Bearslake Inn

We stopped here on our coast to coast cycle route because it’s near the Granite way (although it’s a steep ride down). The house is beautiful with its traditional thatched roofs and oak beams. The staff were very inviting and friendly so we had a drink at the bar whilst we waited to be shown to our room (not complementary I add). The room was lovely and it was nice to have a small bath after our long cycle. We also ate in the restaurant and food was equally good. There are a few reasons I didn’t give 5 stars: -the biggest downside was the WiFi. No normal reception so you rely on it. The WiFi only worked in certain part of th building (if I stood by our room door and downstairs in the bar) but this is fixable using better routers and more of them despite thick walls. -before arrival I felt slightly pressured to book a table when I had no idea what time we would get there. I understand you like to plan but this is supposed to be a relaxing holiday. Keeping a table for your guests might be good. -the pillows were a bit hard but that might be just me -extra charge £5 for charging our e-bikes but we then had to get the key each time to swap batteries and we could not have checked out before 8am as that’s when reception is open. - the cost was quite high at £190 for somewhere in the middle of nowhere although we did book a triple room as no other was left All in all it was a very nice place but it seemed a little too focussed on making top bucks. The staff are all amazing however so they did a fab job in making us feel welcome and I would stay here again if I could get a lower priced room.

We had lunch from the a la carte menu - the food was outstanding and the service very good. All the food was absolutely delicious - our mains were rump steak, cooked rare and to perfection, steak burgers with fries and the wild mushroom ravioli, plus interesting and scrumptious side orders. Fabulous desserts and decent coffee to finish.

Booked The Bearslake for Sunday lunch before we came away. Lovely Inn. Sunday lunch was fabulous. My husband had the trio and I had the pork. The flavours were great, gravy was tasty and the portion size was enough. My husband ordered the Sticky Toffee pudding and this was a really generous portion. He just about manged to eat it. Wines were good. Staff lovely and attentive without being over fussy. Would highly recommend.

See associated google review for general overview. We stayed here for one night and booked 4 rooms at a total cost of almost £800. No toiletries were provided in any of the rooms so I raised this with the manager on our way out for the evening. When we returned, toiletries had only be placed in my room and not the others. The refreshments had not been fully replenished in my Mum's room (a bottle of water was open and half finished). My youngest daughter could not sleep in our room because it was populated by so many spiders and cobwebs; she had to sleep on the floor of my Mums rooms. I raised this with the Manager on our way out for the evening and he assured me he would deal with it. I had to remove another 8 spiders just from the alcove where my other daughter's bed was when we returned. I appreciate this is an old historic building, but that many spiders can only take residence if the space hasn't been cleaned for at least several days. Certainly not just before new customers. The caulking in our bathroom had mould on it and the shower controls came off in my hand and I couldn't control the temperature of the shower. The toilet sounded like it was dying when flushed. My sister also has a bad experience in her room. The bed was so damp she had to sleep in it fully clothed. Her room smelt of mould and her curtains were mouldy. We raised all these issues calmly and politely with the owner the following morning. As expected (from reading negative google reviews) she was defensive and combative, and although saying sorry was clearly unapologetic. She repeatedly referred to their many positive reviews and the historic nature of the building, but did nothing to make us feel better about our experience. She questioned our account of the rooms, and when we invited her to go and inspect them together right then, she refused. When we left in disgust the owner locked the door behind us and left my kids and their grandma in the car park in the rain with their luggage (while I went to pick up my car). Overall, the building is tired and poorly maintained, the rooms we stayed in were dirty, mouldy and a health risk, and the owner has very little customer service skills and should probably not be front of house. Clearly many customers have a positive experience, but I suspect in low season in particular, experience is not consistent, and when it falls short, feedback is not received and acted on appropriately. Will not be returning!

First the positives. We booked a two night stay as we were visiting friends in the area. This is a lovely old building and our room, Cider, was large, had a comfortable bed and was spotlessly clean. We ate in the restaurant on the first night and have no complaints about the food there or the breakfast hampers we had on both days. But…. We would not stay again because of the lack of warmth in both the building and two of the staff, who I believe are the owners. It was very unseasonable weather and our room was really cold. The radiator was on the off position so I am not sure when there had last been heat in the room and it did not come on when we changed the setting. We queried this and were told that the heating was pre set and came on when the temperature dropped to a certain level. I don’t know what that temperature is but we were uncomfortable sitting in the room. Simon was polite and helpful and did get the heating on for a short time. The same could not be said about the other two people we spoke to, who were uncaring, unhelpful and verging on rude. When I again mentioned the lack of heat the reply was a shrug of the shoulders and the comment”It is summer”. True but it was not typical summer weather. No heat on the second night. Breakfast in the room was a cold affair and the public areas were no better. We and other customers had to keep our jackets on in the restaurant so we went one mile up the road to eat in another establishment on the second night. It is a shame that such a lovely hotel is being spoilt by unpleasant owners. Don’t they want repeat customers?

A lovely homely, traditional English pub, with low beams and is steeped in history. We stopped in for a drink only, however weren't made to feel overly welcome, as nearly all space was dedicated for diners. Be aware that the pub is card only and charges a 10% discretionary tax on ALL transactions, which we refused to pay upon our second drink. After being in the area for a few days, we would highly recommend The Castle Inn, Lydford. It ticks all the boxes.