Beautiful hotel located in an English forest, lots of trees, it is an old hotel but so much history…read moreand elegance. I really enjoyed my few days here. Lots of walking area, a gym and spa near by. The restaurant has very good food so is the fully stocked bar. Staff is friendly and attentive. A must if you are in the area.

We stayed at this hotel for a wedding last Saturday and it was nothing short of amazing. The hotel…read moreis luxurious and inviting and set in 312 Acres of stunning grounds in Ashdown Forest. The food was excellent at both the wedding reception and breakfast in the morning. I would recommend this hotel to anyone wanting a luxury romantic getaway or for people who would love to picnic and stroll around the grounds losing themselves from the daily grind! For brides looking for a venue, if you want to wow your guests this is definately the place to go. Everything would be perfect for your day.

An amazing driveway sweeps you down to this striking Georgian mansion. If you want to impress, this…read morewill impress !!! Don't feel disappointed as you pull into the car park the best is all at the back ! Built in 1722 it stands in 312 acres of lovely parkland & lakes, on the River Uck. There is a beautiful 13th centuary church, St Margaret the Queen, in the grounds as well as the local cricket club. Take time to look inside the church there are some lovely stained glass windows. Some of the rooms are not as large as you would imagine but are airy & comfortable some with a balcony. Looking at the brochure some of the suites are large & luxurious. It really doesn't matter when you are sweeping up the amazing staircases. The staff are welcoming, helpful & friendly. In the refurbished Orangery or fine Dining Room you can enjoy really excellent food with amazing wines and wonderful puddings. Then Breakfast is buffet style with a good selection to suit all tastes. There is a small gym, sauna & spa. The relaxed atmosphere of a by gone age, leisurely walks, good food, all in magnificent surroundings makes for a special break. It is a great place for Dining, Afternoon Tea, Short breaks and Weddings and is well positioned for other local attractions. Look out for offers as there are some good deals if you want to stay here. The menu & wines are well priced but we have found the cocktails & bar drinks sometimes a little expensive.

Attention to detail is VERY lacking, but the setting is a delight…read more I love The Boship. It's a 5 minute drive from my parent's home and we pop in regularly. It always had a Fawlty Towers vibe. It was never slick. But the food was great and the atmosphere was so relaxed. We'd often have the entire dining room to ourselves. Not good for the owners, be we liked the peacefulness. And, best of all, they welcome pets. The hotel recently changed hands, and the surprisingly extensive grounds have been replanted and dotted with garden furniture and large ornaments. There is a regimented forest of Ash trees and a pool and a peacock and two lakes with row boats and a kitsch swan pedal-oh and several gazebos.. We went there last weekend for afternoon tea to celebrate my Mother's birthday. We had booked for 6 but had a last minute change to 8. We arrived to a warm welcome and wandered about in the gardens. There was no one about. None of the tables that had been used had been cleared. It all looked rather abandoned. Eventually a waiter appeared and said 'How many of you are there?' We said hello and did a head count for him. 'Eight'. We were in the doorway to the garden by the entrance to the pool. 'You wanna sit here?' he blurted out, gesturing to the nearest table. There was a paper Starbucks coffee cup left on it. 'No thank you. We'd like two tables put together further in the garden please'. He turned and left without a word and sometime later emerged with a colleague and laid two tables for us. We asked for tea, finger sandwiches and scones with proper fresh cream and jam. What arrived was very plain big triangle sandwiches, with no garnish. Just tuna, turkey and cheese and processed ham pitted with air bubbles on supermarket bread. The scones were mean little bullet-like supermarket ones and the cream was dazzlingly brilliant white and sugar-sweet and foam-like. Two small pots of tea were brought out with 3 tea bags in each. There is so much amazing produce available in that area. They could have put together an amazing cream tea and charged a few quid more if need be (ours was £9.90 a head). They could set up tables dotted around the grounds. If felt like they were just doing the bare minimum to maximise profits. I had instantly realised that they had brought out tea and food for 6 people, not 8. The 12 scones were a clear indication I was correct. But as the quality was so lacking, we counted this as a blessing. The tea ran out after one and a half cups each. I went to find a waiter to ask for either some hot water or just more fresh pots. No one was in sight. I asked at reception and was told 'This is reception. I don't serve tea. You need a waiter'. Indeed. I headed into the bar and asked for more tea. Then, later, the girl on reception left here computer and came and served us the tea. Such a contradiction. Then I went to pay before my father jumped in. It seemed very expensive. They hadn't allowed for a deposit that had been placed and had charged us for 8 people. They had also charged us full price for the second round of tea. After some debating, the waiter went to the kitchen to confirm how many people they had catered for. It had been 6, because luckily no one thought to convey the change of booking to the kitchen. They deducted two lots of £9.90, but refused to deduct the £20 for the second round of tea. But all in all, we had a delightful afternoon. We could have stayed until nightfall. They never hurry or rush you away. We wandered the grounds. Walked our dog. Played on the swings and climbing frame (my niece) and sat by the lake and chatted and took photos. The setting is really beautiful, and in a few years, when the new planting has been given a chance to get established and grown in, it will be even more charming. However, I very much doubt I'll be back to see it. Note to owner, Afternoon tea should come with limitless pots of tea, especially when your house blend is PG Tips.

Very nice hotel loads of grounds to walk around lots of animals. Very nice heated outdoor pool. A…read moregreat place to relax and unwind.

This was my first time staying at one of these old estates that has been turned into a hotel. I…read moresuppose, I had a different idea of what would be offered as far as accommodation and food goes. This review is for both the hotel and the restaurant. There's no doubt, this is definitely old school. Burberry during the day, suit coat at night. The grounds and gardens are quite beautiful - we absolutely LOVED the secret garden and spent a good hour in there, by our selves, with our baby girl. The location was exactly what we wanted: relaxing, close proximity to the Six Sisters, country pubs and Gatwick, blah blah blah. But it was expensive. For $350 a night, I expected first class and UPDATED accommodation. No. Not at all. We not in the main historic part of the hotel, which is kind of the point of staying here, isn't it? But we were "upgraded" to a suite (read weird evergreen carpet, outdated furniture and bedding, large bathroom with outdated everything). I will say that they were very clean, turn down service was great with warm cookies and juice, and they even provided a pack & play for our baby which we hadn't requested. The complimentary breakfast was fantastic, with hot and cold offerings. But the service people are completely inexperienced. Dinner, which was darn expensive, was a total mess. We had the Chateaubriand for two, and it had clearly been precooked and heated up in the microwave - served with accompaniments that were cold. The only saving grace was the drinks we had before dinner - the barman was fantastic and the cocktail inventions were all fantastic. OH, and I can't leave out the best part of this stay...we had arranged a babysitter through the hotel...JULIA, you are amazing. She was like Mary Poppins, but better. The only other comment I'll make is that the spa was lacking. They had sent me a confirmation of my booking, but then put the reservation in their system for the wrong time. So I obviously missed my appointment. Then the offered me a free 30 minute service, and told me the wrong time for that as well!! Luckily, they have a very nice indoor pool that we were able to take the baby into, which was very nice on a cold summer day. (They did eventually get me a free 30 minute massage, which was marginal, but fine for the price). Overall, the hotel is nice, but don't bother eating here.

I have had the opportunity to stay at the Ashdown Park Hotel 3 times over the last few years. The…read moreservice rendered by the staff here is superb. Every staff I encountered were more than willing to assist me with anything I needed. They also have excellent manners and are very accommodating with some of the uncommon requests that I had for my party. The complimentary breakfast is awesome, their tea and scones are some of the best I have ever had, the grounds are amazing to take walks in, daily you see a number of deer on the grounds, the lounges off the lobby are great to sit in with friends and have tea, especially near the big fireplaces. The Ashdown is an old and historic building and that's the feel of it when you go there. And though your hotel room may not be modern looking, it is a more old style feeling, but all of the bathrooms are new and very nice. There is also Wi-fi all over the building. It you are staying in the English countryside, this is a great place to stay.

My boyfriend picked this place out for the night after traveling from Bath, Rye is an awesome…read moremedieval town with cobblestone roads. George in Rye is just amazing! the staff is very wonderful and very accommodating towards their guests. The restaurant is amazing as well, everything we had for dinner and breakfast was so good! The charm and designs of the hotel are everything i love, it home-y and charming and elegant at the same time. I want to come back to Rye just to stay at the George in Rye! and maybe to see more of the town... If you're going to Rye, book a room at the George in Rye, you will NOT be disappointed!

We were keeping our expectations moderate for The George. We'd heard only that the town of Rye was…read morevery cute, or if not that, quaint. Cute and quaint are all well and good but they call to mind slightly dusty hotel rooms stocked with ceramic angels and starving artist landscapes. Luckily for us, there wasn't a ceramic angel to be seen at The George. In fact, I'd go as far as to say that The George is as well-appointed and modern as any hotel my partner and I have ever stayed at anywhere in the world. Our room was spacious (almost ludicrously so, given the compactness of the town) and smartly decorated. The bathroom sports a beaten tin bathtub large enough to wash up a horse, and the shower is a walk-in with a powerful flow rate. The room has facilities for tea and a cafetiere, and the friendly staff will top up either if you're a prodigious drinker. My only quibble with The George is that the food in the restaurant isn't up to the standard of the hotel itself -- but Rye is so tiny that there's no reason why you can't stay at the George and walk down to the excellent Ship Inn or the local chippie for dinner.

A very classy venue indeed. Another example of Decimus Burton architecture in TW and possessed of a…read morefantastic wine list, high quality staff (lots of French people, inevitably) and a lovely garden to the rear with views to Calverley Grounds. I visited recently to celebrate a friends wedding and they decided that, fantastically, the Wedding Banquet would be a good old Ruby Murray. I guess it would have been easy for the chefs to turn up their collective noses but hey(!), they served up some eye watering classics. Good on 'em. Feeling flush & wanting the best? Visit. The only grumble is a lack of parking. There's a multi storey over the road but it is usually full of shoppers during the day. If you can afford to visit, why not get the chauffeur to drive round the block a few times? Job done.

Situated not far out of the main part of Tunbridge Wells, Hotel du Vin is an absolute credit to the…read moretown. This is a premium hotel where individuality matters. The 34 rooms are named after drinks and all bar 4 come with roll-top baths and showers (the remaining 4 just have showers). The beds are made up with crisp Egyptian cotton sheets and are incredibly comfortable. For me, the thing that makes a difference is the service. Attention to detail is superb from the free loan of CDs for the rom, through the fresh coffee, through the attentiveness of the staff at every opportunity. Breakfast is good - Continental or full English (including the oft forgotten kippers and so on). Compared to many HdV's the dining room here is small but it still retains the charm that HdV have fought so hard to recreate. The little bar is a gem - cosy leather furniture, glass in hand, cigar from the selection. perfection!

After a disastrous attempt that resulted in a failed trip to Stockholm, we decided to run away to a…read morefind a nice spa and try to revive our weekend. We picked The Spa Hotel in Tunbridge Wells at it had availability and seemed to meet what we were looking for. We enjoyed the afternoon using the facilities such as the pool and steam rooms. The hotel bar was nice and we had a very enjoyable lunch. I enjoyed a De Stressed massage, which left me exceptionally relaxed. The massage really set me off on a good note and I was looking forward to the rest of the stay. However, this is really were the good things about our stay ended. The room we got, which was booked as a double premium suite was no where near what we would have expected for the rate we paid. The room was in the eaves and quite a bit cramped. As I am more so on the taller side, this was clearly going to lead to a few head bumps. Fortunately, those we amazingly avoided. That left us with the evening ahead. Unimpressed by the restaurants menu and high price, we set out down the road for the Pantiles and found a great couple of places. After returning and settling down for the evening, things really turned for worse. The air conditioner made noises every 30 minutes or so when it wasn't on that would wake you up. The bed was exceptionally small and only fit two people if one lay sideways. The ability to properly sleep in these conditions was just unachievable. After a very rough night and lack of sleep, the relaxing feeling that I had was long gone and replaced with extreme tiredness and plenty of soreness. We are exceptionally disappointed with what can only be referred to a terrible stay. This hotel really had the opportunity to be top notch, but it severely missed the target. Don't think we would likely stay here again.

This really is an attractive, quality hotel. Tunbridge Wells has two really top end places (the…read moreother being the boutique Hotel du Vin which has been heavily reviewed here on Qype) and this is the larger and more mainstream of the two. I think it is denoted a four star but I've been to worse five star places! Trained, professional staff, upmarket facilities, groovy bar, loads of conference rooms and excellent cuisine. I live too close to ever need to stay there but otherwise this is an absolute asset to TW.

We loved it. Great value, modern bathroom and conveniences in the room, yet quaint and historical…read moreeverywhere it counts. Walkable location and car park directly across from the building. Nice people working there who were understanding and polite about our late arrival. Lovely breakfast the next morning where we had the option to sit on the upstairs patio and view the olde worlde streets from above before starting our day. Would definitely stay there again.

An exceptionally friendly hotel, well equipped, and in the centre of Rye itself. Not overpriced and…read morewould certainly stay here again. Access is via steps and may be difficult for some, but overall one of the nicest places I have stayed.