grand architecture - the hallway, and staircase are magnificent. the principal rooms are huge and some of the views from them are beautiful. the bathroom arrangements in some of the rooms are decidedly eccentric but quite fun. the place obviously costs a lot to run and the owner has to achieve a balancing act to make ends meet. result - not all the decor and furnishing is exactly how he would like them, but that is reflected in the rates. the staff are extremely pleasant. the breakfast was adequate and the evening meal very good. we had the rib-eye steak and it was tender and tasty. in my view the only thing that let the place down was the bar which was basic. not all that much to do locally apart from excellent walking. there are canadian canoes for hire nearby. paddled downstream to hay on wye stopping off midway for a pint - highly recommend it. the griffin inn a few miles away is very pleasant with excellent food. all in all an excellent weekend.

Arriving late on the friday evening we were very warmly welcomed and shown to our room. We opted for the dormitory, due to price (only £20 pppn which included a full english breakfast). The room was small and could have done with a good clean and lick of paint, but it was no worse than a YH. The one issue we had was the radiators didn't work, no matter how much we tried to get some warmth out of them it wasnt happening! We met our friends in the bar, which was nothing to shout about, but not horrific! We got a very good nights sleep and had a pretty good fried breakfast, though I could have eaten more! We then spent Saturday kayaking. On our return to the Hall we were once again very warmly received. We went straight to bed with some concern about the disco which was heating up literally beneath the dorm area. My partner slept very well, but was wearing ear plugs AND ear defenders! I slept on and off until the party concluded about 1am. The music was at differing levels and there were people running around outside shouting and screaming (Apparently they hold a disco every Sat night). Again the breakfast was good, this time we were served our coffee at the table, we figured they probably thought we weren't 'dorm' visitors since we were no longer in a big group!

In all I would recommend this Hotel provided you don't stay on a saturday night! The people are friendly and the food was good. It's in a beautiful location and the grounds are stunning.....for a group of you staying in dorms it's basic accomodation. They DO have superior rooms, but we didn't see those.

Staff very friendly and the owner was very welcoming and laid back. Nothing was too much trouble. Rooms were spotless but yes, they are dated but think adds to it's charm and quirkiness. Had a wonderful stay in the budget rooms and can't wait to go again. Even went to the disco where we were the oldest swingers in town!! Breakfast was excellent and the bar competitively priced

Stayed in 4 bed dorm room - old fashioned and TV only had 1 channel. Not very clean. Whole hotel run down but staff very friendly, nice grounds, live music in Wed nights. Good range of meals, very nice. Breakfast basic.