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We have been many times to Bovey Castle. It is a beautiful Hotel and well worth a visit. Our preference is to have dinner in Smiths Brasserie, unfortunately through the winter months it is only open on certain nights. Saturday being one of the ones it is closed. We had dinner in the Great Western which we have also done in the past. The atmosphere was good as it was obviously busy. Unfortunately on this experience it was not up to the usual standard. Service was slow, trying to get some ones attention to order wine was hopeless. By the time we did get to order the starter had arrived. When we eventually got the wine it was not chilled enough so then had it put in an ice bucket. Overall we will go again on an evening when Smiths is open. The reception staff were very helpful when I said we were disappointed with our dining experience. On the plus side the Cocktail bar staff were good and quite entertaining when mixing Cocktails, also the pianist was a nice touch.

A treat for us as we retraced our steps as we stayed here over 10 years ago. Pleased to confirm that the standards are still very high with the highlight being the staff. So accommodating, professional and friendly. Nothing being too much trouble. The setting and surroundings are beautiful and very impressive. A nice venue to get away from it all. On site dinning is of a high standard and consistent. Having an allergy can make eating more difficult. However the staff helped adjust and give timely information. Although there were some inconsistencies in the allergens printed on the menus that needed clarification. The prices in the restaurant were a little steep in places but quality was good. Drinks are pricey for sure. Opening and closing times could be communicated more regularly as they change in the week. Golf course on site nicely kept and picturesque. A couple of small things would have made our trip a little better. The dog was catered for well however a tap without a hose makes cleaning you dog somewhat challenging! Lots of towels and wellies though. Open fires in all the lounges give a lovely homely feeling however massive rooms need more heat. Put more logs on! On booking I was asked if it was a special occasion. It was a birthday treat. No reference was made to it during our stay (which is fine) but seemed odd as with other hotels it has been. The little things! If you are not working to a budget a lovely place to get away to. Hope it helps

The grounds are well kept, the view from the castle is relaxing and beautiful. The rooms are a good size, we were on the third floor. One thing to bear in mind is that the rooms do not have aircon. In warm weather with the windows open and no outside breeze, the rooms are very warm. Some of our friends couldn’t get any sleep. The wedding breakfast was fabulous. The breakfasts were not at a standard expected. The majority of the wedding parties poached eggs were served hard, not expected for both mornings of our stay. The reception team are outstanding and so helpful. You won’t get board as there are activities throughout the day. I would stay again as we didn’t get chance to walk around and enjoy the full beauty of the area.

Hotel is in beautiful location and room was lovely. I stayed with my adult daughter and our small dog. We have stayed at many 5* hotels and did not feel this was 5*. Service was not great. We were celebrating my birthday while there and my daughter had enquired as to what could be arranged and was advised by reception that a 'birthday plate' would be delivered to the room. This never arrived and even the turn down service did not leave the chocolate, only minor but along with the missing birthday plate did not add up to 5* service. Parking on arrival was a nightmare and we had to park some distance away in the Lodge area and carry bags back to hotel. We also felt the hotel was 'dog tolerant' rather than 'dog friendly'. It is unusual for dogs not even to be allowed in the bar. In comparison we had stayed at a hotel the previous night which was totally dog friendly. All in all a nice hotel, lovely rooms, beautiful location but service lets it down.

Arrived at the hotel only to find that there were no parking facilities directly outside the hotel and had to park by the lodges that were away from the hotel. We arrived in time for a booked afternoon tea and the restaurant was by no means busy but had to wait for 50 minutes before the food was served and by this time we were the only people there. The tea was adequate but by no means worth over £100. Having had the afternoon tea , we decided not to eat in the restaurant as we weren’t hungry, so took a walk around the lovely grounds. We then decided to go into one of the bars for a drink. I ordered a beer and a glass of Zinfandel only to be told that they didn’t have that wine but something similar. I wasn’t told the glass of wine was £20. The next morning we woke up to no hot water and were unable to shower before breakfast. Breakfast was nice but again I’ve had much better for less than £25. We would have been happy to pay these prices if we thought that the quality of what we had merited it but it didn’t. The final thing was being overcharged by £125 on checkout which we had to point out to get it corrected. The hotel itself is great but just not worth the cost of everything. We could have had a nice weekend away for the £400 that we spent for one night.