Stanwell House

Promised a dog-friendly room with patio access and king-size bed. The room was tiny. The bed not king-sized. The ‘patio’ was actually an outside extension of the bar, crowded and with live amplified music. The only ventilation was the door to the patio which couldn’t be opened for obvious reasons. So the room was airless, claustrophobic and stuffy. There was no room for a wardrobe, just some pegs on the wall. Truely one of the worst hotel rooms I have stayed in… The bed and breakfast rate includes only a rather mean buffet. If you want anything cooked you pay a flat rate extra of £15.95 even for porridge. The parking is stressful and cramped. Will not be back.

"My recent visit to this restaurant was extremely disappointing. The service was very poor, with limited communication from the staff. Despite my efforts to reach out to the restaurant twice, on 5th May and 18th, I received no reply. The lack of effort and responsiveness from the restaurant is truly disappointing. Additionally, the food was extremely disappointing, leaving a lot to be desired. Overall, I would not recommend this restaurant based on my experience."

We arrived at this hotel and were impressed by the gorgeous decoration and welcoming staff. The location is great and the car park was an extra benefit. We booked a garden room as were advised they were quieter as at the rear of the hotel and have A.C. The trip sharply went down hill… Firstly, the bed was horrendous, rock hard and lumpy. We asked for a mattress topper but the night manager couldn’t find one. Secondly, It was so noisy! We could hear the people next door, word for word as there is no noise insulation. The air conditioning unit rattled and the hot water made noises on and off through the night. Needless to say we did not sleep, which, as someone who can usually sleep anywhere, is saying a lot. We were so disappointed as we had come away as a birthday treat and to have a proper night sleep away from two little ones. Instead we came away exhausted! We spoke to the lady on reception in the morning, who was unapologetic and said it was obviously just us. There was no attempt to apologise or suggestion they’d look into it. What a total waste of money! Great if you want somewhere smart and clean - terrible if you are after some sleep.

Pleasant surroundings .We were shown to our table and upon sitting down the seating really isn’t designed for the height of the table !! and I’m not a short person .Hubby had to sit on a cushion and he is 6’3”.( I persevered being low down ) Service was very dis jointed sadly .Teas came out really early whilst the cakes scones and sandwiches took a further 15 minutes .A couple next to us were saying the same . Sandwiches were not very interesting Cheese and pickle ( mixed together filling ) egg and I think chives , cucumber and cream cheese ! no taste and ham and thick butter 😫,no mustard .Disappointing .scones were only ok although lemon curd was nice .Variety of cakes looked great but not a lot of flavour .Would not rush back

Slow service - lack lustre staff-we live round the corner and have been coming here hundreds of times but lately the service in the front bar is atrocious-so slow - the bar is 12’ away yet it takes 23 minutes for a G&T- used to be slick with friendly staff- whatever has changed needs urgently sorting out! 3 staff hovering around the bar yet 2 or 3 tables waiting for service - just not good enough!

I have previously provided private e-mail feedback to Stanwell House, but It appears they have ignored it, so it’s fair game to now post a public review with my abridged comments: Overall we enjoyed the hotel, particularly the location and the high quality of dinner (we didn’t make a fuss about the spider on our shared starter in case everyone else wanted one). Our room (37, a ‘loft room’) was very small, and so hot & stuffy it made sleeping uncomfortable (the window was prevented from opening more than a crack). In addition, we found that the shower did not drain faster than it filled up, limiting shower time. I also found a previous guest’s loose tablet medication in a bedside drawer. Overall, we are minded to choose Stanwell House again for reasons including dinner quality, parking availability and location. However, with some of the issues we discovered (including the failure to acknowledge my e-mail feedback), I think Stanwell House falls just short of its premium price-point.

On Sunday I drove from Salisbury to Lymington to enjoy Lunch, that stopped as soon as I stepped foot in the premises! Several staff congregating around the desk, I ordered a Orange Juice/Lemonade, and decided to sit inside the front of the Restaurant, unfortunately I was immediately approached by a charming young lady, who informed me that the whole Restaurant was fully booked, and that I could sit out in the Sun! or in the Orangery, which was like a greenhouse with it's glass roof panels. On leaving I was approached by a Young man carrying my drink, and a Lady manager, who should have been the person to convey the bad news, who then informed me that perhaps I should have booked, where on earth are these people trained how to talk to people like me, aged 72. Good result for me as I went across the road to my favourite cafe, beautiful crab 🥪 with weekend young people who could hold a conversation with me!

Four day stay here for a break and it didn’t disappoint. Welcome and check in was professional, friendly and exactly right, not too stuffy, not too over familiar and this was the standard throughout. The hotel is very pretty, very floral and feminine in decor in the restaurant and orangery. The bar has a great vibe and staff here are upbeat and chatty. Room was comfortable although the armchairs and sofa probably could be squishier to allow for a bit of sinking in at the end of the day. Bed, lovely, good linens and a nice soft topper on a quality mattress. Bathroom good. Could do with a magnifying mirror though (especially for contact lens wearers) and the floor needs a bit of a bleach as it’s a little bit grey now. We mentioned at reception that the room (17) also needs soundproofing where there is an adjoining wall. Our neighbours were not noisy at all but you could hear them talking quite clearly at times. Breakfast is quite delicious and good choices. A simple buffet for granola, English ham and cheese etc was available, not a huge choice but enough. The best staff I’ve have experienced in a very long time. Well done!

Really fabulous hotel. Staff brilliant...room amazing..food and cuisine first class great ambience and very clean indeed. Lovely garden and conservatory to dine. I could not fault in any dept well done everyone involved 11/10 Neil Winstone Alfriston East Sussex