「Booked in for 1 night to have a rest in some luxurious surroundings after a lot of travelling around the country visiting friends. Hunday Manor is a beautiful old house in a fantastic spot on the side of a hill with a great view. The hotel is very well appointed and the rooms are well looked after. The quality of the food for both an evening meal and the cooked-to-order breakfast was excellent. Perhaps the only facility I would add is a few overnight EV charge points in the car park.
The service however was rather comical, starting with check-in. After confirming my name, 1 night stay, and printing out the reservation sheet, somehow the chap on reception muddled up my solo reservation with a couple arriving on the same day who were staying for a couple of weeks and gave me their room. After settling in for a much needed afternoon nap in the very comfortable bed and 'locking' the door on the inside, the rather startled couple walked in having been given a card for the same room. From that point on I never really managed to relax. I offered to move room when I went down for dinner later on, but the chap declined and mumbled something odd about the length of stay and seemed to point at the paperwork suggesting I had signed it making it my mistake! Sigh.
Things didn't get a lot better in the restaurant. Myself and another solo traveller were given tables at the back (by the same chap), seemingly to keep us out the way of the couples who arrived later and were seated at the windows. When either of us asked questions about the menu there was lack of understanding about the dishes.. I was then asked around half a dozen times by multiple staff if everything was ok. Meanwhile I could hear one of the couples quitely chatting about their room, no doubt the room I was in. Upon trying to put the bill on my room, the same chap from earlier left me at the bar with a card machine asking whether I wanted to add a tip.
At breakfast the next morning it continued. When I arrived the first breakfast room was full of tables needing clearing so I was given a table in the same area where I had dinner. This time given a table at the window but right in front of the only other guest, a lady already eating her breakfast. My table wasn't set so inexplicably the waiter clumsily took a second place-setting from her table while she was midway through eating! After dusting a few crumbs from one of the plates I enjoyed my breakfast. Towards the end of eating the staff were discussing how to rearrange the room for an event later in the day and started moving things around. After hearing the same couple from dinner asking to be told when their room was made available, cleaners were hanging around at the bottom of the stairs when I returned to the room. Nothing like a bit of a hurry up to finish breakfast and get out of your room to make you feel like a valued guest.
Upon check-out an apology and a chat but by then the damage was done. No offer to comp a drink (or dinne)r after making a mess of things either. It's a lovely hotel that could offer a real 5-star experience, but the service ended up more like an episode of Fawlty Towers and needs a bit of a rethink.
Next stop China.」