An utterly disappointing experience.
Limpley Stoke was chosen by my client to accommodate me for a one day business visit to Bath , and then, based on its web presence and images I chose to extend my stay for the weekend and bring my partner along for a romantic weekend in a 'Stunning property with extensive gardens'.
The Hotel landing page includes this paragraph:
"Overlooking the spectacular Limpley Stoke Valley, the hotel is a stunning property with extensive gardens and elegant spacious public rooms. It offers the opportunity to relax in the peaceful Georgian lounge in front of the roaring log fires during the winter months. Privately owned and managed, the Limpley Stoke Hotel combines quality accommodation, offering friendly attentive service with a warm West Country welcome."
The 'elegant public rooms' seem to have been given over to weddings.
There was a wedding being catered on each of the days we stayed (Thursday to Sunday), meaning the bar area was crowded and noisy. On arrival we were encouraged to use a 'lounge' on the first floor, but this was just a silent room with tables and chairs in it and no bar or staff - cold and unwelcoming, and certainly not relaxing. No guests were using it. We were kept awake on Saturday evening until almost midnight with children running around outside screaming and playing loudly.
The service was indeed attentive, but the property looks tired, cheaply refurbished to a low standard, and the public spaces were grubby. Whoever thought unsealed vinyl faced MDF floor tiles are a good idea in a hotel bathroom, or that they suggest elegance and quality, needs to be enlightened. Our feet were stained by the vile brown water oozing from underneath them. The furniture is aged and mismatched - I'd perhaps expect this in a budget hotel catering for workmen, but not when being marketed as a quality hotel and charged almost £200 a night.
The extensive grounds run to a car park, beer patio / garden, and a couple of grassy areas about the size of a large lawn. We were looking forward to a stroll in the gardens, but couldn't make it last more than ten minutes.
The breakfast experience lacked choice. Only scrambled egg with no option for fried or poached, two types of pastry, and a less than 'full' English breakfast. Staying more than one night had us yearning for variety. And serving coffee and tea in urns never represents quality.
On Sunday morning, we were surprised and disappointed to find we had to endure cold showers at 8:30 am as the hot water had run out.
On departure, it's quite possibly a good thing that we weren't even asked if we'd enjoyed our stay on check out. Bath was lovely - the hotel, utterly disappointing. less