The Bird in Hand

We spent a long weekend at Bird in Hand as our base for my son’s wedding, and it was perfect. From the moment we arrived, we received a warm welcome that set the tone for the entire stay. The hotel was comfortable, impeccably clean, and the rooms and bathrooms were excellent, with great hot water and shower pressure. Breakfast was fantastic — a great start to the day with plenty of choice. The restaurant made every meal a delight, with high-quality food, attentive staff, and a relaxed, welcoming atmosphere. With such a seamless combination, it truly felt like entertaining at home without any of the work. Everything ran smoothly, our guests were happy, and we couldn’t have asked for a better stay

I stayed at this hotel for 4 nights because of a work trip, and unfortunately cannot recommend it at all. •The door of my ground floor room opened straight into the beer garden, with garden tables being just a few metres away from my front door. This meant that I could clearly hear all the noise (singing, loud music, loud conversations) while in my room, and people also kept accidentally hitting my door. Not too bad or late as I stayed here from Sunday to Thursday, but I would imagine on warm Friday or Saturday nights you wouldn’t be able to get much sleep due to the noise. •One of the pillows was absolutely filthy and stained and so was the duvet. •The fridge was very noisy and right next to the bed, so it kept me awake all night. I was tempted to unplug it but then wouldn’t have been able to have milk with my cup of tea in the morning, as there were no long-life milk sachets, just fresh milk in the fridge. •The lighting is very dim – there was no ceiling light, just two dim bedside lights and a dim desk lamp. So it was impossible to work or study in the room as it was so dark. •Despite there being three good size mirrors, it was impossible to do my make-up as there wasn’t sufficient lighting anywhere, including the bathroom. •The bed was really uncomfortable and I could feel the springs. After four nights, my back was killing me. •Only one free power socket in the room, and it was nowhere near the desk, so it wasn’t possible to use my laptop while plugged in, and it wasn’t possible to use more than one device at a time. •The obscured bathroom window wasn’t quite obscured enough for my liking and I felt quite uncomfortable using the shower / toilet. A net curtain or blinds would be good. •You have to push / pull the front door quite hard to lock it and it is not obvious whether it has been locked, and could easily be left unlocked accidentally. •Large gaps around and below the door, which meant cigarette smoke from the beer garden just outside my room got into my bedroom. •One morning, around 6.30am, some contractors turned up to empty the septic tank, which was rather noisy and smelly. I was already about to leave for work so it didn’t bother me too much, but it is probably not the nicest way to be woken up when on holiday. •No food shops nearby – the garage shop next door has a very minimal selection and no fresh fruit etc. Driving to the nearest supermarket was a one-hour round trip during the rush hour. •Bathroom a bit run down and the shower curtain could do with a wash, or being replaced.

Great place to stay Second visit, great room, clean, good coffee in the room, parking on site. My only gripe on this visit is the mattress was awful, I could feel the springs through the mattress.