Bickleigh Castle Hotel

The welcome was really warm, the rooms were clean and comfortable, and breakfast was good. Staying here felt more like being a guest in a wonderful house than checking into a hotel. A beautiful, historic place in a gorgeous area.

It is an interesting historic place, but we were very disappointed and wouldn't recommend staying here. The buildings and gardens need a lot of care. The gardens were overgrown, the tennis court was in poor condition, and the room needed redecorating. The shower was broken and ran out of hot water. We reported the blocked drain, but it still hadn't been sorted when we got back late that evening. There was no room maid, so the bed was unmade and the cups hadn't been cleaned. The towels were old and worn, and breakfast was very poor. Sorry, but the place needs loads of TLC.

The courtyard was a beautiful spot for the cream tea, especially in the sunshine, but by then we were already thinking about leaving. The scones were stodgy and dry, and the waitress spilled tea as she brought them over. They arrived with our plates on a tray puddled with tea. We carried on in the hope that the grounds would be lovely and the tour informative, as they bring in an outside guide just once a week. The grounds were tired and seemed uncared for. Apart from mowing the lawn, there was little sign of gardening. Many benches and chairs were broken, apples were rotting all over the floor in the walled garden orchard, and scrap wood and building materials had been left around the site. The guide didn't seem to know much, the tour lacked structure, and it wasn't very informative. One room was being used as a B&B room, with a modern TV, kettle, shower gel and towels inside. Most of the artwork and displays were copies. That didn't match the way this had been promoted to us as an amazing example of a Grade 1 listed building, steeped in history. We'd come the week before, expecting a lot after reading the Google reviews. We had been given a "cream tea and tour" voucher for Christmas and, encouraged by those reviews, booked a night at the property beforehand. That turned out to be our first mistake. At check-in, the owner greeted us warmly, though she seemed stressed and a bit erratic. She took payment, then rummaged around for the room key. When I mentioned the voucher and tried to show my booking confirmation email, she checked her diary and said we weren't booked in. She told us we were lucky she'd squeeze us in. That made us uncomfortable: we'd booked a while ago with a non-refundable voucher, so it didn't feel like we were lucky when the hotel had got the booking wrong. She also said we were lucky to be in one of the newly refurbished rooms with an amazing castle view, then pointed us upstairs to room 6. But the room was unclean, the headboard was stained, there was mould in the shower, and the coffee cups hadn't been properly cleaned. The furniture was dated and tatty, with no sign of refurbishment. From the window we could see the courtyard and road, but not the castle. We later found out it was obscured by a thatched roof and partly hidden behind another building. We felt misled and disheartened, especially given the price. A pub down the road cost only 2/3 as much. The room's information booklet and leaflets were out of date, had incorrect details, and appeared to have last been updated in 2022. Breakfast was okay, but for what we paid, a warmed croissant and self-serve cereal and toast weren't quite what we'd expected. The owner's cat was left to roam freely around the breakfast room, rubbing against our legs. That felt unhygienic where food was left unattended and guests were eating. There's much more I could say, but those are the main points. The place has so much potential to be special, but it needs a lot of time, money and effort. Maybe fresh eyes and new ownership would help. Otherwise, I fear this piece of history will keep falling into dereliction.

We went for the Castle's Thursday open day and booked a tour. From midday, you can also explore on your own. It was fabulous, with a wealth of history. An absolute gem and a must-see if you're in the area. Lots of people were enjoying afternoon tea.