The Old Brasserie & Rooms @ no.8

Had I read these reviews first, we wouldn’t have stopped. My wife apparently enjoyed her risotto, but my meatballs and their tomato sauce were both tasteless. Seeing the scones in a packet on top should probably have given me a clue. You’ve been warned!

The woman was hostile and rude to me and my family. The woman shown in the photo was obnoxious and a bully. The ratings speak for themselves. Avoid this place and don’t waste your money.

The owners were helpful and stored our cycles in the closed-down cafe, and the lock boxes were a suitable way to get into the building and room when no owners were on site. The owner also turned the heating on when we asked and apologised that it hadn’t been on for us. Still, the stay was disappointing and poor value. We knew the room was very small before booking, but it was cold when we arrived, with the heating off and the window open. The decor was badly dated, with woodchip wallpaper throughout the bedroom and bathroom, and it didn’t look as if it had been redecorated for a very long time. The honesty box was poorly stocked and, like other parts of the room, looked rather sad. With a lot of money spent on the whole property, I’m sure it could be an excellent place in lovely Dartmouth. At the moment, sadly, it isn’t.

The cafe is in a lovely location and looks lovely from outside, but we wouldn’t go back. It was busy and one man was trying to handle everything. He was run off his feet, then shut the door and turned the sign to “closed” while the cafe was full of people. The scones weren’t homemade and were tiny. £9 for two tiny scones for cream tea felt very expensive. The toilets were dirty, and the door jammed, so I had to force it open to get out. We gave the man the benefit of the doubt for seeming miserable because he was working alone, but it didn’t make for a nice atmosphere. He didn’t look like he enjoyed the job. We didn’t stay in the rooms, so I can’t comment on those.