The Devonshire Arms Hotel at Bolton Abbey

The staff was amazing as were the grounds and amenities. We had a lovely stay and hope to return.

From the moment we walked through the door we were made to feel like an imposition rather than guests at this hotel. Everything was just a bit hard and instead of having a luxury break we came away underwhelmed by the whole experience. The deluxe room that we booked was small and dated, the old built in furniture had been painted to give it a bit of life but the paint was all scratched and just looked uncared for. The room has since been rebranded as comfort which is a more fitting description. We had two meals, the tasting menu on the Saturday night in the garden room and a Sunday night meal in the brasserie. The tasting menu was lovely the pairing wine was a nice addition and overall we had a lovely evening. The conservatory is a nice setting and I would have been disappointed if we had been given a table in the middle area as it’s dark and lacks atmosphere. The experience in the brasserie was poor on the Sunday night. The kitchen closed at 7.30 so we were left having rushed our meal. Overall, it’s just too pretentious and therefore makes the experience just a bit too hard. There are lots of hotels that balance this well and guest leave feeling like they have had an individual experience. This just wasn’t the case at the Devonshire! On a positive note, yes the spa is small but the staff in this area were lovely.

As a regular visitor to the Yorkshire Dales staying at this hotel for many years we went on a guided tour of the Dales. Our tour guide, Jane Clarke was excellent, she organised an off road vehicle to enable my daughter with mobility problems to enjoy areas where she would be unable to walk. We had a wonderful experience finding out about lots of local history around the Bolton Abbey Estate. We enjoyed the experience so much that we hope to repeat it again on a future trip.