Bowl Inn

7 of us came in for breakfast, very rude service, gave us dirty looks like we werent meant to be there, was sarcastic and was scowling at us the whole time. Ended up ordering one drink for the group and we asked if we could pay for the drinks and the bar staff said “thats kind of the point” Not really a very warm welcome like the sign says.

Already posted a review for this hotel, but feel I need to respond to the manager, who I feel by her response to my original review, accused me of being a liar. I stayed here on Saturday 7th September with my partner John Bowes. I’m not going to reiterate the problems we had. Needless to say, I just didn’t feel at £337 for one night, okay including evening meals and drinks that this was value for money!!!

Pretty country pub in a little village. We opted for a signature plus room and stayed for 2 nights. Not the warmest welcome on arrival from the young gentleman who I felt gave no eye contact and was a little aloof but he did improve throughout our stay and was quite pleasant by the end. The room was as expected from a country pub, with a stone wall and low beamed ceiling. King size bed very comfy. Felt the big dusty artificial plant could’ve been replaced with another chair so we didn’t have to always sit on the bed. Slight lack of attention to detail with curtain rings missing and it was a bit dusty. Our room was at the front and we stayed mid week so it was relatively quiet but I can imagine on a weekend it could be quite noisy from the outside tables just under the window. Parking was free as long as you registered your car details on a small tablet inside the bar. The bathroom was adequate. The shower cubicle was a standard square size but felt restricted as folding door kept popping open limiting space even more. Toiletries were provided but had not been refilled so were half empty. Lovely big fluffy bath towels. Breakfast was very good with a varied choice and quick service.

Lovely country pub with warm and cosy atmosphere. Bedroom was comfortable and had all the usual amenities. However, the ensuite shower room was a bit small and cramped. The bar menu had lots of options and the food was tasty. Staff were friendly and welcoming.

This pub with rooms is falling well short of what it could achieve if it was better run. It seems to me like Butcombe Brewery originally made a substantial investment in this property because the fabrics, colours, and room furnishings are nice and of good quality, but since then everything has been poorly maintained. Here’s a brief list of issues: paint in corridors badly scuffed and chipped; no teaspoons in our room so had to ask for some; missing curtain hooks; flickering lights; incredibly noisy radiator in the bathroom due to a badly adjusted lockshield valve - thankfully I was able to improvise a spanner with my back door key so I could switch it off; faulty thermostatic radiator valves so you couldn’t set anything except max temperature. The single, accessible room is only really acceptable for wheelchair users and shouldn’t be generally offered because it really is not suitable for several reasons. The food in the evening was OK but at breakfast I had a hair under my scrambled egg on toast, and my daughter had a hair in her tea. Service was pretty average and I felt we overpaid for our one night stay. Butcombe should change the management because it could be a lovely place, but sadly it isn’t. Shame really.

This was my fourth stay in the last four months and by far the worst. Checked in on Monday 23rd July. I was booked in for a two night stay. I was shown to my room which was on the booking described as Snug and Accessible. Snug was an understatement. As I am 6 foot 2 tall the single bed was that short that my feet hung over the end. As for the bathroom this was designed for wheelchair access and half of it had a drop ceiling which I had to duck down to enter. To be able to use the sink for a shave I had to knell down on one knee. I noticed the carpet by the entrance to the bathroom was wet this was due to the shower drain away was not up to the job so the floor area flooded and went up to the door and soaked in to the main room carpet. I went to the bar which doubles up as the reception and asked if it was possible to change to a more suitable room and I said I was prepared to pay extra if need be. The guy behind the bar who I assume was a manager said to me “there’s nothing he can do as I have already paid for that room” I was totally shocked by his response. That evening I had a table booked in the bar restaurant. I ordered the flat Steak which the waitress told me I had to have it medium rare, which was fine as that is how I like my steak done. I also had peppercorn sauce at an extra charge. When the steak turned up it was burnt around the edges and definitely not medium rare. I would say well done. As for the peppercorn sauce that was as runny as tap water. The next night I went out elsewhere for my evening meal. It’s a real shame as previous stays have been good, hence why I returned. But after this stay I will definitely not return here. Shame on you and shame on your customer service.