The Dunes Hotel

Chef John and his team carefully made all of my husband’s favourite dishes, and the rooms were beautifully arranged for the event. I held my husband’s Celebration of Life weekend at the Dunes Hotel, and everything went amazingly. Ed and the staff, especially Charlotte and Hannah, gave wonderful service. I’ll never forget the beautiful send-off my husband had. Thank you.

We sat down at 13.00 and didn’t get the first course, ham hock, until 14.00. It was the same as in previous years and terrible. Then there was a sorbet in a coffee cup, followed by a 30-minute wait for the main, which didn’t arrive until 15.30. For £80 pp, the meal was pretty poor: two good slices of turkey, two roast potatoes, two pigs in blankets, one new potato, two parsnips and shared vegetables for the table. The carrots and green beans were the only vegetables that weren’t rock hard. Dessert was some sort of chocolate pudding. There was only one bar staff member, so getting a drink took far too long, and the whole day felt totally unorganised. We’ve been for Xmas day dinner the last couple of years and it seems to get worse. The service is shocking, and we won’t go again.

I’ve stayed here many times and have always liked the quiet hotel, the good pillows, decent internet and nice staff. Sadly, the food has gone downhill. My evening meal felt like corners had been cut because the kitchen was understaffed, and both my starter and main used cheap ingredients. The calamari was shop-bought frozen food and reached the table just a few minutes after I ordered. It’s put me off staying here in future.

It was our first Christmas away, and the hardworking staff made the whole stay a great experience. We weren’t disappointed at all. Hopefully we’ll do it again next Christmas. Thank you to everyone.