Pillar and Post

I was very disappointed with slow service in the pub. The food, especially beef dip which was supposedly sliced from the Cannery Dining Room was stringy almost as it it had been scrapped from the beef rib tray. It was disgustingly disappointing for such a renowned establishment. I am a local here and something has changed!! The mussels were small and broth was without flavour.

This is a nicely appointed hotel, with tremendous staff and an indoor pool, an outdoor pool, a hot springs (hot tub), a spa, a gorgeous garden, and a restaurant on site. The fun and quirky thing about this hotel is that they encourage you to wear your robe around the property, to everywhere BUT the fancy Cannery restaurant. We loved all of our servers - they had so much personality and went out of their way to make sure we had a good time when we ate in the Lounge and poolside. The rooms are clearly receiving attention; the bathrooms looked new and there were modern amenities like a Nespresso machine. Some parts of the hotel are strangely dated - the carpets in the hallways have a specific 90s pattern and are worn. The "palm trees" in the indoor pool area are COATED with dust on the top, and while it's hard to imagine how they could even be cleaned based on the positioning, if they were removed altogether it would feel less dated in there. There is a buffet breakfast in the Cannery, so while you'd probably LIKE to wear your robe down to breakfast, you cannot, haha. It would be great if there was a grab-and-go option for breakfast. Sure, you can get room service, but even at smaller properties like The Scott in Scottsdale who don't have space roll out a table with yogurt and breakfast-y things to grab. There is free coffee in the lobby, which is delicious, but there's nowhere quite close enough to walk to and quickly grab breakfast. The "gift shop" has bathing suits, pajamas, and a few souvenirs, but that's also a space that could be renewed to offer snacks when you don't quite need a whole meal. The gardens across the street are INCREDIBLE. There is an Outpost there where you can grab a drink and some nibbles to walk the grounds. The pools, the comfy room, the gardens, and the food make this a nearly perfect place to stay! It's quite close to a few wineries, and the hotel offers free drop off and pickup shuttle service that can take you to those.

We stayed for three nights in Room 103 and unfortunately the experience did not meet expectations, especially at £225 per night. Room & Noise The room was very dark and dingy, with a tiny bathroom and a carpet so worn the pattern had disappeared. It’s located right beside the car park, cycle park, and public bathrooms, so there was constant noise. We could also hear people walking around in the room above. Service We waited 20 minutes on the patio to be served drinks and eventually left because no one came. The bar and reception areas were extremely cold more like a fridge than a welcoming hotel space and the bar closing at 11pm felt unusually early. Spa & Pool Cleanliness The hot spring needed a proper clean; tiles were scummy and the walkway was dirty. We reported debris floating in the jacuzzi (including what looked like skin particles), we did not use it for that reason. It was reported to the spa reception. The outdoor pool was nice but overcrowded and we couldn’t get a sun lounger. Food & Drinks The restaurant food was average. The prawn cocktail was so cold it had no flavour. The espresso martinis were the highlight. Shuttle Service We used the complimentary shuttle once, HobNob restaurant had to call three times because it didn’t show up. We could have walked in the time it took. Positives Reception staff were helpful. Overall, despite a few positives, the stay was disappointing and did not justify the price paid.