewhere functional but not if you’re looking for a lovely hotel.

The staff very very friendly and helpful although having stayed here 5 years previously, it was now looking very tired and the cleanliness standards had dropped.

Disappointing I've stayed before and the rooms are nice enough, I can only assume they're currently sort staffed. Checked in after a long day, no remote in the room, commented Tuesday morning. Checked out Friday, room had not been serviced during the four night stay, no remote added. I guess a nice place for a one night stay.