The Raven Hotel

We needed somewhere to stay for one night after travelling four hours for a funeral. I was shocked to find the ‘hotel’ room had no toilet or shower, and there were bogies smeared on the wall. Everything is communal, so in the middle of the night you have to get dressed and walk down the corridor to find a toilet. One shower had what looked like pee stains on the plug 🤢. They’ve started upgrading the windows, so maybe they’ll move on to the interior, but I wouldn’t return as things are now. I didn’t see any staff myself; my boyfriend saw someone when he went for breakfast. He said it was toast and croissants with about 30 spread options. There’s no hot food for the first half of the week, so we couldn’t even get an evening meal at the place advertised as a hotel and restaurant. That was a major disappointment, as none of this was made clear before we booked.

What a disappointment. It used to be a lovely hotel and restaurant, but now it’s a horrible sports bar with terrible service. The sterile, soulless feel and crappy electronic slot machines clash with the town’s rustic look. Absolutely worth avoiding.

After enjoying a meal in the Lounge for my son’s birthday with my hubby, son and me, we booked again a couple of weeks later for Sunday lunch. There was a great choice on the Sunday menu, and we all went for beef and Yorkshire pudding. The beef was wonderful, cooked perfectly. At £26 for two courses or £29 for three, it was good quality and good value. We moved to town six months ago, and I wish we’d tried the food sooner. It’d be so sad to lose this place.

The seating inside is lovely since the refurb, and it’s in a great location, but the toilets really let it down. My partner said the men’s toilets had sick, poo and wee everywhere. In the women’s, there were poo stains, a yellow toilet bowl, spit or splash marks on the mirror, and a smell like an unemptied nappy bin. For somewhere that’s just been refurbished, cleanliness should be basic. People were also openly vaping at the bar. Such a shame, but it put us off completely. I don’t think we’d return.