Hopbine House

Having reviewed the hotel directly they have neither responded nor published my review on their website. Once you've read it you'll probably realise why they don't want that kind of advertising... ********** Having booked directly through the website a room to accommodate two adults and three children we arrived to be directed to a room that only slept four. There seemed to be some confusion over how we could have booked a room for five and told that none existed on the premises. We agreed to a mattress being moved from another room as felt that a second room with three young children wasn't the best arrangement for us. Our stay did not get any better. No hot water in the shower or sink, though thankfully the bath did have warm water, which was useful as it allowed us to warm up from a cold and damp room. The room had only had two towels provided when we arrived. Turning the heater up above it's lowest setting set the fire alarm off. Electrical safety generally was a question mark in our minds, with three of the sockets in the room taped over to prevent use. Not a surprise that it was cold and damp though, the single glazed windows had gaps that you could see daylight through. The bathroom was covered in mould and the sink drained marginally better for a full kettle of boiling water being poured down it. A deep clean would probably help but not resolve all of the issues with the bathroom. We knew ahead of arrival the arrangements for breakfast, but despite the dining room not being in use no thought had been given to where we should eat breakfast in the room. There was a single chair and two cups between the five of us. Would not recommend staying here and will not be returning.

Lovely old house with character, superior double room and en-suite were a good size. Plenty of parking. 35 minute walk into town, but you have to cross a busy main road with no zebra crossing or traffic lights. Breakfast pack was a great size and good range of products. Shower was instantly warm with good pressure. Bathroom fairly modern with handy vanity mirror. Price was OK for facilities offered if booked direct via their website. BUT The room was pretty dusty with cobwebs in windows and on ceiling (plus four or five spiders). Carpets were very old and stained. Mattress was quite lumpy and uncomfortable. Couldn't get Wi-Fi to work in lobby or room (and I'm Gen Z). Noisy road nearby woke us up early (partly due to cracks in window frame). Mould on bathroom ceiling. Management really need to sort out the cleanliness issue.

Tired is the way I would describe this guest house, and tired is how my partner and I felt after leaving! Sadly, although this hotel has lots of charm and open space, it is rather uncared for. Whilst Doreen, who we spoke to on the phone was lovely, when we arrived at the hotel there was no one on-site, we were given codes to access the hotel itself, and then to access the room keys. When we got into our room there was no toilet roll provided and no one to ask. The room itself had an extremely uneven floor so much so that we had to be careful where we walked (it felt like floorboards under the carpet were broken). The beds were hard and creaky and the curtains and blinds had mould on them. The windows and glazed doors were in need of a clean too. Hotels in older buildings, such as the Hopbine, have their charm and this place could be charming, but it felt tired and uncomfortable. The dining room is permanently closed sadly, with the breakfast was delivered to our door in paper bags. There was no choice as to what food we could have for breakfast and some of the food neither of us could eat - and there was no conversation with the staff regarding this. The ample outdoor space is inviting but the seating was old and worn which was a bit off-putting. The sheets and bathroom were clean and the location was very convenient but I can't say this place is value for money based on our experience.