艾波比城堡飯店

We spent last night at this wonderful castle hotel and we loved it , we arrived to a lovely warm welcome and check in and chat with Peter who showed us to our room and told us some of the history on the way , our room was gorgeous with a 4 poster bed , tapestry on the walls and crisp clean sheets and fluffy towels all ready for us , we booked in for dinner and i am so glad we did this was a fantastic experience the dining room itself is one of a kind all Set up for formal dining with candles Christmas wreaths on the walls and Peter playing lovely music on the keyboard the attention to detail is spot on and the food WOW compliments to the chef everything was of high quality and delicious, the owner comes around and chats with every diner personally and was serving and clearing plates , what a lovely lady she is and we enjoyed chatting with her she brightened our stay , the food is next level and felt a real treat , we had the best night's sleep ever and the bed was so comfortable with top quality duvet and pillows and so snuggly warm on a cold and stormy night , before we left we looked around the keep and that was really interesting. We would love to return and hopefully will soon , Thank you for your hospitality and a lovely evening to all concerned

Booked as a birthday treat for my fella - thought it would be really cool to holiday for the weekend in a castle - we were not disappointed. Wow factor kicked in just driving up the sweeping drive. This place is located on the edge of a beautiful little village (Appleby); with a picturesque square, river walk and garden borders. This is a ‘Historic Houses’ house so expect other people mooching the grounds in the day - although light when we attended. Reception is ‘medieval’ - wood panelling, suits of armour and ‘rugs on walls’ adorn the stone walls and floors. Met by some lovely man, who (turns out) literally does everything from take breakfast orders to serve drinks in the bar. Check in was quick, showed to our room (room 12 - Hothfield); was at the end of a corridor. Own en-suite, king brass bed, wood panelling and creaking floors. Tea, coffee & bottled water provided, so too is a hairdryer and wardrobe space with hangers. No tv though, so don’t be expecting to watch ‘your programmes’. But the room does have great WiFi if you’re ‘pining Emmerdale’ and need to watch on your iPad etc. Bathroom and bedroom immaculately clean; shower functional. Towels provided. The breakfast room - just wow. 6 long tables with bench seats (medieval); wood panelling, suits of armour, shields and candlesticks with real candles. Breakfast is freshly cooked. Cranberry juice - to die for. Evening meals in a different room - wow again. The room is authentic medieval again, with lots of wood panelling, the food is freshly cooked and exceptionally tasty. Small bar, with authentic furniture and feel. Parking is provided - under a beautiful tree. You can drop off outside reception but parking is by the tree. The front door to the castle hotel is locked at all times - easy access, ring the doorbell. You might have to wait a few minutes but you’ll be let in with a smile and a warm welcome. Pay extra to see ‘The Norman Keep’ - £10. Well worth it and beautiful views for the top. The castle building has 2 flights of carpeted stone stairs to the first floor from reception (food & bar); and another 2 flights of carpeted stone stairs to the 2nd floor (bedrooms). There is a lot of wood panelling, authentic art & large mirrors - you truly feel like royalty walking down them. No suitable though if your mobility impaired - didn’t see a lift or handrails. There are cottages for rent though in a separate building annex across the courtyard. Absolutely loved our stayed. Castle - fabulous. Food - fabulous. Staff - fabulous. Medieval feel - just wow throughout.

Spending New Year's Eve was a huge step out of the ordinary for us. However, having an overnight babysitter galvanised us into going out out. We decided upon a stay and NYE gala meal and entertainment at Appleby Castle. Our approach to the castle blew us away. The ancient Norman Keep dominating the view. A super friendly check-in and tour to our room. A glorious four poster room with en suite and tapestries. We were allowed to poke around and enjoy the secrets of the castle, which was really fun. The food was incredible, and the piper/ piano accompaniment delightful. The ensuing truly retro disco was fabulous. The surroundings and hosts mean this is a truly special place to visit. It is clear that sharing their historic home is important to them, and my husband particularly enjoyed his trip to the top (102 steps of spiral staircase) of the Norman keep. We can't wait to return.

Wow, we just loved this place! This is not a run-of-the-mill hotel chain. It is a quirky, rustic, wonderfully historic and completely unique place to stay. The lovely Peter looked after us on arrival and we opted for a room upgrade to the ‘Evidence’ room, a four poster, high ceiling and very original castle-like room. Just fabulous. This castle is a little shabby around the edges but this really and truthfully adds to the charm. Dinner in the great hall was an experience not to miss. With all the grandeur of the wood panelled room, roaring fire and the piano playing from Peter, added to the perfect service and exceptional food. A night to remember! Thank you so much. Hope to return very soon.

I wrote a review & was threatened with legal action by Peter Bass & Sally Nightingale because they didn't like my opinion. I thought this is what this site was all about? To write about the experience & give people the truth before parting with their cash? Avoid this place & hosts - there are plenty of other quirky hotels around hosted by professionals

The whole castle experience was quirky & quite surreal to be honest! Our room was fine. Clean bedding & towels so all good there. No menu for drinks & on check out, we were charged £40.00 for 2 cans of lager (no other choice for beer) & 2 glasses of Prosecco. 3 course dinner was lovely, as was breakfast. Now, here is where we had our issues..... The castle is owned/run by Basil & Sybil & Manuel the chef. Manuel is also the checker-inner & the checker-outer & all round dogsbody from what we could see. We went into the town for a couple of drinks in the afternoon & spoke to a few locals who felt sorry for Manuel. We felt sorry for Manuel so much so, we gave him a £20.00 tip when we checked out & thanked him for looking after us. On the way home following our stay in the castle, we received a telephone call from Basil & Sybil who asked if we had told the locals Manuel was being bullied by them!! Absolutely surreal!!! It left us feeling bullied & very uncomfortable! Basil & Sybil then asked us to leave a review & mention the fact that Manuel (Craig) is not bullied by Basil (Peter) & Sybil (Sally) Anyway, here's the review.