Bankes Arms Hotel

The private dining room opened onto a terrace with gorgeous views of Corfe Castle. The children loved watching the Swanage steam train run along the bottom of the garden. We held a family celebration there on a Saturday afternoon, in the large dining room at the back of the pub, and the team couldn’t have been more helpful. They put together a delicious, nicely presented lunch buffet, and the owner made sure we were well looked after. Great space for an event, with lovely food and service.

There was a little road noise in the morning, which makes sense with the central location and original windows. Still, we had a lovely stay and would definitely come back. The historic building has a special character, with a cosy bar and restaurant, and the staff were friendly and attentive from the moment we arrived. Our room was clean, comfortable and thoughtfully presented. Breakfast was included, tasty and filling, with a good range of options. There’s free parking behind the hotel, and it’s well placed for exploring Wareham and Swanage. Corfe Castle is visible from the hotel and only a 5 minute walk away.

We went to the Banks Arms for an early dinner on Wednesday and everything was fresh and tasty. The homemade pork pie was seriously good, and the Hake was off the scale. My husband had ribeye with a delicious pepper sauce. The menu was wonderful, and our young waiter took great care of us, very efficiently. We’ll be back!

I went for Sunday lunch yesterday with my wife and daughter, and we ended up leaving after paying without dessert. The roast was basic and lacked seasoning. I had to ask for salt and pepper since there was none on the tables, and nobody offered or brought horseradish for the beef or mint sauce for the lamb. Service was the bigger problem. After our food arrived, we barely saw anyone. My wine took ages, and when my daughter went to the bar to ask again, the staff seemed to avoid eye contact and she came back empty-handed. Eventually the waiter looked over and seemed to realise she’d forgotten the wine. We waited about half an hour for a dessert menu, so my wife had to go behind the bar and ask for one. When the waiter later asked about dessert, I mentioned our taxi back to Swanage was booked and asked if pudding could come within half an hour. The young lady checked with the kitchen and said it depended on what we ordered. That was enough for us. We asked for the bill, paid and left. The front of house team seemed untrained, and the service was appalling.