We had visited the Rose & Crown last year for a meal when attending an event at the Castle, so decided to stay over when we were next down. The staff were attentive without being 'in your face' and breakfast service was particularly pleasant. The location was superb - right in the heart of the town with parking nearby.
Now, onto the improvement opportunities. The room we had was in need of some TLC. Being an older building does mean that there are certain quirky things, such sloping floors, that you are expecting. However, our room had a hole in the wallpaper (and wall) on the chimney breast that looked like it had been there for some time. Also, when we moved the portable radiator we discovered that one of the wheels had fallen off and a small vase was being used to keep it all steady. The milk in the room was out of date (only by a month so this could be forgiven a little). When we mentioned this to the staff it was not replaced on day two (though we did get a small jug of milk when we spoke to the staff that night) but was on day three.....with more out of date milk! The bed was quite uncomfortable, but I realise that matressess are a personal thing and it may have suited some people. Also, the room was sorely lacking in plug points - just where were you supposed to plug the kettle in safely?!?!? Finally, again we knew that we would be above a pub and that there would be some noise from downstairs, which we were fine with. However, being woken up at 6.30am with music on a couple of mornings was not appreciated....in fairness I cannot say whether this was music from downstairs, the kitchen or one of the other B&B guests - either way it meant for a rude awakening.
Would we stay again?...no, it lacked the comfort & basics you would expect. The location and friendly staff did not make up for this. If a little money and time were spent on the upkeep of the rooms then this would address this I'm sure. (We stayed in Room 3 in case our room was the only one that needed TLC).
- Rose And Crown Warwick
