Enjoyable stay at the Macdonal Southgate Hotel, Exeter.

After reading some of the reviews on this hotel we booked with some trepidation.

However, we were delighted when we arrived to find a most attractive Georgian building in a quiet area close to the Cathedral and with excellent parking. The bedroom was comfortable with plenty of storage space and several nice touches e.g. bottles of mineral water and ice left out, a light in the wardrobe that came on automatically when the door was opened. We thoroughly enjoyed the breakfast - each element was well cooked and of good quality - not at all greasy. A good choice of fruit, cereals, pastries etc., including comb honey. A lovely swimming pool. The well-trained staff were very pleasant and helpful. In fact we would have no hesitation in recommending this hotel to anyone visiting the attractive town of Exeter.

Really nice hotel for a function

I am surprised by some of the reviews on this site because the Southgate is a modern well furnished hotel. I suspect some of the reviewers have mistaken this hotel with the Exeter Rougemont and if that is the case their testimonies of the Rougemont could be quite valid!

That said, the venue is great, right in the City Centre with good parking arranged free of charge by an attendant during the day. We found the food plentiful and of a really good quality.. The staff are very polite and helpful with all the facilities you would expect from a hotel of this rating. I was amongst a group of 45 people who had a 2-day meeting in the place and we all commented on how enjoyable it was.

My room was a twin, being on the 3rd floor. It was well presented and clean. I have already recommended it for future meetings and hope to return as the hotel of my 1st choice in Exeter.

Excellent Hotel

We've stayed at the Southgate 5 or 6 times and it has always been excellent.

The staff are all polite and efficient, the rooms are stylish (well for a hotel) and always spotlessly clean. Breakfast is delicious.

That's all there is to say - thoroughly recommended!

Simply the best................

I've been in this hotel for months, and yes, it is due for refurbishment, however whilst there are areas of carpeting in the bar that are worn, I have not found this to be the case in any other part of the hotel, i've never had any cleanliness issues with it.

The staff are absolutely amazing. Nothing is too much trouble for them. If you are looking for a home from home, this is the place to stay. Cant wait to come back!

Go elsewhere!

I have stayed at this hotel several times when visiting my family in Exeter and have seen it deteriorate. The furnishings are now extremely worn and service slack.

On arrival I noticed that my bathroom hadn't been cleaned as it was disgustingly hairy! My bedroom carpet was filthy and from it I accumulated a collection of peanuts, crisps, and even a small cuddly toy!

After complaining, I was told by reception that it would be cleaned by the time I returned from dinner. It was not. I immedialtely asked to speak to the duty manager who on inspecting the room apologised and returned with a mop and bucket!

This was the last straw and I felt so uncomfortable that I checked out. I had to stay at my in-laws house which, if you knew me, indicates how desperate I was!

Tired and dated

This place seems to get worse each time I stay. The staff are friendly but they are having to make do with run-down furnishings and rooms in need of decoration. You really know that you are in a big, uncaring chain. The beds are some of the most uncomfortable I have ever experienced. The pillows were dirty and the decor generally a bit gruby. Positive things? the room service sandwiches were very tasty and used high quality ingredients. Never again. I will be going elsewhere on my next trip!

Good Location

Very close to the city center, with good car parking. The hotel is loctaed next to the old city walls, and within a few minutes walk to the cathedral and shops etc. The hotel and rooms are comfortable. Stayed just one night, enjoyed dinner on Friday night, food and quality of service was good, however Saturday morning breakfast was hectic, the hotel could not cope with the number of guests, had to wait for table and service.

Overall good quality and would recommend for a short break when visiting the city.

Very Disappointed

I stayed at another of the Macdonal Hotels earlier this year and was impressed with it which is why I chose The Southgate for a weekend break.

The room itself was okay. A double room with the basic furnishings suited me fine.The bathroom was nice and the shower (and bath) was hot. So far so good.

Unfortunately, I was very disappointed with the restaurant and the food in general. On my first night, I had to change three out of the four glasses on my table because they were not clean. The offer of bread was comical as the slice was so small it was hardly worth having. There were two small olives on display on the table and to be honest it didn't look really appetising.

The food itself was well cooked,albeit in very small portions. I was just very disappointed with the service. The waiters did not know to let the red wine breathe before pouring it( despite us requesting this), the cheese plate consisted of two small slithers of cheese which had obviously been left out to sweat. They forgot to serve me my after dinner tea,although they offered it to me. I gave up after waiting for 20 minutes.

I went to bed still hungry and hoped that I would fare better at breakfast.I ordered room service breakfast and I had the bacon, sausage, egg and toast with some fresh fruit(3 small slithers of melon) . My partner had black pudding (which was overcooked) a sausage and a poached egg. The food was so small,it didn't even fill up half the plate. Here's a tip, tick everything on the room service menu to make sure you get a decent breakfast.

Some consolation, my second night and morning there was better and I didn't constantly feel hungry.

At check out, I was billed for numerous items which either I hadn't consumed from the mini bar or which was supposed to inclusive in my weekend package.

Unfortunately, whilst the people themselves were eager to help, by the time I checked out I was relieved to be leaving.

On a positive note, if anyone does visit Exeter, I would highly recommend going to the Quayside and finding Roger's Tearoom and having the Roger's Full Tea. So excellent that we left after consuming the food, found a cash point and returned to give a tip (as we didn't have any extra cash available)

Group Stay at the Southgate

Having read the anonymous review of the Southgate Hotel, it was with great trepidation that I took a group of 34 people to stay there over last weekend - 28 June to 1 July 2002.

Without exception, the members of my group found this to be a very welcoming and good quality hotel.

The rooms were spotlessly clean, very well furnished and the beds comfortable. The bathrooms were well equipped, shower, bath, large bath sheets and plenty of surfaces to accommodate toiletries, etc.

Those of my group who had booked single rooms were all allocated double rooms and those who had booked double rooms were allocated them.

The food was very good with a wide choice of dishes available.

The public rooms are very comfortable and the leisure facilities excellent.

I cannot comment on room service as we did not use this.

The staff are very helpful.

I would have no hesitation in recommending this hotel to anyone who wants to spend a holiday in Exeter. Its location is very central just a few minutes from the Cathedral and shops. No one was disturbed by the Cathedral bells or by traffic noise.

M Hindle

Hotel review

I regularly stay in 4 and 5 star hotels and this hotel is not one of my preferred hotels. I have had to stay here on business over a dozen times in the last few months. The rooms are mediocre, double rooms are often not available and the beds in the twin rooms are very, very small and uncomfortable. There is only sheets and a blanket. There is no working air conditioning, resulting in the rooms being very warm in summer and very cold in winter. It can also be very noisy in the hotel, both from traffic noise outside and staff inside.

Breakfast is usually good, being cooked to order, along with a full buffet.

The room service menu is dull and the food generally below average. Some items on the menu are never available.

I would recommend planning to eat at one of the numerous and excellent local restaurants, and just eat breakfast in the hotel.

There is a nice swimming pool and jacuzzi.

The terrace area is nice in the summer, a real sun catcher.

The bar area is not very cosy and you would be best off going to a local pub. There are many places to eat and drink on the High Street, which is just a few minutes walk from the hotel.