I have stayed at the crown a number of times when working nearby. In the past I have found the staff overworked but helpful.

There is a huge variability in reviews for this hotel and I think it depends where they put you. . On most occasions I have stayed at a house (Claire House) they own about a mile away. The rooms are big and they will also take you to and from this location to the main hotel for free. However it is really like being in a B&B with a drive for breakfast! Unfortunately on this occassion the room was freezing as the cleaners had turned the heating off during the day. Once turned on the room slowly warmed up and was warm by the morning but certainly not on the first evening.

On the second evening the heating would not come on and I moved out. Barry,the hotel owner, moved me into the main hotel annex that was warm and comfortable. He told me later that the boiler had run out of oil but at no point apologised for my inconvenience. A simple apology is worth a lot.

Later I had salmon for tea that is advertised with warm salad. I asked if this came with any veg and was told 'no' so ordered a side of chips. It came with a bowl of veg and new potatoes and my chips! Again the waitress noted that i should have been told this, but did not apologise or offer any way of putting things right.

This is typical of the disorganisation at the crown and why I will find it difficult to stay here again.

Later in the evening I did tackle the owner, Barry, about the problems I had suffered and he did agree to remove the charge for the chips. I told him that an apology would have been nice and he said that of course he was sorry. I said that if he had actually vocalised this that would have made all the difference....

Also on the first night two other guests came to the bar when I was checking in to report that their rooms had not been made up for them and still had unmade beds from the previous guests...not good. The bar was also, as is often the case, full of VERY drunk locals at 7pm who as other reviewers have commented are very loud and obnoxious. I'm really not sure why the hotel puts up with their behaviour - presumably because they spend a lot...

Don't get me wrong the location is lovely. The pub is an oldy worldy gem. It's just that the service is disorganised and the staff lacking common curtesy. If you stay in the right room on the right night when the obnoxious locals are not in the bar it will be fine (as on my first couple of stays). If however you are unlucky it will be awful! I am not sure I can take the risk again and have now found somewhere else to stay in future.

Stayed in one of the family rooms on new years day. The price is very good although I would say the accommodation is a little dated. However room was large and clean. The food was excellent . I would of given this hotel 5 stars if the owner hadn`t referred to my car as an old bagger!

Stayed just one night in a single room which was fairly basic but was good value for money. The evening meal was superb. I would definitely stay again hopefully for longer.

Stayed here with 2 other couples, and we all had a great time, each of us had very different rooms, myself and my partner were in Room C, loads of space and a lovely shower room in the eaves of the building. The ONLY bad thing about the room was that the only way I could have a cup of tea in the morning was by putting the kettle on the floor becuase it was the only way to reach a plug!!
The food was fantastic, and in a lovely dining room away from the main bar, very quaint but the food was excellent. The service was a little slow, but there were 3 other large tables in at the same time as us, so could be expected. All in all a great place and we will be back next year!