The Devonshire Arms Hotel & Spa
Bolton Abbey, England
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About the Hotel
Surrounded by the breathtaking Yorkshire Dales in the north of England, The Devonshire Arms Hotel & Spa has been in the family of the Duke and Duchess of Devonshire since 1733. Situated on the familyâ€(TM)s Bolton Abbey Estate in the village of Skipton, it is a destination that honors the dignity of the past. Bedrooms are individually furnished with antiques and artwork, while the celebrated Burlington Restaurant boasts tables dressed in silver and fine china, and an enviable cellar of fine and rare wines.
Location
The Devonshire Arms Hotel & Spa
Bolton Abbe
Bolton Abbey, England
BD236AJ
Nearest Airport: LBA
Features and Amenities
- In-Room Amenities
- Bathrobes
Reviews for The Devonshire Arms Hotel & Spa
Pricey Former Glory
Let's start with the positives.Beautiful area for walking .Staff are excellent.Excellent table service breakfast. Now the negatives. We had two very small dogs with us so didn't expect too much luxury but the room we had was very cramped, the bathroom tiny, no better than and maybe no as good as a Travel Lodge. The restaurant is closed for an indeffinate period of time. We made do with the brasserie (cafe style layout) which has a limited menu. Biggest negative is the outrageous pricing. Just way out off the scale for what it is. We get the strong feeling that the hotel has had grander days but has been subject to a major cost cutting exercise while retaining the same pricing structure. Visit by all means the beautiful area but don't expect too much 5 star treatment at the hotel.
Excursion384512
Beautiful family meal
Amazing staff and service. The food was beautiful served well. There was an extensive menu which had plenty to choose from. Overall a lovely meal
Journey02146422926 - Wakefield, United Kingdom
Great time
Absolutely brilliant hotel, comfy bed and pillows, the bar did amazing cocktails. Great weather. Will come back .. thank you xxx
Tracie L - Halifax
Pleasant But Not Perfect:
The Devonshire Arms Hotel at Bolton Abbey is lovely, and we had a generally pleasant stay there over multiple nights while hiking in the area. The accommodations in the old section of the house were comfortable, and the hotel offers numerous cosy areas to sit and relax. The grounds and trails are superbly maintained. The hotel spa is excellent, and a visit to the sauna, steam room, and pool after a long day of hiking was a real treat. The staff, for the most part, were pleasant, accommodating, and responsive to our requests. Overall, we enjoyed our stay with a few caveats: While the beds were comfortable, the pillows were not. At this price range, I expect a choice of pillows, ideally of high quality and designed for maximum comfort. Most hotels in this category will provide feather/down pillows in a range of sizes, at least on request, if not as standard. However, we did not find feather or down pillows available anywhere in the hotel. The pillows provided seemed to be polyester fill, designed for firmness and loft rather than comfort. When we asked for alternatives, we received a slightly flatter option of the same type. The hotel offers two dining options: the Brasserie and the Garden Room. We ate at both. Our dinner at the Brasserie was very tasty and the service excellent. The atmosphere, however, was quite lively and leaned more toward a pub-like setting than the quieter dining experience one might expect at a luxury hotel. While we enjoyed the meal, it was not the most suitable venue for a relaxing or intimate dinner. We also had several meals (tea, dinner, and breakfast) in the Garden Room. Our experiences there were mixed. The Garden Room menu is limited and doesn’t seem especially well-suited for evening dining. Overall, we found the food at the Garden Room not quite on par with that of the Brasserie, which was surprising since the dishes presumably come from the same kitchen. On our first visit, we had been referred by the front staff for a slightly late tea around 4 p.m. We sat in an empty room for quite some time before the maître d’ arrived, looking at a schedule and remarking that he wasn’t aware of any dinner bookings at that time. Once we clarified that we were there for tea, he seemed a bit flustered, which left us feeling like we had inconvenienced the staff. While the menu listed a choice of teas, we were not asked for a preference and simply given a pot of tea. That said, the scones were delicious. Breakfast is also served in the Garden Room. Regardless of whether you order something light, like yogurt, or a full English breakfast, the flat price is £20 per person. This felt a little steep, particularly for guests who prefer a lighter start to the day. A sliding scale or alternative pricing could make breakfast feel more in line with the value provided. Lastly, we found the coffee throughout the hotel underwhelming in both quality and flavour. The pod coffee in the rooms was bitter and thin, with a taste reminiscent of chicory, which is sometimes blended into lower-quality coffees. The French press coffee at the Garden Room, while attractively served, lacked body and flavour, and did not seem to have been made with premium beans. While some of these points may sound minor on their own, they did affect important aspects of our stay—namely sleep and dining—which are central to the overall hotel experience. When paying luxury rates, expectations are higher, so shortfalls become more noticeable and can significantly detract from what might otherwise be a flawless visit. With just a few improvements, our stay at the Devonshire Arms could have been perfect instead of simply average. In summary: we enjoyed our time at the Devonshire Arms, though with room for improvement. While I am not sure we would personally return, I would still recommend it — just perhaps bring your favourite pillow and coffee, and consider dining elsewhere on occasion.
thecrustycurmudgeon - East Riding of Yorkshire, United Kingdom
Value for money - 0/10
Very very disappointing stay at the start of the month. We arrived to our room, with the door ajar and dust on every service. Rooms are extremely tired, there is mould around the bath, the pipes creak at 5am waking everyone up. Beds are rock hard. Both mornings the cutlery was dirty at breakfast, which got a bit boring. For £400 a night, it is simply not acceptable. As an apology they knocked off the £45 quid service charge on our bill…. Service for what exactly? Mental. I would never return. P.s. The wedding we attended off site was spectacular, so that made up for it. But we should have got an Airbnb down the road.
Barney D
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