Bovey Castle

A splendid building in a beautiful location, spoilt by a less-than-average lunch. Our family was celebrating a wedding anniversary. 5 out of 6 of us felt that the food was 'terrible', 'made me feel sick', 'below average'...I could go on. Basically, I think the food was prepared to such a degree that it felt as if you were eating leftovers - disguised with foul-tasting sauce. Sorry, but I was driven to write to you (and on behalf of my family).

We Loved Bovey castle … we shared a lodge for Easter with our adult children and there partners and our cocker spaniel , the hotel , the facilities and grounds are amazing combined with stunning views… we tried both restaurants, The food was perfect , both were very good and suggested dishes suitable our sons very rare food allergy we will definitely return … the lodge was perfect for us a family to spend time together , we were unable to rent the luxury lodge as they were full … the welcome basket was very nice and filled with good quality products, the lodge was quite clean but there a few areas that needed attention , windows were grubby and the kitchen window Had dog paw marks … a few marks on the walls which could have been removed , some of the kitchen utensils were grubby we are a very clean family and this may not be a problem to others ….otherwise it was well equipped and generally clean . we had a wonderful stay and would definitely return 😊.

Really disappointing stay, would not recommend or return. We booked this thinking it was going to be a luxury lodge stay - however, it was far from it. Our lodge was shoddy, grubby and in need of refurbishing and a deep clean. It was advertised as all 3 bedrooms having en suite’s - however one “en suite” had no shower, which is not convenient when 5 adults and 1 baby are sharing. The master bedroom’s en suite cold water tap was not working, meaning we couldn’t clean our teeth or wash our hands in there. The shower door in the master en suite also did not close properly, so the bathroom flooded each time you used it. The shower in the downstairs en suite also had black mould! We also ordered an Easter cake to be delivered to our lodge as an Easter treat - however this didn’t arrive until we chased twice, despite already paying £45! What was even more disappointing was the fact every time you asked staff for basic things (like ordering a drink at breakfast) you are met with attitude and resistance as if everything is too much effort. We ordered an iced coffee at breakfast and was told “I don’t know how long that will be, you might be waiting a while” but they served a hot latte minutes later without a fuss? I booked an 85 minute massage which was lovely - however, it was definitely not the full 85 minutes by the time they completed a consultation, talked me through the treatment, prepared the oils, talked through the recovery process etc. It was a glorified 60 minute massage. The swimming pool changing rooms were worse than my local leisure centre and also had no baby changing facilities. The pool was cold, dark and uninviting. The food at Smith’s was simply not acceptable. The pizza we ordered was quite literally a frozen pizza which had been heated up and cost £22! The staff in here were also abrupt and unaccommodating - we stated we had a baby/buggy when booking and yet we were met with resistance and difficulty when we placed the buggy at the end of our table. We also had extra items added to our bill, which we had not ordered and we were charged a 12% service charge each massage we had (4 in total) - despite paying for the massages in advance and not being advised of this! Overall a really bog standard stay which is a shame as the grounds/views are exceptional. They really let themselves down with poor service and facilities which are in need of upgrading.

We stayed for five nights in a lovely valley view suite . The room was spacious , clean and amazing views . Espresso coffee machine , daily bottled water and fruit and biscuits. Staff were attentive and polite , mention to Danielle on reception (super helpful ) and Scott in restaurant ( great humour ) . Main restaurant superb , brasserie a little less professional. Our daughter used the spa and was absolutely delighted with her treatment. Thank you to all at Bovey Castle . Tip Don’t miss the morning birds of prey display .

A group of us meet monthly for Sunday Lunch . Bovey Castle proved an excellent choice. It’s in the most beautiful surroundings. You feel a little privileged to be there somehow . The team are excellent and super friendly with a hello from everyone including the pianist on the Grand as you head to the dining room. Obviously a multi tasker can read music and say hi - thank you ! A round table a definite bonus for a larger group everyone is in the conversation. Their Sunday menu is great and offers I believe excellent value for money. Wine list extensive with some affordable corkers on there. All in all a great Sunday lunch option and on that basis I am sure excellent for other occasions. The only minus may seem trivial - no handbag hooks in the ladies lavatories - who wants to put their Hermes Birkin Bag on the floor- I wish !!