Greywalls Hotel & Chez Roux

Was a bit apprehensive when we arrived and saw the inside of the hotel. It appeared very dated and old fashioned but when we started reading the books dotted about the hotel and read the history it’s so interesting. The staff are a hive of information when you ask them any questions about the hotel. You start to understand why they have preserved so much. From the amazing books in the library, the old fashioned record player and records, the piano, amazing photos and drawings all around the hotel. It’s such an interesting hotel. You could spend hours looking at all the history on display. It was so relaxing chilling in the library with a nice glass of wine with the open fire crackling away and reading the book about the history of the Greywalls hotel. The staff were so informative and couldn’t do enough for you. Thank you for making our stay so enjoyable. Room was dated but the bed was so comfy, shower over the bath was good and the room (16) was immaculate and really warm. One thing that was missing for such a high class and expensive establishment was tea and coffee facilities in the room. Unfortunately there wasn’t any in the room.

My mother and I had a memorable Christmas lunch at Greywalls. The atmosphere was welcoming and festive with fires burning and lovely piano tunes wafting from the lounge. The meal was delicious. We took some turkey home with us as the helpings were very generous, but I am not complaining. Turkey sandwiches on Boxing Day were an extra treat. Everyone was friendly and helpful and we enjoyed ourselves thoroughly.

We have just had a wonderful stay at this gorgeous hotel for Christmas. Our stay here felt like a home from home, very quiet and relaxing, very clean and attention to detail is excellent. It is a very comfortable hotel with cosy areas to relax in. The room was spacious, we booked a premium double and the bathroom was also large with Victorian style fittings and a lovely roll top bath. Everything ran smoothly and all the staff including the manager Ian were so polite and friendly, nothing was too much trouble. I can’t not mention the food which was absolutely exquisite and everything we had imagined it to be. We felt like welcome visitors rather than hotel guests. Thank you to all the staff who worked so hard over Christmas, it was truly appreciated! I’m sure we will return.

Room tired, ripped curtains, very cold, no hot water, not particularly clean room. Dinner excellent with attentive staff however breakfast poor with different staff who obviously didn’t want to be there. This hotel needs a makeover and staff training. It was not a cheap visit but was certainly not worth the money. Could not recommend.

We've always enjoyed a Sunday lunch at Greywalls but on Sunday 23rd June we had such a new experience of the place. There was a significant change in the staff and experience of the staff. A real lack of the usual finesse and charm. There were servers dressed in suits instead of smart service attire, a real change in atmosphere and service. Although all polite and trying to do the right thing, the welcome, table service and plate service seemed clumsy and unpolished. We were asked by three different members of staff for our drinks order which had been taken by the first member of staff already. There was water spilt on the table by the server when issuing water, but we had to ask to have something to mop it up with so the water did not spill onto the guest each time they drank from the wet glass. There was the poor quality "food auction" by the server when the food arrived to the table of the four of us in the otherwise empty dining room. "Who's having this, who's having that." Not what we ever had before at Greywalls. We would have welcomed a pre-lunch drink but on arrival we were whisked into the dining room. There was no offer of bread or other things that would've added to our lunch and also added to the income for Greywalls. There were also language barriers and misunderstandings when placing the orders. In short, it was a team of servers who really need some training and help with how to interact, manage and create an experience for customers. A complete lack of any finesse. We had coffee outside in the garden afterwards, beautiful gardens, lovely setting as ever but again, things were missed by the polite girl who served us. There wasn't enough milk, no biscuit or shortbread and again, a lack of training, ability to notice things that need attention and finesse. I had a main portion of mussels for my lunch, very fresh and pleasant but nothing special at all, could've and would've been much tastier with a sauce of something you'd want to dip your bread in! Sunday Roast was pretty average too and really lacked in flavour or anything memorable. I wonder if there are staffing issues as we saw no management anywhere. We met friends who were attending for after-noon tea, they expressed the same experience and that they felt the service was simply not there and it all lacked the usual charm and elegance it once had. Hopefully just a bad day or have things changed so significantly? Maybe worth one more try and then sadly, not worth the drive.