The Stag on the River

Mixed feelings about my recent visit for lunch. Starters were lovely - we had the whitebait and the nduja scotch egg. My boyfriend’s main was lovely, but mine was quite bland. Service was friendly but I had tried to arrange something nice for a birthday and the situation became quite confused.

This was our first stay at the Stag on the River. We stayed two nights as we were attending an event in Guildford. Positives: - very convenient for Guildford, only a few minutes drive - very attractive building inside and out - see photos - our room was smart and well maintained though rather small (though I wouldn't describe it as 'boutique' - modern en suite with a good shower - staff very pleasant on the whole Could do better: - prices very high for standard of accommodation; have stayed in similar properties that have cost a lot less per night - designated parking spaces for guests staying in the hotel; there were very few spaces available on a busy Friday evening - a clear separate entrance for paying guests - a proper reception area for guests staying in accommodation; it felt very uncomfortable arriving with lots of bags and queueing up to check in on a busy Friday night along with locals having a night out; it wasn't clear what to do - noise from outside / downstairs stopped at 12.45am on first night. We were above the kitchen so this didn't help; woken up at 5.45am by fans coming on downstairs - no apology when gluten-free breakfast items unavailable in spite of requests during booking and after one night's stay Useful hints: - Breakfast portions rather tight - one sausage, one tiny piece of crozzled bacon. If you want more than this, write it on the breakfast form and you will be served what you requested. - Breakfast items rather haphazard: limited gluten free provision in spite of info on website, ie no granola available; first morning croissants available, next morning none; mistake made with breakfast order - sausage sandwiches served rather than bacon Overall I would give 3.5 stars for our visit to the Stag on the River. Better than average, but good not very good. It was a special occasion for my wife and I so we were expecting a lot for the amount we paid. Would we stay at the Stag again? Sadly not.

Husband I stayed for 2 nights and had a really nice break. The Hotel is in a lovely quiet location with the river Wey running alongside. There is a nice garden with plenty of seating together with a covered area which is stylishly laid out with sheepskins & flowers. Our room was compact but comfortable, the bed was really nice. Everything was spotlessly clean and the Nespresso coffee machine and fancy teas were a nice touch. Along the corridor was a fridge with small bottles of fresh milk for us to help ourselves to, again, very nice - so much better than plastic UHT milk. Complimentary bottled water and even a bottle of local ale (although just one between 2 of us!) were also nice touches. Breakfast had to be chosen the night before, not a problem for us and the choices were great, delicious & high quality. We had dinner on our 2nd night which was really very high quality. We eat out a lot and like to think we are "foodies" - so nice to have an interesting menu with a variety of dishes all using local produce and clearly all made to order. No microwave meals here! All in all we had a very pleasant stay and applaud the friendly, professional staff on the overall atmosphere they have created - one of stylish comfort without losing the cosy country feel.

On the face of it fantastic place and when you get to the location all good… However the restaurant area really needs to have a review ! 1. On a spring deal and it includes a bottle of English fizz as I was on my own asked if I could exchange for a pint - no was the answer. 2. Next table when they asked swooped for another bottle of wine. 3. No organisation as was asked 3x by 3 people if I’d ordered! 4. Chicken in the pie was a bit pink most wasn’t … mentioned this but was told that’s the way it should be ? 5. Next table had wrong order served was told it would be 5 mins to sort 30 mins later it came out 6. So much potential but needs some control and polish in the restaurant and kitchen areas. 7. Trying to attach a waiter was hard work ! Having said that nice place

We needed a central location to meet family, and this was ideal - what a find . Super friendly staff, a gorgeous quirky room and a lovely ambience to the Inn - and very quiet considering that it is not far from the main road. We will definitely come back again in the summer to enjoy the lovely walks along the river.

The Stag on the River is set in a beautiful location. However, the building in Jan is cold - we sat with coats on most of the time. The food was not great. The beef was really fatty; risotto was not how I've seen a risotto presented before. And overall the food lacked excitement. Will we go back - no. Staff were polite.