Alright... now there is a jump isn't there!
I've since stayed at the Horton.. a lot. But I moved on to another hotel in the end as I found it... lacking. Depsite multiple entreaties on a weekly basis, the options for a cooked vegetarian breakfast only appeared for one week of my stays, and disappeared again, never to return. Staff never seemed to remember me, despite my weekly visits over a course of about 3 months (bar one, who was lovely). The garden rooms have walls so thin, you can hear people blowing their noses next door (oh yes, and other delights).
The vegetarian options revolved around a puff pastry plate that had various vegetables on top (tomato/beetroot, vegetable, tomato... you get the picture) - what started off as impressive started to simply tail off towards average. Hiked up prices over Christmas and the noisy rooms were the killer for me though - what I had liked about being tucked away in the country was lost when you had Countdown at 5am playing next door. There is the portrayal of homeliness and hospitality (and in fairness, the first week I was there, the waitress who looked after the hotel was nothing short of fantastic... no one else lived up to her level of service after that), but it was simply a veneer. Having stayed at another hotel (more budget than boutique), I've had much better experiences, and even after a couple of weeks, they knew who I was and my preferences. After 3 months at the Horton, they didn't even come close to that. It's a shame, but it simply didn't live up to the initial standards of my first week there. read more