The Crown Manor House

The staff, atmosphere and location were all good to very good, and I enjoyed my three-day stay in general. But the hotel itself needs a deep upgrade. I’d call it a solid three star, rather than the four stars it claims. The main problem was the unheated bathrooms. There’s a small towel heater, but showering when the room was between 17.2 and max 19.7 degrees was far from comfortable, even after I asked the service to leave the door open during the day. The clinking toilet seat and heating that shuts off overnight were minor annoyances. Would I book again? No.

We stayed in the spacious, warm Scarlett suite, and the rooms were very good. Breakfasts were great too. We took our 5 month old Cockapoo along to help him get used to travelling and staying in hotels. The staff were amazing, so helpful and friendly. Stephen in the bar was very attentive, reception were excellent, and a big thank you to the night manager for letting my wife and dog go out early in the mornings.

Dinner was really lovely, and the gnocchi was tasty. The breakfast, though, was downright awful. The eggs were tasteless and might have been powdered, hard to tell. The tomatoes and potatoes looked soaked before cooking and were soggy and lukewarm, as others have said. The fruit salad sat in pooled juice and felt soggy and old, though I don’t think it actually was old. Breakfast really needs a revamp. I asked the breakfast staff for bottled water to make up a baby bottle, but they couldn’t quite understand, so I had to go elsewhere. We booked the gorgeous King Rufus Suite at the last minute, but a few things need work. There weren’t enough reception staff, so they never picked up the phone. The staff were very nice and clearly run off their feet, so this isn’t a criticism of them. The elevator was broken, and we had to go up and down 3-4 times to order food and get a correctly sized sheet, which wasn’t great from the top floor with two small kids. The master remote was broken, and the inside of the drinking cup had toothpaste marks. They charged extra for everything: £7 for room service, plus charges for a cot, a bottle of water, food service, and an adapter plug, even when the room was £290/ night. Those small touches would’ve been nice, and we’d have returned if the place hadn’t felt so misley.

With its history, attentive staff, and smart, comfortable rooms, this is a great hotel. Breakfast was a quality cooked meal, and there’s off-street parking. The price was fair, and the hotel is perfectly placed for Lyndhurst, the New Forest and nearby attractions. Would recommend.