Denbies Vineyard Hotel

The food was gorgeous, and I ended up eating much more than I expected. The room was very nice too. I enjoyed wandering around the gallery, gift shop and garden centre in this unique location. Thanks to the kind young woman who brought my meal to my room. She’s a credit to you.

The food and drink were fabulous, the location was wonderful, and the service was very good. I was a little disappointed by the room, though. It was clearly dog friendly and smelled less fresh than a hotel room normally does. There weren’t any written instructions, just a QR code to scan. I’d have preferred the details we needed, like checkout time and how to adjust the room temperature, in writing.

The food was pretty bad. The fish and chips had a strange taste, and the hot breakfasts were cold. Service wasn’t great either, with lots of waiting and staff who weren’t very friendly. The vineyard itself is nice, but for a premium price it felt no better than a Travelodge. Quite disappointing and expensive for what it was. I wouldn’t come back.

The setting is stunning, and it’s such a shame the restaurant was so underwhelming. We waited 55 minutes after arriving before bread was served. When we asked for olive oil, they brought cooking oil instead; we pointed it out, but nothing was done. The food seemed bought in rather than freshly made on site, especially the pâté and desserts. The vegetarian dishes were bland. I still don’t know how they made shimeji mushrooms taste like nothing. The place has the potential to be incredible, but our meal made me regret choosing to eat there. Save your money and eat elsewhere. Come for a drink and the views. Also, the website menu is nothing like the one in the restaurant. Online it suggests fine dining, while the menu on arrival looks more like a mid-range pub.