The Old Ship Inn

We passed the pub many times, as it was our last night we popped in for a drink. As a family we tend to avoid pubs advertising football etc Staff friendly and welcoming. Good value as well. Half the price we were paying just up the road Wish we'd visited sooner 😊

Sorry that I have to post this but they owe me over 1k for cancellations for 2 months by now. Be aware! I paid in advance in January but had to cancel in May. I contacted the management (mind, 5th since January speaks for itself) with no avail. No answers to my phone calls / emails / evidence what so ever.

There is no kitchen so breakfast was not provided. The entire place needs a deep clean. Phone left ringing and not answered. No parking. The atmosphere was unwelcoming and unhelpful. The Ship Inn is situated in Dorchester's High Street. No parking. Car had to be put in a car park a 5 minute walk from the Ship Inn. The entire experience was depressing. We would give no stars if it was possible.

We attempted to stay here for the night a few weeks ago. We are a family of four and a Dog. I was asked to pay for the room before being given the key to the room. At this point I was also informed that the chef was on Holliday so there was no food available. When we got to the room we find that for our £140 we didn’t even have an en-suite bathroom. We presumably had the unlocked (Not Very Private) toilet that was over the hall way from our room. On finding this out I immediately went back downstairs to try and resolve the issue and ask whether there was another room available as this was not suitable for us. The lady behind the bar did give me the keys to another room however on inspection the room was full of personal belongings. I immediately returned back downstairs without even fully entering into the room as I felt embarrassed. The lady did attempted to call the landlord who was not on the premises and could not be contacted. I explained that this was just not suitable and unacceptable. My wife was so upset that she began to have a panic attack. I asked for a refund to my card and told the bar maid that we would find somewhere else to stay for the night. The woman behind the bar was very nice and apologetic but said that she couldn’t do refunds as she didn’t have that option but promised me that it wouldn’t be a problem the landlord was a genuine guy and we would definitely get a refund. My only comfort is that I used my credit card to pay for the room. Hopefully the credit card company will have a better chance of getting us a refund than I have up to now. Three weeks later and multiple conversations with Martin the manager to sort the issue out still no response. As an added note there is no where to park we had unload on double yellows and it’s apparently a seven min walk to the nearest pay and display. There was one parking space but the car occupying the space looked suspiciously like it may have been the landlords car. This had been explained when booking but it may make you think again before booking.

Lovely hosts ,lovely food ,very clean .very enjoyable .good atmosphere very friendly well with visiting .I certainly will be going again very soon nothing to much trouble .very reasonable prices.itvwass a very pleasant lunch time

This was a nice surprise. We had booked to stay a few months ago and have just left. It's a lovely little pub and lovely spacious rooms. Martin is really friendly and helpful, the housekeeper is also just as lovely. The place is nice and clean. I have read the previous reviews for here and we had a complete different experience. Nothing was too much hassle. We will definitely return