Stayed here for 2 nites this week . The accommodation here is probably the best in the Redlands , the reception staff on arrival were very professional but unfortunately I cannot say the same for the bar staff or the restaurant staff and the food and cooks Some of the bar staff I encountered here should just go and work in a public bar in some average hotel , they simply don't listen to your order serving the wrong beer that I did not order , I guess they dont assume that you're staying in their lovely accommodation and just treat you like any old Joe blow The beer prices are probably the highest in the Redlands ( apart from happy hour ) compared to all the other pubs in the area ( I'm a local resident) The restaurant staff try to do their best but they simply are not professional in their jobs The cook or cooks that prepared my breakfast and dinners are sub standard in my view My eye fillet steak was cooked to order nicely ( med rare ) and very tender but it was almost cold . The oysters Kirkpatrick were just ok , and very small oysters On my second nite I ordered an eye fillet steak again and although it wasnt cooked to perfection (medium rare ) at least this time it was hot Ordered with the steak a mushroom sauce and an additional pepper sauce , what I got was 2 mushroom sauces Told wait staff and they quickly corrected my incorrect sauce with a pepper sauce but it was stone cold . Upon payment at least the wait staff asked how I enjoyed my meal , so I said I will tell you the truth since you asked , I was offered a complimentary cappuccino however it was the weakest coffee I have had in a long time and not very hot , I must add this waitress was very nice and did seem to care what I had to say, though perhaps seamed to me a little offended but I did not nor would I criticise anyone personally Breakfast , I was hesitant to have breakfast as the cook was continuously sneezing,(with mask on ) not a good look in this era of covid and from my room window I could see a kitchen staff smoking out the back of the kitchen, anyway I risked not contracting anything and ordered the smashed avocado on char grilled sour dough with roasted tomatoes and duchka What I got was a tasteless smashed avocado on lightly toasted something ( certainly not char grilled as per menu )and unroasted / ungrilled cherry tomatoes and could not taste any duhka ,I also ordered an XTRA hot cappuccino and it was luke warm when the waitress delivered it I let her know and she replaced it The breakfast menu is very well priced in comparison to other places around here but I will not be returning again because it would seem the cook obviously has little interest in even preparing food as per their own menu , there is much better places to eat breakfast around here . Beautiful accommodation rooms and superb beds and pillows and nice and quiet with curtains that block all the morning light , highly recommend the accommodation but unfortunately cannot say same for food or food
As a very frequent guest of this hotel over many years, I was disappointed to discover that the overall vibe had taken a rather sharp downturn since my last visit in October 2022. Given that I have had numerous excellent experiences in the past, however, I do not think it would be fair to speculate as to why this downturn has occurred, other than to acknowledge that it felt as though the employees were not their usual selves. Nevertheless, our stay this time was still enjoyable and a special mention must go to Raj at the front desk, who was fantastic as always. Also, we had a very pleasant encounter with Dot from housekeeping, who went out of her way to ensure that our room was serviced in time for our early return on one of the days of our stay. She was lovely and a pleasure to deal with. Employees like Raj and Dot really make this hotel what it is and I really hope that their contribution is properly appreciated by the powers at be.
Really enjoyed a few lunches at the hotel lately. We have a member of our family though who is Vegan and strictly dairy-free. It would be wonderful if the pub could consider some more Vegan-Friendly options on the menu as it would certainly provide us with a reason to return more often. In this day and age not everyone can eat meat or dairy. The Buddha Bowl is something healthier they offer and it was fresh and tasty. Unfortunately we ordered the Margherita Pizza on the Order At Table on mobile functionality it stated this Pizza came with Vegan cheese. We thought that was great. Of course the pizza came with regular cheese and I had to check with the staff who apologised and said that no, there was no vegan cheese on premises. They were very polite but it was disappointing that both the online menu was wrong, and that this fairly simple alternative wasn't on offer. Hopefully we see some more plant-based options on the menu in the future! The kids meals are great value.