The Foresters Arms

When we arrived a man in the bar asked if we were staying in the rooms and he pulled a face. When we were taken around the back of the pub to rooms I understood why. We walked into the stairs and greeted by a strange smell. Also carpeted walls. The man did carry my case up the stairs for me. Once in the room my heart sank. The room had the same smell; there was grey carpet on the walls and the ceiling had black satin draping covering something but not sure what! The back carpet hadn’t been hoovered for some time and the dust was terrible down the side of the bed; there was very little room down either side of the bed which made getting in and out a real issue. There was dust everywhere - picture frames, light fitting, on radiator in bathroom. The black radiator and furniture was all chipped and looked extremely tired. No wardrobe just four mismatched hangers. Then there was the bathroom; very small had a sink which had a shelf but because of the shelf it was impossible to bend to rinse mouth after brushing; the shower didn’t turn off and was dripping and running (at times) to the extent it had marked the slate tiles: the grouting was dirty and the area felt dirty. In the two nights we were there I only took one shower as it was dirty and made me feel horrible and the shower didn’t work properly - the one tap on the shower couldn’t be turned. Skirting boards were chipped and wallpaper coming off the one wall that didn’t have carpet on it. On plus side bed was comfy and we slept well. Also there were coffee and biscuits and spring water left complimentary. We were so disappointed. We tried the food in the bar and it’s fabulous and well priced and staff very friendly. But locals did get loud and took over where we were sat. We travel to London and surrounding areas a lot - at least twice a year - for over 20 years and this is the worst hotel we’ve stayed in - not just in the capital! We paid £300 for two nights without breakfast as they don’t provide it; with fact there is no parking too this has very little to offer guests staying in the accommodation. The room was cheap, dreary, dusty and dirty and needs refurbishment or close them and concentrate on the pub and bar!!

We stayed for 2 nights a couple of weeks ago, for a friend's party in the nearby golf club. We had an evening flight so checked in just after 9pm and were warmly welcome at the bar and shown straight to our room. The room was great, we liked the quirky decor and it was warm and comfortable. We went straight back down to the bar as they were serving food until 10pm. My husband had their fish and chips and rated it highly delicious. The bar staff were very friendly and easy going, and we enjoyed a couple of drinks before bed. Beds were very comfy too. The room was well equipped with everything we needed including tea and coffee and hairdryer. We were not disturbed by any noise from the pub despite being above the outdoor seating area. Next day we were able to walk into Kingston and spent the day reacquainting myself with the town I had grown up and gone to Uni in, many years ago. The pub is almost opposite Hampton Wick station so it was very handy for connecting in and back to London. Would highly recommend a stay here - if we were here again we would try and fit in a visit to the Indian restaurant right across the road!