Visited Appleby for the day as we often do and called into this so called friendly hotel for refreshments. Wish we hadnt bothered !!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Firstly, the woman calling herself the owner and receptionist was most unhelpful we felt we were a burden. [Having a bad day is no excuse] The bar staff were hard to summon. The food was very simple,sandwiches,dont bother,crusts curling,ham mediocre
How-ever ,,,, not wanting to be picky,we called a few weeks later,and guess what ???????? more or less a repeat.Never again.

We stayed here with a voucher which we had bought from the internet. We were not sure what to expect from the hotel and thought that the servive we received may be below par as we were staying there on a voucher. However, I have to say that we really enjoyed our stay and would possibly come back to this hotel. Yes some of the decor could do with updating but the hotel prides itself on 'shabby chic' and I feel that it is carried off very well. The room was big with a very comfy kingsize bed. The bathroom was very modern and clean and the Molton Brown toileteries were a real treat.

We dined in the restaurant and were more than pleased with the quality of the food - it was very well cooked and freshly prepared. We both had the lamb and thought it was excellent - cooked to perfection.

We also had an afternoon snack and coffee in the lovely little cafe and wineshop nextdoor to the hotel.

The breakfast is also great, when numbers are lower they take orders for a Full English however on the saturday there was a buffet. This is a small hotel offering the basic Full English Breakfast along with a continential selection. Small touches such as the Tipree Essex jams and local cumberland sausages made the breakfast even better.

The bar has a wide choice of whiskies, spirits wines and draft beers. It has the feel of a traditional pub but is clean and always kept tidy.

The corridors and stairwell of the hotel are traditional with old paintings and maps. We felt that this really added to the feeling of the hotel being a Victorian Coaching Inn and definitely gave a sense of history to the hotel.

Where to start? There are of course the trival issues - tired decor, light bulbs that don't work and a complete absence of the standard biro in the room. Maybe this is to reduce the number of complaints? However, there are more fundamental flaws - complete lack of customer service. Is it too much to ask that the reception staff know which floor your room is on when you check in? Is it too much to ask that tea and coffee are supplied at breakfast? Is it too much to ask that when omissions are pointed out - such as we requeseted tea and coffee 10mins ago, that this is rectified politely as opposed to slamming the tea pot onto the table when it did arrive. It is not acceptable to provide 4 slices of toast between 4 adults. It is not acceptable to remove side plates and then ask if we would like more toast. The hotel also needs to realise that serving under cooked bacon and unripe tomatoes will not encourage repeat visits. Oh and don't expect to be able to park your car on a Friday evening, as the hotel car park is inadequate.

My wife was on a course near Penrith and we stayed as a couple for one night , then whilst she was accommodated at her course venue, I stayed on by myself for a couple of nights. Clearly a lot of investment is going into upgrading the rooms and there is probably still some way to go before the owners get it to where they want. At the time of our visit the corridors and room doors had clearly seen better times but inside the room everything was up to date with excellent furnishings and furniture, a very comforable super king bed and modern en suite. There was a generous tea and coffee making kit too. Both breakfasts and dinner were traditionally British and excellent. I knew of the hotel's fly- fishing reputation so I had taken my gear but it was a great and pleasant surprise to find the owner and his son, Nigel, as keen, knowledgeable and helpful as they undoubtedly are - seek them out !. Also they have converted one of the outbuildings into a real coffee bar , wine bar and wine merchants. The wines are top notch (some from Lay & wheeler I noted) and it was a reall dilemma to decide whether to go to the river for the "evening rise" or to sample another red....

All the people there are friendly and helpful so a very enjoyable stay. Thank you !