Charming, lovely hotel, fantastic gardens

We were booked into the Stanwell House Hotel for a wedding and stayed four nights in late July. Location in Lymington is perfect (it is a small town), and is right near restaurants, pubs and the Quay (the harbor).

We stayed in a garden room - french doors opening out on to the garden area, there were pluses and minuses with this. The pluses were it was very nice to go and pop into the garden directly from the room. The minus was that in the evenings there were some loud folks just outside our room knocking back a few pints. Room itself was nice, charming and very clean. Bathroom dated, but spotless (and yes, it had the Molton Brown toiletries - but there's something really funny about it - the shower soap and shampoo are in mega dispensers attached to the shower wall, a setup I would expect to find (and have found) in a Days Inn). Had to chuckle.

The gardens are fantastic, perfect place to have afternoon tea. The cream teas are wonderful, and the breakfast (included) was really good. Alas, did NOT venture to try the black pudding....

Harbor is very close, I recommend a day trip to the Isle of Wight, and another trip inland to tour the New Forest, it is fantastic, beautiful country.

The biggest problem we had was it was VERY hot in England at the time, and there is no A/C in the hotel. Most times I think this would not be an issue, but it was here.

Nice hotel. Would have been really good had we been able to stay when A/C not needed as badly. Very friendly staff to our 13 month old son.

Indpendent charm / modest budgets

A charming hotel that (just about) gets away with the slightly decadent decor. Check the pictures on the website to see if it's to your taste. Our room was on the small side, but decor effective in making it seem cosy, not pokey. Agree about slightly dated bathroom but they've updated with tasteful paint job. (What is it with Molton Brown toiletries that makes people go weak at the knees? I don't get it).

Good breakfast - although people were clearing tables around us soon as the 10:00 cut off was reached. Didn't feel comfortable to lounge with the papers, which we'd wanted to do on our weekend away. Ate in the restaurant, which was good (better than Egans up the road - which was typically over-fussy, provincial fayre) and with quite a good wine list.

Great location, good service and a nice feel about the place for the money.

"Mind the Step"

This hotel is spread over more than one old builing so there are a lot of different levels and some small steps to trip you up. We had a four-poster room which was fine but a bit small and painted dark red so it felt more enclosed. The two windows opened on to the High Street so a bit noisy but it was a hot Saturday night. Bathroom small and rather dated but Molton Brown toiletries are supplied. Service is good and friendly. Location excellent, right in the middle of everything. Food in the hotel looks good but we had an excellent curry at a place just over the road.

A great hotel

We have just come back from a 3 day break booked at the last minute, at the Stanwell House Hotel. We were in a standard room as this was all that was left when we booked. It was great ! We loved the shabby chic feel of the hotel and the lovely jewel coloured velvet cushions in the delightful conservatory added a real uniqueness to the hotel. What stunning art nouveau style mirrors - so much attention to detail. We loved the Molton Brown toiletries in the bedroom and the great touches such as fresh fruit and also a cafetiere with ground coffee. It was spotlessly clean and the lovely chambermaid took real trouble to make sure we had everything we needed. The gardens were lovely and we enjoyed the feeling of relaxation which meant we felt free to come and go as we needed which is not always the case in some hotels.

The breakfasts were really excellent, the only down side of the whole experience being that we had to wait for a long time on both days for our coffee and toast. Even after reminding the waiter on Saturday and waitress on Sunday that we would really appreciate being served with them, still other people coming in after us had their drinks some time before us. The same thing happened the night we ate in the hotel. The drink my husband ordered got given to someone else and the waiter couldn't work out what had happened. In spite of this a really good stay and we would love to return at some point.

A unique, stylish and friendly hotel

I have just held my 30th birthday party at this hotel and it was everything I had hoped for. My booking for 31 people was handled extremely efficiently prior to our stay, our welcome was warm and nothing appeared to be too much trouble. The food itself was very good with some really nice unexpected touches. Our suite (no 26) was extremely comfortable and clean, with the deepest bath I have ever experienced! The town and surrounds are beautiful and the hotel offered a real home-from-home after our travels, especially helped by the delicious cream teas served in the cosy yet airy conservatory! I would not hesitate to recommend this hotel to others. The only down-side was the lack of on-street parking during the Saturday market when most of our party arrived. It didn't affect us though - we got the train as the station is only 5 minutes walk around the corner! Brilliant, we'll definitely return.

A wonderful gem

we have stayed at this charming hotel on three occassions having discovered it last summer. Each time we have stayed in a different suite and could not fault any of them. There was even a mix up on our last occassion where we were not able to stay in the suite that we had stayed in on our last occassion. The hotel manager moved us to another suite which was just as lovely. The suites are worth the extra money if its a special occassion. You cannot go wrong with roll top baths and fluffy bath robes! The staff are incredibly helpful and its the little touches that make this hotel one of our favourites which is why we return again and again. The restaurant downstairs is rich with velvet drapes and serves very good food most of which is locally sourced, and the wine list caters for all tastes. The restaurant also serves a very comprehensive breakfast including a very yummy full english!

We will be booking to vist again this year.

Go for the food, but be very careful with the rooms

Booked in for quick 3 day weekend break with my wife. The website promised glorious traditional Georgian decorations in traditional surroundings. We booked a suite to add to the grandeur.

It turns out that many of the rooms are not in the georgian building but in a modern ( 1980s??) annex running off the back. Our rooms were in a poor state of decoration, and the shabby antiques just added to the feel that you were in your grandmothers nursing home. The bathroom had a similar 1980s feel to it with neither old world charm (apart from the black mould in the grouting) or modern luxury. certainly not worth the prices charged.

Food was very good though,and it was enjoyed in an atmospheric restaurant.

Summary - Go for the food but be very careful with the rooms, ours was a huge disappointment.

Wonderful individual hotel

It's about time I wrote a review as we're approaching our first wedding aniversary and got married in the Stanwell House in January 2004. Prior to the wedding we stayed here on three occasions as well, firstly to check it out and afterwards to sort a few details out with the staff

The place is wonderful, beautifully decorated in a shaby chic manner, the service is very friendly and the food fantastic - eaten here on many occasions and it has always been almost faultless, even when they were turning out 70 covers for our wedding breakfast

Most rooms are individually decorated and I would wholeheartedly recommend shelling out the extra for a suite. All of these are beautiful

We couldn't have got married in a better place and will be returning on many occasions to revive some memories and to keep in touch. It's that kind of place

The only downside one could possibly envisage is the parking, as you have to park elsewhere and walk a short distance. But this is a minor detraction

Lovely hotel

very swish hotel nice offers for 25 puns a night

Everything it promised to be

We were looking for a romantic hotel and we certainly found it. the room was beautiful. We booked a 4 poster room and it is well worth the small extra cost. There was even an original old roll top bath big enough for 2! The service was friendly and efficient and the food was wonderful. Generally a really lovely place to stay and so far from the bland chain hotels, it's in anothr league. So treat yourselves and hope you enjoy it as much as we did.