The Roundabout Hotel

The meal was reasonable and the service pretty good, but the evening fell short. We’d booked a table for six several weeks ahead to celebrate my brother-in-law’s 80th birthday, and the hotel knew about the occasion. We arrived on time, but the young woman at the bar didn’t know about the booking. She looked surprised, checked the diary, found it, then set up a table and apologised for the delay. When I paid, there was no further apology or any gesture, such as a discounted bottle of wine. We’d ordered four bottles and took one home, and spent virtually £250. I didn’t think a tip was appropriate. With a little more effort, the hotel could have made a memorable evening out of a disappointing one.

The staff are friendly and personable, and the Resident chef makes the best poached eggs I can remember. The location is handy for walking into Fareham centre. But the hotel has gone downhill over the years. There’s a damp smell, creaking floorboards under the carpets, fittings pulling away from the walls, and taps and shower heads that are loose and leak. Hot water is a good temperature and the pressure is reasonable. The radiators have lost their old finish and give off weak heat at unpredictable times. The walls between rooms are paper thin, so you can hear people snoring next door and drunken guests getting their dogs to bark. Needless to say, I won’t be back.

Martha’s breakfasts are reason enough for me to stay again. The staff are lovely and friendly, and it’s a great hotel. Traffic from the nearby main road kept me awake for most of the night, though, so that’s the one drawback 😁

Breakfast was good, though nobody offered toast. The tea in the room tasted awful, I couldn’t drink it, and the key cards were troublesome in both rooms. Our room was right by the roundabout and very noisy. There was no double glazing, so the wind came through and made it sound as if the window was open.