格拉夫頓莊園飯店(Grafton Manor Hotel)

Good value nice surroundings

[Posted from the email I sent the hotel which wasn't worthy of a reply]. This is specifically regarding the Garden room. 1. Furniture is old and useless. After a long drive we tried to relax on the provided sofas. The foam in the cushions is destroyed and the sofas themselves offer no support. Please go to the room yourself and try all 3 of them. Would you let your friends and family sit on these? 2. Shower doesn't drain. When the shower is on the water comes in faster than it leaves. So you get about 4-5 minutes before you have to stop before it overflows. And you stand in 3 inches of dirty water while you do. I reported this to reception and nothing was done. I reported again at checkout. I got lovely apologies but that doesn't fix things. 3. Heating stuck on. The radiators in the bathroom and hallway were on full blast 24 hours a day. The 3 nights we stayed were already warm days if we closed the bathroom door it turned into a sauna, if we opened it then it heated the room up. We slept very poorly as a result. I reported it 3 times and was told nobody knew how to turn it off, they were waiting for the chef(!!!) to come in to turn it off and finally it was stuck and a plumber was coming the next day. We were offered an extra fan in the room but it never appeared and we came back too late on the last night to ask for it again. 4. Ancient and gross toilet seat. I get the need for period details but check out the toilet seat. Clearly at some point in the past it has broken and has been repaired by screwing a random piece of wood on the bottom. There's 2 huge cracks collecting god knows what. There is no way you are keeping this clean. Just buy a new one... 5. Finally after risking the overflowing shower a 2nd time we found this little critter (see photo) nested in the clean towel.. it's a baby silverfish. So you might want to check the place you store your washed towels. It really was the final straw. The staff were polite and friendly but clearly don't feel able or empowered to fix problems for people. All in all it just felt like a room where old furniture has been put to die and has had no TLC for a very long time. No surprise we won't be back on our next visit to the area. Maybe one of you will go spend a day and a night in the room and see the experience you are giving your customers and our suffering will improve it for a future visitor.

The staff were friendly and helpful and it was well located just off M5. The room was very disappointing. The cold tap in the sink didn't work at all. The tiles were cracked a sealant mouldy. The room was not clean, with previous guest's makeup spillages on the dressing table and old hairbrush hair on the bed side table. The pillow covers were stained. The TV was old and limited. At breakfast the bacon was cremated (although the hotel did cook us some fresh when we pointed this out. A nice setting but won't be rushing back or recommending.

Lovely hotel and staff were friendly and helpful throughout our stay. We had the steak for dinner, which was cooked perfectly! Breakfast was one of the best breakfasts we have had. We stayed in the Garden Suite which was amazing. Would definitely visit again!

The welcome is amazing. The Manor looks amazing as you drive up the drive way. The food was outstanding and my room is in keeping with the Manor. I love the olde world feel and its so relaxing. Other reviews slate old plumbing but I much prefer the character and feel of Grafton Manor than a clinical boring travel lodge. The grounds are beautiful and I woke up to the sun shining through the huge windows. After a stressful week at work it was amazing to wake up stress free in the comfy bed and an amazing room with character.

Grafton Manor was a last minute booking to break up our journey to Cornwall. Ignore the negative reviews, if people can't say anything nice, then they shouldn't say anything at all. So glad the hotel popped up on our search. Yes it is an old building, yes it is in need of a little TLC in places. But my goodness the character of the hotel is fabulous. Mia and Katy were so friendly, welcoming and knowledgeable. When we checked out Katy told us we were welcome to have a walk around the grounds. To our surprise Katy had made her way to the Chapel to open the door for us. Katy was so enthusiastic when she was telling us about the history of the hotel and the current owners. She is a definite asset to the team. We wouldn't hesitate to stay here again.

We checked in and the receptionist was pleasant and welcoming. Although while stood in reception we noticed it was grubby and needed a lick of paint a while back. We were assigned the music room and as we made our way upstairs, the grubby paintwork, carpet stains and general run down feel became even more apparent. Yes it’s an old building, but old buildings should be maintained, cleaned and painted too. We went into the room and there were cup stains on the furniture, and the toilet had the last guests **********s around the rim. That was it we checked out and asked for a full refund. The receptionist offered us an alternative room and was very polite as we were. We declined and left. It could be a lovely venue after a good clean and decorate. But not today.

Came here for a 4 day conference and I genuinely couldn't fault anything. From the Tuesday to the Friday, the staff were amazing and couldn't do enough for us from Kate with the superb breakfast service to Nick with lunch and dinner service. Both were extremely professional and very friendly. The food was all homemade and absolutely delicious, some of the best I have tasted in a hotel. I sometimes struggle to sleep in hotel beds but I had 3 great night sleeps. Rooms are huge and in keeping with the age of the hotel. I will definitely be coming here again.

10 years on, heading back to @grafton.manor to relive one of the happiest days of my life was a blessing (we had our wedding here). The venue has the vibe of Bridgerton and Jane Eyre. There are some areas that need a bit of tlc but it’s an old characteristic estate, which I love. They have beautiful grounds onsite or around to stretch your legs. The best part was/is their food. Even now, the quality hasn't changed and if I worked for a food guide starting with M, I would have given them a star. Service is impeccable and they use seasonal produce. Til this day, I still tease my FIL about how we fought over the cheesecake at the wedding breakfast (FIL ate it). Finally, after ten years I was able to order the cheesecake and not have to share it. (Christmas pudding cheesecake with mulled wine syrup - I really wanted to lick the plate!). For a night stay (including breakfast) and 3 course dinner (from a la carte menu) with a glass of wine for 2 people was just under £230. To me it was a lovely way to walk down memory lane.