We spent a couple of nights here and had a lovely stay. The hotel is stunning, staff were attentive and welcoming. Our room was well equipped, clean and had a lovely shower room, our window over looked the long narrow pond and the carpark beyond so we did hear the staff arriving early in the morning on the gravel. It was also extremely hot and when we left I did mention it was a bit on the hot side she said the duvets had not long been changed to winter ones but it was a mild weekend. Breakfast was really nice with a choice of continental and cooked. They were very accommodating. There is a bar and plenty of comfortable seating areas to enjoy a drink.
What a disappointment of a Sunday lunch at the Bankes Arms. The building is stunning as is whole of Corfe Castle, but forget ordering any food. Shown to a table with a very uninterested young lady, who pointed to a box with clip board menus. Bar area looked a mess, piled up glasses with no room to move. Staff chatting rather than clearing up. It's the first view for anyone entering the place! We had to ask to order drinks, placed our order for 2 roast lamb and 2 beef....... then we sat and waited. Oh and we waited. And waited for over 40 mins before 'we' had to ask can we have a drink & how is food order going. Food was poorly presented piled high topped with a yorkshire pudding. Meat on top of red cabbage & some other unrecognisable shredded vegetable. A carrot ? or suede 'baby food' puree spread across the plate. The roast potatoes were dreadful, clearly re heated in a deep fat fryer. The carrot & the parsnip were the highlight of the plate. The Yorkshire pudding was rubbery, cold if not stale. Meat was poor. Had the look for pre packed sliced meat. The cauliflower was lovely & cheesy. It was not busy, just seemed a bit chaotic and unorganised. The staff need to be given a bit of direction! The only thing we didnt need to sit waiting for was the bill, which arrived promptly after asking for it. I would suggest a calculator for behind the bar. Maybe a quick look before at the food hygiene certificate rating would have helped us. Such a shame 😪 in a prime location within this historic village with a bit of TLC, organisation, and a good Chef this could be a Star Attraction in this beautiful area. Come on 'Bankes Arms Hotel' - step up and show the visiting world how we can do things in the UK 🇬🇧