The Knoll House

The food was incredible. After we ate out once, my wife wanted all our meals here instead. There's a separate restaurant for dogs and their owners. The hotel's in a stunning area, with sea, coastal and woodland views, and reception has a little pamphlet with about ten lovely walks starting right at the front door. The building and rooms are a bit run down, but that's not really the point of this place. It's for dogs and their owners, and the staff are so friendly and helpful they feel like old friends. Everything was clean and tidy, especially the spotless bathrooms, bedding and towels, and we had everything we needed.

There's a lot of nostalgia here, and the old building has its quirks, but walking in felt like getting a hug. The rooms are well appointed, everything was lovely and clean, and the staff made us feel welcome. Good service, excellent food and a lovely location. We'll be back.

My son, family and friends took me for afternoon tea while I was staying with them over Christmas. We were nine altogether, including four children, and the tea was excellent. It's a sprawling, old-fashioned family hotel, completely happy to be what it is, with no pretensions. Such a relaxing time, and the grandchildren would happily spend all day playing on the pirate ship!

The location is outstanding, but once inside it felt like the twilight zone. I drive past regularly to swim at the beach, and arrived early for check-in, so asked to use the spa shower to change before dinner. The so-called spa smelled of mould and damp. The changing room was filthy, and the only shower barely trickled. Its door was broken off, leaving anyone walking past the entrance able to see in. Luckily nobody else was there. The pool ceiling had an unbelievable amount of mould, with water dripping from that filthy roof into your eyes and mouth if you sat in the jacuzzi. There was yellow scum all around the pool. The whole area felt dirty and run down. Our bedroom was freezing, the radiator didn't work, and dog hair was everywhere, including the bed and bathroom. I asked reception to have it cleaned. Staff came up and cleaned the wrong room, then refused to clean ours. The woman at reception said she didn't really know how the place worked and that's why she was leaving, then walked off. No one changed the room, sheets or cleaned it while we were out. The noise from the dogs was unreal. There seemed to be a dog fight at dinner every ten minutes, so I was glad I hadn't brought my large rottweiler. Dogs howled at night, and the music was so loud our room felt like a nightclub. I didn't sleep at all. We complained but didn't get a refund. Utterly disappointing.