Lympstone Manor Hotel Restaurant & Vineyard - Relais & Chateaux

**** WARNING - THE HOTEL HAS TRIED TO GET THIS REVIEW REMOVED SEVERAL TIMES AS THEY CLAIM IT CONTAINS 'PRIVATE' INFORMATION. PLEASE BE ASSURED THAT THE CONTENTS OF THE REVIEW ARE GENUINE AND THE SUPPORTING INFORMATION IS PUBLICLY AVAILABLE **** My family of 4, stayed at Lympstone Manor for 5 nights in April 2025. We had one suite and 2 additional rooms for our teenagers. My total spend was nearly £14,000. The hotel is in a lovely setting and it is extremely quiet and private once you are inside the grounds. The booking process was very friendly and efficient, with the hotel even calling me the day before we arrived to check everything. The rooms were adequate but nothing particularly special. The plumbing in all 3 rooms we had was poor and to flush a toilet properly required several attempts which was really annoying. Housekeeping was generally quite poor. Staff knocked on our door before breakfast on the first morning to ask when they could service the suite. We explained that were about to go for breakfast and asked if they could come after then as we planned to go out for the day. To our surprise, when we returned from breakfast, they had already started to service the room which made it a bit awkward. On the following day, the room was serviced very quickly whilst we were at breakfast. We found that towels were not always replaced with new ones, despite leaving them on the floor. It didn't look like the room was vacuumed during our entire stay. Empty wine bottles, carafes and glasses were left in the room, even after housekeeping had been. The thing that really let the hotel down was the service. There is a nice lounge bar area but there was never anyone actually serving in it. Each time we wanted a drink, we had to go and find someone in reception. This was poor for a supposedly 5-star hotel that is serving champagne cocktails for £27 each. When I order two cocktails for £54, I expect good service and I also expect them to be served with nibbles but they were not. We occasionally saw some other guests being served their drinks with nuts but we never received them. On the first day I questioned whether the cocktails came with nibbles, the staff member who didn't speak very good English, fumbled around and eventually produced a bowel of crisps for which I appear to have been charged £3.50 on my final bill. There always seemed to be one or two members of staff loitering around behind the reception desk doing nothing but never anyone actively attempting to take drinks orders. Even ordering another round of drinks meant getting up to find someone. The only member of staff who was proactive in this regard was their apprentice Joe who was really impressive for his age. The hotel had surprisingly few guests when we were staying. One staff member claimed the hotel was 'half full' but I would be surprised if that was even the case. Dinner in the pool house was comical. There was just one front of house member of staff tasked with doing pre

Had afternoon tea here. For a hotel of such standing and what they charge, we expected something outstanding and a little more special. It was disappointing. The finger sandwiches were starting to dry around the edges, and not very generous with the fillings. The cakes were very "samey". Mousse fillings very sweet. A portion of fruit cake or plain Madeira cake would have been nice. Scones were good. Jam - was just red sugary goo.. Wasn't sure whether it was jam. A good choice of teas was available or coffee if you preferred. The decor is starting to look tired, especially the wall light shades.. frilly knickers comes to mind.. The surcharge, which they have the cheek to add to your bill, is definitely not worth it..

We visited Lymstone for the special offer lunch. The food was amazing and beautifully presented. It was a pleasure to enjoy not only the food but the elegant dining room and the service and professionalism of the staff. This is the 4th time we have enjoyed lunch here and it will not be the last!