Premier Inn located just off junction 25 (for Taunton) of the M5 motorway, on the A358 (going…read moretowards the A303). It's in the village of Ruishton, about 3 miles from Taunton centre itself. There's a park and ride a short walk away, if you don't fancy driving into Taunton.
It's based around an old hotel, so reception, the breakfast room and some of the bedrooms are in the old block. There's a new block with additional bedrooms across the car park (with electronic key access). The car park also has two electric vehicle charging points.
We stayed there one night on our way back from holiday. It is a convenient location for those travelling onwards by the M5 (north or south), or heading east towards the A303/M3 to London.
We found the staff very welcoming and helpful. The bedroom was in the new block, and had good sound proofing, so there was no traffic noise from the A358 or the M5. This could have made the room a little stuffy overnight, but they had fitted air conditioning in our room, which was very efficient indeed, and very quiet. The bed was very comfortable and it had adjustable reading lights, which is always a nice touch. Two additional pillows were provided, which were also very comfortable. The room was spotlessly clean; the bathroom was a little tired, but also clean.
There are shelves and an open hanging rail for clothes storage (no drawers) or cupboards. This was fine for us, though somewhere to put suitcases would have helped (we put ours under the bed). Some of the family sized rooms are more spacious, but ours was large enough for our needs. The bathroom had a full-sized bath and very good (powerful) shower, loads of very hot water, with Bayliss & Harding toiletries.
We had booked breakfast (£9.99 for a full English breakfast if booked ahead). The breakfast room itself is a little small, so we were asked what time we wanted breakfast, to book a table. Otherwise it is first come, first served. There's a decent range of pastries, muffins, pancakes, crumpets, toast, cereals, fruit, yoghurts and beverages; the cooked breakfast (self-service counter) was regularly topped up so everything was reasonably hot and fresh. (Veggie sausages have to be ordered, and take 7 minutes.) Otherwise, there were hash browns, baked beans, mushrooms, grilled tomatoes, scrambled and fried eggs, bacon, sausages and black pudding. Overall, it was good value and, again, the staff were friendly.
For the evening meal, there is a Miller & Carter steakhouse 2 minute's walk away, or a short drive (or 10 minute walk along a rather narrow lane) to the Ruishton Inn, which serves traditional pub grub.
Overall, we had a good stay and we'd be happy to return.
