We were lucky enough to stay at Gravetye during the Christmas holidays. Having been in the past we went with a bit of trepidation as it was our first visit since the renovation. What a great job has been done - all the old charm is still there, but with a little bit of a modern twist.

We invited 2 friends to join us for dinner at Gravetye Manor as a surprise. I was slightly apprehensive as I had not visited this hotel before and I normally like to visit an establishment prior to inviting people...just in case. I had read a number of reviews about Gravetye and its previous history of ownership and felt prepared for a hotel going through change.
On the evening we visited, it was snowing so the drive through the country lanes around the Gravetye estate was very beautiful and added to the anticipation of seeing the Manor House. When we turned towards the hotel we were greeted by a set of very impressive electric gates that opened into a low level lit drive way taking you up to the hotel. The hotel looked impressive.
We were greeted by very friendly staff and were shown into one of the lounges with a very large roaring fire for pre-dinner drinks and canape. Dinner was excellent. I admit to being someone who enjoys 'hearty' cooking and I'm not really one for Michelin styled food but I really enjoyed the whole dining experience and the quality and taste of the food. The room had a good atmosphere with the majority of tables busy with other guests. There was also a private party in a separate room which added to overall atmosphere of the hotel. We finished the evening off with coffee and truffles in the lounge.
All in all a very enjoyable evening and I look forward to visiting Gravetye Manor in the warmer months to enjoy the beautiful gardens.

We had an a la carte lunch on a Saturday and it was busy and noisy. The service was excellent as far as friendliness and 'availability' of staff were concerned, but the side dishes arrived a good five minutes after the mains, one of which was fresh and tasty, the other a little underdone and tough. Presentation excellent, and the complimentary tasters delicious, but be prepared to pay well above the average for the food and the beautiful country setting.

Stayed here for Xmas (at least that is what we planned). Booked 'Holly' which is one of their Exclusive Deluxe rooms that had been refurbished. By they way, despite being on the 1st floor of the hotel it has the ladies toilets next to it, so in the short time we stayed we heard lots of chattering as ladies visited (no, we were not made aware of this when we booked!). On arriving on Xmas Eve we were met by a gum chewing porter (?) who asked if we wanted some help with the luggage - somewhat of an odd question at a hotel. Speedily shown to our room which was spacious with traditional country house decor but an odd smell. Advised that as we were on the 'package' we could have mince pies / mulled wine in the lounge. Off we went and
eventually in a room of 8 people (which included us being the only ones without refreshments) and with some hand waving by us, the waiter worked out who to give the drinks to. Back to the
room for a spot of relaxation before our xmas eve dinner only to be met with a terrible smell of
sewage. Call to reception who promise a plumber and also immediately bring a scented
candle that they take straight into the bathroom. If I was suspicious I might at this point be
thinking they already knew they had a problem in this room rather than they just decided that
was where the smell was coming from. When we first smelt it, our immediate thought was to
check out those public toilets next door..... After about an hour a plumber was delivered to our
room and left with us. Somewhat surprising as I would have expected the hotel to have left
someone in attendance. Plumber was a nice chap who apparently used to do the plumbing
prior to the hotel having been 'revamped' by Relais and Chateau. Some 45 mins later he had
unblocked something but was dubious as to whether this had resolved the issue so left a
bucket to cover the shower drain to try and curb the smell. After he left we were expecting
someone from the hotel to come and check or call us - but nothing. Went for drinks / dinner
and staff did their best to avoid making eye contact by which point we realized they were going
to play 'let's pretend there isn't an issue'. Went into dinner and the food was below average.
Big issue made of the pheasant being pink and would that be ok - it arrived and was cooked to
greyness. Steak was undercooked and yet very tough. The food throughout was tepid (some
we sent back because it was stone cold). My husband (as did other diners) complained about
the pheasant and was given a complimentary drink which, whilst a nice gesture, is not the
point. Whoever is in this kitchen needs to stop trying to get a Michelin star (you are so far from
it anyway) and concentrate on getting the basics right first. So after a very disappointing meal
back to the room. Pong was just as a bad so we called reception and insisted they come, we
asked who the manager was and were told it was a blonde lady (she had in fact taken out
dinner order) but she had now left. So to bed in a stinky room on Xmas Eve - not nice but on a positive note the bed was very comfy. Next morning and breakfast, undercooked poached eggs with cold hollandaise (yuck). Feeling somewhat cross my husband demanded to see the manager - the hotel was still keeping up the charade of 'there is no issue'. The manager arrived and confirmed she knew about our problem the the previous night and had found an alternative hotel for us to move to. We checked their website but they had a black tie event which ruled it out unless we drove back to London to collect ours. Credit where credit is due, she tried really hard and was more than
helpful in suggesting solutions and being accommodating but by then it was all too late. Quite frankly no-one wants to be spending their Xmas day moving hotels. We had had more than enough and decided that after Xmas lunch (we had guests joining us) we would check out. True to form and disappointingly, Xmas lunch was tepid. We waved our guests off, packed our bags and left. Such a shame!






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