We stayed at the Devonshire Arms for one night on Sunday 5th February 2012 as a special treat for my birthday. When we arrived, we were greeted by the firendly reception staff and our case was taken to our room while we checked in. We had a Wharfdale Room which was tastefully decorated and had a fantastic view. In the afternoon, we made use of the spa facilitied which are very chic and the pool was just like getting into a warm bath. At six months pregnant, this was bliss! The hotel is cosy and and inviting and the bar area is lovely. The turn-down service is a great idea and part of what makes this hotel so special. We had the a-la-carte dinner in the Burlington restaurant which is magically transformed at night with candles and silver crockery. My husband doesn't like seafood and the gentleman who took our order was most accomodating and offered to change some of the dishes as required. Nothing was too much trouble and the service in the restaurant was friendly and efficient without being intrusive. This was our first Michelin star experience and we enjoyed every minute from the amuse bouche to the pre-dessert course. When the amuse bouche was brought out and it contained fish, the staff immediately removed it and brought my husband something else delicious to sample and with it came apologies from the chef (which there was no need for but was a nice touch). The food was exquisite, a real taste sensation and left us feeling totally satisfied and delighted by the experience. Breakfast was also delicious. It was a nice touch having this in the conservatory.
My husband and I have a rather large age gap and, in other places we have visited, the staff haved treated us differently because of this. Not so at the Devonshire Arms - professional to the end and we really appreciated this. Upon leaving, our case was taken to the car by I think the duty manager even though we said there was no need - he replied saying we were still on holday until we got in the car. This left me with a smile on my face! My only quibble is the 12.5% service charge on everything including the room. We left what we consider to be a decent service charge (which actually equated to almost the 12.5%) but I don't like being told how much to pay for service. I think if the hotel removed this they may find they got more. The service and experience were top class.
This break was a real treat for us, the Devonshire Arms is not somewhere we could go to on a regular basis but we will definitely be returning.

For us, our stay was made by the people that work here. The reception team, the restaurant team and the unseen housekeeping team all deserve great praise. If ever you needed anything someone would appear as if from nowhere, deal with whatever, then seem to disappear again. Brilliant! This brings me to the issue raised by others about the 12.5 % service charge added to the bill. I would happily have paid more than this and i hope the whole charge is distributed between the staff. I have to believe that the staff are well looked after as any one of them could surely walk into a job any where else. The rooms are not big, but for our 1 night stay this was not a problem. Though the poor wifi signal in our room was a bit of a letdown. The rooms fixtures and fittings were of good quality.The surrounding area is beautiful and there are plenty of good walks. The michelin star restaurant was excellent. Some reviewers have complained about being seated in the conservatory, but we thought it was fine. We sat for almost 2 1/2 hours having the multi course taster menu, and did not find the chairs uncomfortable. This pace of service is perfect for us especially with the quality of the food and the service team. The wines recommended by the sommelier were very good. The sommelier just asked what menu we had chosen, what wines we normally enjoy and then recommended wines which were reasonably priced. The breakfast was again very good, and whilst some reviewers have complained of the size of the breakfast it was easily enough for us given what we had eaten the previous night. All this food and drink left us unwilling/unable to try the pool/leisure complex (which is just accross the road), maybe next time.

We stayed at the Devonshire Arms Hotel for one night especially to enjoy the walks in its local area, the swimming pool and the Michelin star restaurant. Close to the hotel, the walks around Bolton Abbey and the river are fantastic and can be enjoyed at different levels from easy, moderate to hard. We ventured to the hotel's spa & pool area which is situated across the road, so best to take a track suit or a cosy jumper for the elements. However we were most annoyed when we got there to find that the pool was very full of children due to Wednesday afternoons being used for after school swimming lessons. So we retreated back to our Wharfedale bedroom which was very comfortable, warm and cosily decorated. The bathroom was small but thankfully we are both fit and slim enough to cope with its design. We selected to experience the Michelin star Burlington restaurant, but overall felt it was not up to expectations. Although there was abundant & attentive staff many looked tired, were very mechanical and had no sense of humour. We were placed in the conservatory which had uncomfortable wicker style chairs with a cushion placed behind our backs to give some kind support. The tables were too closer together and we had to spend the entire meal unavoidably listening to the two gentleman next to us who were deep in business conversation. Neither relaxing nor romantic. The meal itself was an incredible tasting and artistic experience and reflected the wonderful talents of the chefs. With such Michelin star meals we now comprehend how it may have been possible to distribute the 5 loaves and 2 fishes amongst so many people in the biblical story. Anyone with hearty appetites will prefer a meal in the hotel's brasserie. We were placed in the same Burlington conservatory room for breakfast and amusingly the full 'Yorkshire' breakfast, which was extremely tasty, had 'Lancashire' Bury black pudding! Bewarned that a voluntary service charge is added to the bill which is something we have never experienced in a hotel before, but it does seem to have an excessively large number of staff. The hotel is well worth a visit because of its beautiful situation and our best advice is to take one of its special offer promotions.

An ideal location for visiting the Yorkshire Dales both by car or walking. Furnishings generally very tasteful with no doubt the stamp of no less than the Duchess.
Rooms very comfortable and with new en suite facilities.
Our cold winter visit enhanced by well attended log fires. Very pleasant staff keen to help with even the smallest request. A lovely warm atmosphere in more ways than one. Dogs allowed naturally under certain conditions. I could have said it is a terrible place and have it all to myself! But that is just not true.