Crockstead Farm Hotel

We come back every year for our cricket tour. There are plenty of rooms to choose from, including suites, and breakfast is included and fantastic. It's one of the nicest social accommodations I've ever stayed in. The bar area is very pleasant, and Ross and his staff will do anything to make your stay perfect. A must visit.

The barn made a lovely setting for a friend's birthday celebration, with tasteful decor and round tables for us to sit around. Staff were attentive and helpful. Outside, there's a large yard that would be useful for summer parties, plus a pond with ducks beside the main building. Very picturesque.

The breakfast itself was cooked beautifully, but it was poorly supplied. There was just one very polite gentleman taking breakfast orders, checking guests out and answering the phone, and there was no butter or marmalade. Nobody offered extra tea, coffee or toast. After check-in, we were shown to room 1, even though we'd been told at booking that we'd have room 12. The ensuite shower in room 1 was disgusting, with mould on the walls and cracked tiles. We asked to move to room 12, as promised, but its shower door was disgusting and very rusty too. Low wattage bulbs also left the room extremely dark. The gentleman checking us out couldn't understand why we'd been put in room 1, since it had been closed for a week. The hotel needs serious modernisation. It feels as if it's being run on a shoe. After we spoke with the owner, the gentleman was left in the difficult position of deciding on a discount at his own discretion.

The staff were fantastic, and everything we asked for was provided. We were well catered for, and had a lovely evening meal in the small, cosy, quaint restaurant. We stopped for one night during our journey from North Wales to Spain. The hotel sits in a quiet spot surrounded by acres of land, where dogs can roam freely, though you do need to be aware there are other animals around. The reason for four stars rather than five is that our room was a little tired and needed some TLC. That said, it was quiet and the facilities were adequate.