Saracen's Head Hotel

We had dinner at the Saracen's Head on Saturday while staying one night in Towcester. The food was tasty and reasonably priced, and the staff were friendly and attentive. Caitlin, Lisa and Dave made us feel very welcome. Later, a two-piece acoustic group started playing, and the atmosphere was great. We had a great night and will be back when we’re in the area.

All 41 of us got exactly what we’d ordered, and the meals came out in a well organised way as soon as we were seated. We were on a rugby tour, stopping halfway from Pontefract on the way to Bournemouth. Every meal had been booked ahead, with all the menu variations included. A perfect dining experience for a group that size. Thanks to all the staff for working so hard to get everything right and make us feel welcome.

We arrived for our Sunday booking at 16:15, after booking around 11am when there had been plenty of availability all afternoon. We ordered drinks at the bar and sat at our table. About ten minutes later, when the server came to take our order, we were told they only had one turkey left and no beef because they’d been very busy and sold out. That was really annoying, especially since all the tables still had Sunday menus out and the choices were mainly roasts. We left and found a local place that could manage its restaurant properly.

The breakfast was a highlight the next morning: fresh, cooked to order, and much better than the usual buffet. Staff were helpful throughout, and despite a few small problems, the event went well. I organised a board meeting for seven, 14 overnight room bookings and a private dinner for 19 for my employer. Email communication, especially with Kerry, made planning easy. Getting through by phone was difficult because calls went to the Greene King switchboard, which couldn’t reconnect me to the venue. Email was the most reliable option. Check-in went smoothly and staff offered to help with luggage, which I appreciated since there’s no lift. My room was clean and comfortable, but very warm when I arrived. Some colleagues found the smell of cleaning products in their rooms a bit overpowering. Noise travelled between rooms quite easily, probably because the building is old, and I would have found a bedside socket useful for charging my phone. The afternoon sandwiches and coffees were really nice. The meeting room worked well; reception staff quickly helped when we had trouble setting up the TV, and they didn’t hurry us out when the meeting ran over. Dinner in the private room was lovely, with plenty of choice. We had to chase a couple of dishes, and one dessert never arrived, but we still enjoyed the meal. The main disappointment was that the bar closed by 11pm even though we were staying at the venue. Our team rarely gets together, and we’d hoped to stay later, as we have at other hotels. Knowing about the early closure when booking would have helped, as we might have arranged overtime for the bar staff.