The visit to the Vineyard for my birthday meal had a slightly strange timing, coming as it did on…read moreApril Fools' Day and not on my birthday! It did make me feel a bit like the queen, having 2 birthdays! The Vineyard had been on my foodie radar for awhile, from the days of chef John Campbell who held 2 Michelin stars here. So, when I started dating my girlfriend who lives in Newbury, she organised to take me here for a celebration dinner. The hotel and restaurant is definitely a dress up sort of venue and walking past the bowls of flames on the outdoor pond and through the automatic front doors made it feel like a special occasion. The whole place has light coloured decor with modern accents, which removes the air of over-bearing starchiness that can pervade some fine dining venues. We elected to have drinks while perusing the menu and 2 glasses of freshly squeezed orange juice were accompanied by some moreish canapes - large mild Ligurian olives, salted almonds and some savoury straws. Chef Daniel Galmiche has his hand on the tiller in the kitchen these days. He is described on the Vineyard's website as the king of contemporary French cooking, which are a big pair of shoes to fill. A lovely touch came at the end of the evening when he came round the dining room to meet the diners and have a short chat. He gave us a tip on how best to eat our dessert course. The menu has 4 choices in each of the starter, main course and dessert sections. It covers both meat and seafood and perhaps a couple more choices in each section would have been nice. After making our choice of food and wine, we were shown to our table. I have to say that the service from what seemed to be an exclusively French brigade was top-notch and very smooth and unobtrusive throughout the evening. We had an amuse-bouche of goat's cheese straw with beetroot tagliatelli and avocado mousse. A good idea with balance of flavours but the cheese straw proved hard to break down into small enough pieces to complement the beetroot. My starter of scallops in an oriental broth yielded top class sweet scallops cooked to perfection but the oriental accents were perhaps a little muted for my palate - however, with scallops this good, the accents were perhaps missed less. My girlfriend's starter of foie gras terrine was lovely and rich but the portion size was quite large - I helped to polish the dish off. For mains, I had Balmoral Estate venison fillet cooked to medium rare perfection accompanied by my favourite ingredient in the world - seared foie gras. Top notch ingredients cooked perfectly accompanied by salsifi, butternut squash and quince to help cut through the richness. The girlfriend had a plate of veal - slow cooked rack, braised shin and sweetbread. Again, well cooked but quite a large portion size. This meant that we had to share a pudding, both being unable to manage a whole one on our own. The girlfriend chose well - blackcurrant souffle with licorice ice cream.Chef Galmiche's tip was true - to get the full effect of the flavour combination, you had to eat the souffle and ice cream in the same mouthful. The souffle was really intensely flavoured with blackcurrant. I also have to make mention of the pianist who entertained us through the evening. He was very friendly, giving me the name of a piece he was playing that I particularly enjoyed and taking requests. We had a lovely evening here - great ambiance and venue for a celebration or date. The food is good and with a little tweaking of choice and portion size, it could be great.

Absolutely amazing…read more We stayed here for a weekend for a Valentines Day treat. The hotel was lovely, the spa very relaxing, but the best reason to come here would be the food. In fact, you could just skip the whole hotel thing so long as you can sucker someone in to driving home (or get a taxi). The friendly maitre d' greets you enthusiastically upon arrival and summons the discreet and charming sommelier. With a name like The Vineyard, you know to expect wine, but the reams of paper that contain the wine menu are just breathtaking. Every nuance of taste and knowledge are catered for, or you can merely leave your choices in the capable hands of the sommelier, who, with a discreet wink to how much you intend on spending, will guide you through the perfect accompaniments to your chosen dishes. Then comes the restaurant. You are led into a delicate tiered room bedecked with a baby grand and a talented pianist to add to the atmosphere. Outside, flames burn around the central courtyard fountain, echoing the soft glow of the intimate lighting inside. The menu is astonishing and should come laminated to prevent the odd Pavlovian accident. Even the most decisive of people can find themselves giddy at what to order. There is of course a tasting menu to reassure you, should the vital decision elude you. But whatever you pick, the rapturous praise you will bestow upon what you receive will be the same. This is gastronomy. This is the reason the French can no longer justifiably sniff at English cuisine. And I went there when it only had one Michelin star. Since my visit, another has been awarded, and the praise has more than doubled. As for cost, who the hell cares? When the food is this good, you just pay the bill and worry about your knees at a later date.

I have always stayed at the Mandolay and had a lovely time BUT THIS IS NOT THE HOTEL IT WAS BEFORE…read moreCOVID. I have never written a negative review but this experience is unacceptable. Upon arrival to the hotel, the room we were put in had a broken toilet and were moved to a annex room because it was the only one available. We didn't like being outside of the main hotel and we had paid for a city-view room but now had a window looking into a parking lot. We let it slide and wanted to just enjoy the rest of our stay. Upon getting ready for bed, we noticed how dirty and unmade the room was. The shower curtain was grimy/ stained, the mugs were dirty and we had no spoons to make tea, and then when we pulled back the sheet to get into bed, there was no fitted sheet and the loose sheet had hairs on it along with a stain. It was clear at this point the room had not been cleaned. Upon talking to the front desk in the morning, the staff was just as mortified by the state of the room as we were and were very apologetic (the staff on site was very kind!). I expressed that we did not get the accommodations we were expecting and paid for in our first night stay and I was told the manager, Ian, would contact me. Rather than remedying our experience and adjusting the rate of our stay for the one uncleanly night and parking-lot view we overpaid for, I have spent the following days of my trip arguing with the manager as he wanted to "investigate" the situation days after the fact. His investigation of the "facts," I can only assume involved asking the staff if they cleaned the room... which of course was said to be the case since he was not on the premise the day we brought our concerns to the front desk. He has since tried to defend all points made, seeing no reason to amend the cost of our first night. We have even acknowledged that the room was adequately cleaned the next day and we are not asking for a price adjustment on our second night. Instead, he has put it on us for not calling reception to request these things fixed during our first night (despite the fact is was bedtime and the room needed to entirely be cleaned). He compared it to guest calling the front desk to get more pillows or biscuits. Following my correspondence with him, I would avoid the Mandolay. If the stay does not meet basic standards, do not expect the hotel to deal with it in an appropriate manor. Truthfully, I was embarrassed I recommended to my friend that we stay here. The uncleanliness is not acceptable during COVID and the service following it has been a headache!

I went here about 7 years ago and thought it was like staying in a roach infested hovel! The rooms…read morewere dingy and I didn't even stay around long enough for breakfast to find out how that was. Thankfully it has undergone a major renovation since then and is unrecognisable when compared to its former self. The lounge and bar area is a pleasant area to sit and enjoy an afternoon drink and becomes a lively night time venue which is always friendly and pleasantly busy. The rooms have been given a very much needed makeover and are now a relaxing place to stay. A massive improvement and worth considering if you are staying in Guildford.

This hotel is the best in Guildford, not only because of its amenities ... like a pool, Air…read moreconditioning, spa, underground parking, nicely appointed modern rooms; But, it's all about the people ... they have an amazing staff. Very professional and personal ... just to call out two of the front desk team: Anissa B and Genny T, helped us with not only fine tuning our checking and booking future dates, but also acting as concierges, helping us find services in the near vicinity ... they did all of this with speed and a professional approach. You can not go wrong booking and staying here.

BEWARE! The photos are EXTREMELY MISLEADING!!! If you're not careful, and make sure to book IN THE…read moreTOWERS, you will NOT BE STAYING IN THE CASTLE!!! Sometimes the whole castle gets booked up for weddings, you can't really know when. Instead, you'll be staying in a little brick building, with no AC, a towel warmer in the bathroom that can't be turned off that heats the room like a furnace. On google there is a picture of a pool and a hot tub. Spoiler alert: there is no hot tub. Staff is really really nice, but coming over 5,000 miles to stay in a castle then getting a 2 story brick building.... Extremely disappointed. Over a hundred pound a night to stay in the servants quarters....

I attended a retreat here during a very busy time and found the grounds to be lovely and the…read moreservice very amenable. The staff did good handling all the requests and it is an exceptional place to take a walk and explore the hidden gems. The food was fresh and coffee and tea and fruit were always available.

We had a weekend in london and stayed here on the way home. i cant really complain as it only cost…read moreme 9 pounds as part of their sale. The hotel was ok although not very modern. Our room that we were allocated was ok but i was glad that i only paid what i did. It just looked tired and no effort had been paid to it recently. As i said though i only paid 9 pounds and so it was very good for that price. We easily found a space in the samll car park but i dont know if it would be adequate if the hotel was full.

Slightly off the beaten track, this golf, hotel and country club is set in the stunning Surrey…read moreCountryside.

Great location, in the terminal with a few minutes walk to check in. Service was friendly and…read moreefficient. The chap on reception advised go check in your bag then come back for breakfast. Room was quiet and spacious, bed was comfy. Nothing here to complain about.

What a GREAT find!! Highly recommend!…read more Hampton By Hilton Gatwick Airport Located in the North Terminal of Gatwick Airport Ideal for arriving late at night in Gatwick. Check-in was fast and efficient very helpful staff, and room was comfortable and spacious. Bathroom was very clean and shower was nice a hot. Complimentary breakfast was included and the cooked options were good with plenty of other things available. FREE wifi... Fantastic customer service! The entire staff that I have encountered here at Hampton Inn has been was VERY courteous with OUTSTANDING customer service.

This is a really excellent hotel, I had a very relaxing stay here…read more It's right on the sea front, opposite the pier, so my room at the front of the building had a lovely view of the sea, and all along the promendade. The room itself was very comfortable and the bed was fantastic. The decor is simple and modern and everything was spotlessly clean. The bathroom was well thought out, with nice toiletries and a really deep bath, which made for an excellent relaxing soak after I went for a run. There are also a few other nice touches like herbal tea bags, and bottles of water in the little fridge. The owner/manager was really superb, he told me the best route for my run, and sorted out my meals (vegan and wheat free), with no fuss or hassle at all. For dinner, I had roasted veg in a tomato sauce, and for breakfast I had a fruit platter and some porridge. The breakfast isn't buffet style, so everything is prepared fresh, and the fruit was the best I have had in a hotel for a long time, in fact probably ever. Deliciously fresh melon, apple, pear, grape and pineapple. I would definitely stay here again.

We just arrived this morning and are already in love with this hotel. This place is so dog friendly…read moreeven for a 30kg German shepherd. Dogs are allowed everywhere in the hotel including the restaurant! Everyone is dog mad and our dog was told she was beautiful many, many times. Sitting at the bar enjoying a drink, dog gets a bowl of water, this isn't the welcome you normally get. It would've been nice, though, if we were directed to the nearest places out dog could toilet when we checked in. (Overnight) if you are a light sleeper, do not take one of the rooms facing the seafront in summer. The road is used constantly and with the windows open it makes it difficult to sleep, but the view is worth it for those of us who are willing to make the sacrifice. As an older hotel, the walls are thin and you can hear people stomping in the corridor. The tea/coffee set to is good, includes bottled water. The bathroom small but functional although it did take me awhile to figure out his to turn the shower on. I would still come back here again.

Beautiful Hotel in Godalming. Truly cozy and comfortable and wonderfully decorated. The nice coffee…read moreand tea set up was appreciated in this recently renovated room facing the street. It had an updated bathroom and it was truly a treat to have stayed here. Beyond comfortable and conveniently located. A cute little town with quaint stores up and down each street. I look forward to returning to do a bit more exploring.

The Kings Arms and Royal Hotel is a great option if you are visiting the beautiful Surrey Hills, or…read morefor a weekend getaway from the bustle of London. The Kings Arms is an old coaching inn, and retains lots of character. The staff is welcoming and the rooms are very comfortable. My wife and I stayed in a classic double, which had all the amenities which one would expect, including a very nice modern bathroom, and was very comfortable, while still retaining the rather quirky old-world vibe of the building. The breakfast was great! We had the Full English (how could we not?), which checked all the boxes. The dining and bar areas are spacious and modern, and the service is prompt and friendly. We ate dinner there and the menu is what you would expect from an English country hotel, or high-end gastro pub. Nicely presented, good portions, and delicious! I would highly recommend staying, or even just eating there.