Although our arrival was unexpected the young and eager staff were keen to ensure we settled in to our no frills, clean and warm room with what felt like a warm welcome and sincere willingness to serve.

Our two night stay was made to feel all the more special with delightful service from the proprietress at breakfast, coupled with a varied and hearty breakfast assortment.

As for evening dining, The RF punches well above it's weight with a splendid selection of very well cooked dishes perfectly befitting a country inn. Furthermore there is a wine-list of very well established labels, exquisite choice and of tremendous value for money.

All in all you'd be foolish to miss out by using a budget Premier Inn and more so by paying more at an alleged up market hotel.

After reading that this place had received bad reviews I felt compelled to write something to say that this simply isn't the experience that we had at all!

We stayed in the Royal Forester in October of 2011 for the weekend. We wanted to have a meal there on the night we arrived and had every intention of going off to explore the region and find some nice restaurants in the local area for the remainder of the weekend. However after the first night we just wanted to come back and eat there again and didn't bother going to find anywhere else. The food was first class, as was the restaurant itself, for both dinner and breakfast. There were wonderful staff who were always on hand to help with anything you needed. The accommodation was also fabulous, with our room (aubergine) comfortable and spacious, clean and welcoming.

I would recommend anyone to stay here and was so fabulous that we booked my parents in to celebrate their wedding anniversary.

This place is a great find, well done to them!

We live near the royal foresters but have stayed in 3 of there rooms and the are all excellent. The service is 2nd to none. All staff are helpful and always have smiles on there face. If you EVER had a problem they would make sure they go out of there way to fix it.
The food is lush, always made fresh and they cater for every need.

We stayed with friends at the Royal Forrester for 2 nights for a wedding held nearby. Plus points:
The proprietor let us check in early as we needed to be elsewhere in a hurry
The staff were friendly and pleasant
The room (aubergine) was a good size and warm
The bed was comfortable and bedding clean and reasonable quality
The breakfast was tasty, good quality products and cooked well

On the downside (see photos)
The bed was low and if a guest has a mobility problem (and I have) it may be an issue.
The hanging rail had a fridge underneath sitting on top of the drawers. When it was removed as we needed the full hanging length of rail, there was dust which had been there for a while. (our friends in the room opp. didn't have a fridge).
The tv had wires hanging behind on an extension lead and a 'box' balanced on top of tv .
Peddle bin tatty and not emptied from our first day
Bathroom window blind had fallen down. The owner put it back in place after we arrived, but it didn't work.
Chips and holes in cheap flatpack furniture.
Vases with retailers stickers still on outside and dust inside
Frayed carpet in doorway to bathroom and corner
Cups used first day were not washed for second day
Hand towel rail was a hook under the sink
No toothbrush holder/soap holder. There was a dispenser with liquid soap which we didn't use - ingredients of soap not known'
We expected quality bathroom products for the room rate - a supermarket size bottle of shampoo was provided and not used
Towels were not changed, nor fresh towels offered, neither was a sign asking guests to re-use towels to save the environment.
Untidy and unattractive area a bottom of stairs used to store coats, toys, shoes, crash helmet.
Firedoor in corridor leading to bedrooms stopped open.
Service at breakfast slow after ordering, especially on New Years Day - proprietor was cleaner and cook.
You might ask why didn't we complain at the time of booking in when we saw our room? We didn't because we were in a hurry to go elsewhere and we didn't want to spoil the day - after all it was a wedding party, and all the rooms were booked with other wedding guests.
When we checked out the issues were politely raised with the manager and we queried the rate of £99 per night as we just didn't think the quality of the room matched the rate. We setttled the bill, paying less than the rate. In the hotels defense the manager did say he welcomed feedback on our stay and was polite thoughout our discussion.
We are not aware how much the other guests finally paid for their rooms but we've all agreed the hotel was aiming for a boutique hotel look which has failed and the room rate charged cannot be justifed, just because it was the 30 & 31 December ie New Years Eve. Afterall it's just a pub with rooms upstairs and doesn't even have a separate lounge/breakfast room for guests.
This is the second review I have written for the Royal Foresters. I deleted the first after much deliberation and sanctioned by Trip Advisor. I decided that other Trip Advisors should see our photos and read an honest report. After all that's the purpose of Tripadvisor, to find the best value hotel for your price and needs.
My aim is to give constructive critism that would be acted on by the proprietor, who could then justify the room rate.