Rudloe Arms

This was our second visit to the Rudloe Arms Hotel, having had a really lovely experience on our first visit. Unfortunately, this time around we were extremely disappointed with almost every aspect of our stay. It is such a shame to see how much the standards and service appear to have slipped since our previous visit in February. From the moment we arrived, things didn’t feel quite right. There were noticeable stains throughout the carpets in the building, and we were greeted by a strong smell of damp in the Coach House, which immediately took away from the experience. The service was another major disappointment. We ordered a Cosmopolitan at the bar, only for the staff member to have to ask us how to make one. When it arrived, it was far too strong and had to be sent back. We then ordered a Pornstar Martini, which was also far too strong. We certainly didn’t expect this level of service from a hotel of this standard. We had dinner booked for 8pm and were enjoying a drink at the bar beforehand. However, we were approached by a waitress who seemed to be hinting that we should go and sit down because we were the last booking. We felt quite rushed, and our starter was served before 8pm. We had planned a relaxed, chilled evening, so unfortunately this took away from the experience. For our main course, we both ordered the gnocchi pomodoro. Unfortunately, neither of us could finish our meal because it was extremely spicy. When we mentioned this to the waiter, he actually tried the dish himself and agreed with us, commenting that it was “unusually spicy.” We appreciated him acknowledging the issue, but it was disappointing that a meal we had both been looking forward to was practically inedible. We were also asked when arriving at the restaurant whether we would like still or sparkling water, but it wasn’t made clear that this would be an additional charge. We were surprised to see the extra cost added to the bill. After the main course, though, we were certainly glad to have the water! The room was another significant disappointment. Unlike our previous stay, the room was extremely hot, there was no air conditioning, and the bed was uncomfortable. We ended up having a restless night and had to sleep with the patio door open just to get some cool air into the room. Eventually, when we did manage to fall asleep, we were woken at around 6am by the radio in the room broadcasting the news. This was particularly frustrating after such an uncomfortable night, especially knowing we had a five-hour drive ahead of us the following day. Breakfast was another disappointing experience. We asked for orange juice instead of tea and coffee, which we were then told was an additional charge. The waiter initially misheard us and thought we had asked for oranges. When we corrected him, he walked away and we heard him say “Jesus.” After a sleepless night and with a long journey ahead, this really wasn’t the interaction we expected from staff in a hotel of this calibre. We were also surprised to find that the only breakfast included within our booking was Greek yoghurt and granola, with everything else available at an additional cost. Overall, this was a really disappointing second visit, particularly because our first experience had been so good. We had been looking forward to returning, but unfortunately the standards, service and attention to detail have clearly slipped since our last stay.

Multiple attempts to contact the property (phone/email/website) went unanswered when querying check in time. Even the booking agent couldn't raise anyone from the property. We ended up arriving at 5.45pm, only to be told that the receptionist had left early. It then fell on the 2 x waitstaff to try and find our rooms - which weren't part of the manor but some distance from the hotel. After a couple of attempts, walking around outside - they eventually found our room. Property consisted of a small double bed where the mattress sagged in the middle & the pillows also were saggy. It had 1 x desk but no chair, so a coffee table had to be used as a chair. Our breakfast had been pre-paid, however, they charge $4.30, p.p, per day, cover charge & if you would like a juice with your breakfast - this is an additional $10.60 p.p. No cappuccino, hot chocolate or tea selection was available. We had dinner one evening, where again, an auto cover fee was applied. On the morning, after check-in, we went to find the receptionist to see if there was anything we needed to do for check-in. We communicated the difficulties that we had in contacting the property. This concern was dismissed by the receptionist with the comment 'we don't have a phone & you should have contacted us via website'. She didn't respond when we explained, that we had done this. They ended up charging our credit card, without approval, for accom. that was pre-paid. Hotels.com had to intervene on our behalf.

I’m still struggling to compute my stay at The Rudloe. Starting with the positives, it’s a beautiful old building and our room in the coach house was large and tastefully decorated with a high end bathroom. The restaurant is also ambient and stylish, and the breakfast was generous and delicious. But….there were a few big negatives that really need to be addressed. There is no signage anywhere so both the hotel and reception were difficult to find. The receptionist was nowhere to be seen when we arrived and with no other staff around it was simply bewildering. We were put in the coach house building which was in a complete state of disrepair. Stained caravan carpets in the halls, a broken down lift, paper room number signs stuck to the doors, walls needing painting etc etc. The service was slow at breakfast and we had to wait 10 mins to be seated even though it wasn’t full. Dinner menu only offers 3 course set menu. Breakfast and dinner menus try to upsell by charging extra for sides and any meat at breakfast as well as a £2 cover charge per person. Marco Pierre White was sat outside when we left so clearly very much involved so I don’t understand why he doesn’t fix all the negatives. This is trying to be The Pig but sadly isn’t succeeding.