The Vicarage

Not a great experience, we arrived after 5pm to be given our room key and found that the room hadn’t been cleaned after the last guest left. Staff apologised and said that a housekeeper had phoned in sick, they gave us a drink in the bar while we waited. We went out and when we came back the room had been done but, judging by the smell, must have been cleaned with a dirty mop. The only toiletries left were an almost empty bottle of hand lotion and a bottle of conditioner. When we asked we were given a bottle of shower gel and offered half a tiny bottle of shampoo. There was a Nespresso machine in the room and a milk frother but no pods or milk provided. There were 2 bag of PG Tips, a couple of sachets of instant coffee and 3 tiny pods of milk. Hardly the boutique experience we were expecting We stayed for 2 nights, the room wasn’t cleaned on the second day. I had a feeling that this would happen and thankfully when I went to buy some shampoo and soap I bought some toilet paper. We stayed in the Arley ‘suite’. The furniture is marked and the room is starting to look tired with chipped paint and marked walls. Dinner was disappointing, average at best. For breakfast we were the only ones in the restaurant, we were given tepid tea and coffee and told that there was a problem with the chef so the other staff would be able to do a full English. We decided to get food elsewhere. It just felt like a hotel that didn’t want guests, we had a digital key, it didn’t work, there was an iron but no ironing board, a coffee machine but no coffee. In the dining room they had candles on every table but didn’t light them. The staff were pleasant but hopeless. I wouldn’t recommend this hotel.

We have made a formal complaint for a refund of our stay - like the last few reviews here…it’s so disappointing. The Hotel is now in receivership - so it’s running on a shoestring but still more than happy to take money from you and deliver the lowest level of service. The management could not care less and we have had not acknowledgement of our emails or complaint. I will continue to contact them as I feel like we are being ignored. On entering our room, I could clearly see that it was in need of updating and repair. It had been cleaned on a very basic level. On closer inspection it had visible dust and dirt on surfaces. The TV remote was filthy and around the bathroom door and common areas were very unclean with dirt / fingerprint marks. The carpet / skirting boards were also covered in debris, dust and marks. I also noticed the net curtains were unclean with mildew and some damp stains and the bin in the bathroom was rusty and old. Not sure what to make of it this time - very disappointing. I then took it upon myself to clean these common areas with wipes and anti-bacterial gel to be safe. My intention was to report this to reception however it wasn’t manned whenever we passed by and I hoped to speak to someone about this issue at some point. Our evening was also extremely disappointing…. We had drinks in the pub and were served by a young male bartender who was also very unwelcoming and made little eye contact or conversation. We ordered a light bite with our drinks which arrived on time, later ordering food at 7.30pm. This didn’t arrive until near 9pm. Our order was a butternut squash salad and fish and chips. All other guests were still waiting for food and we were told by staff that this was due to a new chef who was agency staff. There was a casual apology but no offer of anything to make up for the waiting time. I did ask for a complimentary drink which was honoured however the butternut squash when it finally arrived was cold. I had mentioned this and the chef made another one but by the time that came I was so hungry I had had to eat the cold one! This dish was deducted from our bill but we’d had a very underwhelming experience. Some people requested their money back however we still paid for what was disappointing food and service to say the least. Again, breakfast was much of the same. My husband's breakfast was missing some items and had to raise this with staff and then wait until it was ready. We again experienced mediocre food and slow service with staff looking stressed and overwhelmed.

Our one night stay was one of the most disappointing experiences and was far below our expectations of what a hotel should be like.

We had made our reservation many days before we arrived and received a stream of messages from the Vicarage before we got there but none included information that the kitchen was out of action and we would have to go elsewhere to eat. Nor did they warn us that the bedroom we had booked had not been serviced when we were given the room key at 1730 to find it a complete shambles inside. The landing and staircase to the room had a very unattractive smell. The only positive thing I can say about this booking is that when I went to hand back the key and tell the receptionist we would not be staying and waiting the 'couple of hours' for our room to be readied is that he didn't demur when I said I expected a refund of the £309 I had paid upfront.

The welcome was poor management appeared to be at a table by the bar with their lap tops but no one stood up or offered a welcome the bedrooms were unclean one of our party was given a room that very clearly had not been serviced when we asked if it would be possible to upgrade the bedrooms we were told the hotel was full this was clearly untrue due to a gas issue apparently no cooked breakfast was available and advised to go into town

Great location, lovely building, excellent food. Rooms are a little tired and dated. Little things like missing a remote control (apparently used for the bar TV), nespresso machine but no pods, chipped paintwork, flat pillows and good mattress topper neeeded.