Best Western Salisbury Red Lion Hotel

We stayed here for our second anniversary as we were kindly offered a all inclusive stay for previous bad experiences and to be honest we went in with very low expectations. We were proven wrong. We were given the Seamstress Suite which is an absolutely stunning room anyway so we were pleasantly surprised. Dinner that evening we were offered a seat in the lounge or the Vine restaurant which was a great option to have. I had the smoked duck salad to start which was delicious. My husband had the roast duck which he throughly enjoyed. I had the 8oz sirloin steak which was just melt in the mouth and the triple cooked chips were stunning. Desserts were delicious the cheesecake was beautiful and the Apple and Blackberry crumble was lush although I wish I was able to get custard with it the Vanilla Ice cream was still lovely. We were served by Kieran the deputy manager at dinner he was friendly, chatty and attentive. Breakfast the next day was lovely the only problem was the mushrooms were very peppery which put my husband right off of his breakfast and because of Covid restrictions the way they were serving (table service rather then their usual buffet style) ment things were abit slower and very busy so we were unable to let anyone know about the breakfast issue immediately. However we let the staff at reception know on checking out and they informed they would let the kitchen staff know less

Thank you to the man on the street who directed us to the Red Lion last Wednesday! What a find, 800 years old and built to house the architects and builders who built Salisbury Cathedral! Also 800 years old this year but all celebrations cancelled due to covid sadly. Food is not the best ive ever eaten but the location more than made up for it and the waitress was so helpful. Very olde worlde would highly recommend and the trees and shrubs outside so pretty with their Autumn colours. less

We were travelling to the Isle of Wight from Yorkshire for my daughter, a fast visit, an hour on the Island but wanted to move away from the south coast to stay overnight, we had last stayed at this hotel 40 years ago, so it was ideal, nothing much had changed, great courtyard and historic building. When we arrived at the room we both wanted a shower being on the road since 5am, unfortunately there was no hot water, we contacted reception who said they would sort it immediately, unfortunately they did not, so a wash in cold water was all we had and a shrug with a "sorry" on leaving, the restaurant staff were lovely but we left feeling uncared for..and dirty. less

As you walk through the vine covered courtyard, your spirits are immediately lifted, its a lovely place to sit, especially in the sunshine. Our room was across the courtyard at the back of the building overlooking the car park. The hotel says there is car parking but its insufficient for the size of the hotel but as mentioned, there is one directly behind the hotel. Our room was up some stairs, there was a “lobby” with a chair then a really nice bathroom down some steps. The bed was comfortable and whilst the window overlooked an unattractive car park, we got a good night’s sleep as it was quiet. We didn’t have breakfast here and we didn’t dine in. I liked the courtyard entrance which was enrobed in vines with scattered tables and chairs to sit and enjoy the sunshine. I would definitely stay here again, people with mobility issues might struggle to access the rooms as it is a very old building. The standard of the renovations was very high and made the stay most enjoyable, the shower was large and powerful. less

We stayed in the Seamstress Suite for 3 nights, great accomodation, quiet and cosy room. Had lunch a couple of times and breakfast each morning. Food was good and always served with a smile. Very friendly staff who did their very best at an extremely difficult time with Covid to deal with. We did hear a few other guests moaning about service who no doubt do not understand that businesses are trying to deliver a service often with reduced staff. We are in the middle of a Pandemic and it's a shame that the group of four Women sitting in the courtyard who rudely moaned at the staff about the time it took to get their lunch bill and who then sat there chatting for a further 20 minutes once they had paid. less