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Reviews of The Carnarvon Arms

3.5 out of 5
The Carnarvon Arms
Winchester Road, Newbury, England

Reviews

8.8

Excellent

Rating 10 - Excellent. 111 out of 201 reviews" "
Rating 8 - Good. 58 out of 201 reviews" "
Rating 6 - Okay. 29 out of 201 reviews" "
Rating 4 - Poor. 2 out of 201 reviews" "
Rating 2 - Terrible. 1 out of 201 reviews" "

9.2/10

Cleanliness

9.2/10

Staff & service

8.2/10

Amenities

8.6/10

Property conditions & facilities

8.6/10

Eco-friendliness

Reviews

4/10 Poor

SW

Stayed 1 night in Dec 2023

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Pleasant little place
It's a very pleasant pub/hotel. Friendly staff. Extremely close to Highclere Castle. The food was excellent. The only negative aspect was the bathroom. The shower cabinet is very small and vert high up, making it very hard in and out safely. Also there are not enough power points in the room. Otherwise we had a very pleasant stay. Highly recommended!
Stayed 1 night in Dec 2023

10/10 Excellent

Bob

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Overnight stay
All the staff we dealt with during our stay wer friendly, helpful and polite.
Stayed 1 night in Dec 2023

6/10 Okay

Stephen

Business traveller
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Disliked: Room comfort
All OK, bed was a bit hard but that's just preference, you really needed to be no taller that 5' and stick thin to get to the toilet
Stayed 1 night in Nov 2023

10/10 Excellent

Leigh

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Stayed 1 night in Nov 2023
Response from Christopher Lloyd on 14 Dec 2023
Thank you again for taking the time to let us know how we did. We hope you have a great day!

10/10 Excellent

Thomas

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Had a wonderful stay here. The inn is lovely and the staff even more so. If In town to see the castle or just to visit you couldn’t go to a better place.
Stayed 1 night in Oct 2023
Response from Christopher Lloyd on 15 Nov 2023
Hi Thomas,Thanks so much for a fab review. So glad to hear that you enjoyed your visit and were well looked after by the team.Come stay with us again soon!All the best,Tom and team Carnarvon

10/10 Excellent

Nancy

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Vacation
Beautiful place! Great food and atmosphere
Stayed 1 night in Oct 2023

10/10 Excellent

Kim

Travelled with group
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Our stay was very pleasant. The manager, Tom, was especially kind and helpful when our rental car stopped working. We were very grateful for his help. I would definitely stay here again and recommend it highly.
Stayed 2 nights in Oct 2023

10/10 Excellent

Morgan

Business traveller
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Cosy and clean. Polite staff. Easy access to local area but still far enough away to be quiet and relaxing.
Stayed 1 night in Oct 2023
Response from Christopher Lloyd on 15 Nov 2023
Hi Morgan,Thanks so much for the 5* rating and your kind words about the pub. We're so glad to hear that you enjoyed your visit.Hope to see you again soon or when you're next in the area!All the best,Tom and team Carnarvon

10/10 Excellent

John

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 1 night in Sep 2023
Response from Carnarvon Arms on 2 Oct 2023
Hi John,Thanks so much for the 10/10 rating! Please do come back and see us again when you're in the area!All the best,Tom and team Carnarvon

6/10 Okay

James

Business traveller, Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness
Disliked: Staff & service
Very poor restaurant service. In fairness, they apologised and compensated. The bedroom backed on to the A34 and was very noisy.
Stayed 1 night in Sep 2023
Response from Christopher Lloyd on 15 Nov 2023
Hi James,I'm sorry to hear that the service you received wasn't up to the high standards to which we hold ourselves and can only apologise for this. I am glad to hear however that my duty manager did address the issue with you at the time.We do have double glazing in all of our rooms as we do appreciate the problems that the proximity to the road can cause, but again I'm sorry if this wasn't sufficient to fully dampen the noise. It's a shame that we weren't able to address this at the time as we would have been more than happy to transfer you to another room to solve this.We do hope that you'd consider staying with us again if you are in the area again, but in the meantime please do accept our apologies again for the issues experienced during your stay.Kind Regards,Tom General ManagerThe Carnarvon Arms

6/10 Okay

Kevin

Stayed 1 night in Aug 2023

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Would come back in a second.
The photo of the front may not do the hotel justice. It looks small but it's not. However, it is cozy. There are spots all over for one to sit and enjoy the atmosphere.
Stayed 2 nights in Aug 2023

10/10 Excellent

Richard

Good place with meals
Stayed 1 night in Aug 2023
Response from Christopher Lloyd on 15 Nov 2023
Hi Richard,Thanks so much for the 5*! I'm so glad to hear that you enjoyed your stay and dinner.Hope to see you again when you're next in the area.All the best,Tom and team Carnarvon

10/10 Excellent

Ann

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Lovely hotel pub food was amazing both evening and breakfast staff were pleasant
Stayed 1 night in Aug 2023

10/10 Excellent

Stephen

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Highclere and Stonehenge staycation.
The 3 night stay was pleasant, friendly accommodating staff. Clean and tidy. We would stay again. Food was very good, plenty to chose from on the breakfast menu too.
1 hour away
5 minutes away
Stayed 3 nights in Jul 2023

8/10 Good

Paul

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
All good. Rooms comfortable. Very noisy road just behind but rooms pretty quiet. Didn`t do breakfast but had dinner one night .
Stayed 2 nights in Jul 2023

10/10 Excellent

Dennis

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Restaurant is big bonus
Great proximity to Highclere. Lovely property. Friendly, helpful staff. Amazing dinner in the restaurant.
Stayed 1 night in Jul 2023

6/10 Okay

John

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service
The staff for the most part were excellent especially the bar manager and the lady who supervised breakfast on Tuesday 11th. The atmosphere was good in the pub. The room was fine if a little small. Why are there never two chairs? The kitchen was terrible. The first night my husbands food was cold. The terrine was only just about defrosted and his burger was stone cold. My piece of trout was tiny and some what over cooked. By the time we had our dessert they had run out of custard! What kind of cook cannot make a jug of custard? At breakfast the next day the bacon had run out. The lady organising the service had the sense to send someone to the shop. The buffet was meagre, just a couple of jars of cereal, three pastries and a few pieces of fresh fruit, mostly kiwis and a couple of yoghurts. The cooked breakfast was good. We didn’t bother with dinner on the second night. At breakfast the next morning, I asked for yoghurt but they had run out. The staff on the whole are much, much better than this place deserves.
Stayed 2 nights in Jul 2023

10/10 Excellent

Jeri, Silver Spring

Travelled with group
Delightful!
Stayed 1 night in Jul 2023

10/10 Excellent

Lynda

Stayed 1 night in Jul 2023

10/10 Excellent

Brian

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Quite, comfortable, adjoining restaurant, and good breakfast.
Stayed 1 night in Jun 2023

10/10 Excellent

JP

Stayed 1 night in Jun 2023

6/10 Okay

Jennifer

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service
Disliked: Property conditions & facilities
The toliet in the room was a super weird layout. Hard to sit on the toliet. And the shower stall is very very small. Food was excellent. Service was great. Was a very annoying loud drunk table while we were having dinner. Took the staff a while to address it. Super cute inn, but because of the toliet, would not recommend for overnight.
Stayed 1 night in May 2023

10/10 Excellent

Adriana

Stayed 1 night in May 2023

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Business traveller
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
A little noisy from the road but all in all a very pleasant stay (last minute booking).
Stayed 1 night in May 2023

10/10 Excellent

Fiona

Stayed 2 nights in Apr 2023

10/10 Excellent

Lynne

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Great hotel. Really enjoyed our stay.
Stayed 1 night in Apr 2023

6/10 Okay

Stuart

Travelled with pets, Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Small room with limited facilities. Did not like wet room in place of bathroom.
Stayed 1 night in Jan 2023

10/10 Excellent

Anita

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 1 night in Dec 2022

10/10 Excellent

Victor

Liked: Staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Perfect start for our Highclere trip
Perfect pre-nighter to a Highclere morning trip. Great pub for a pre dinner drink, great dinner, nice room & fab breakfast
Stayed 1 night in Dec 2022

10/10 Excellent

Lisa

Stayed 1 night in Oct 2022

10/10 Excellent

Charlotte

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 1 night in Oct 2022

8/10 Good

Ana

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 1 night in Oct 2022

10/10 Excellent

Brian

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 1 night in Sep 2022

10/10 Excellent

Neil

Business traveller
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 2 nights in Sep 2022

10/10 Excellent

Kathy

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Very nice outdoor seating. Staff very friendly & helpful. The room was clean and quite comfortable. Although we stayed only one night, we enjoyed our visit.
Stayed 1 night in Sep 2022

10/10 Excellent

John, Arvada

Travelled with family
Liked: Staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
What an adorable little property and a mile and a half away from highclere castle! The staff is amazing as is the food! The hotel is very close to the highway so road noise is a constant. This is not in a walkable area though it’s a $15-20 cab ride to go anywhere. And the rooms are tiny
Stayed 2 nights in Aug 2022

6/10 Okay

Angela, Market Rasen

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities
The breakfast was very good but the bathroom was awful, the toilet was in a terrible position, shower cubicle tiny, water flow intermittent! It seems the rooms could really do with an upgrade. Not great value for money really, sorry to say.
Stayed 3 nights in Aug 2022

6/10 Okay

Caroline

Travelled with family
Disliked: Amenities, property conditions & facilities
This hotel was okay for one night but there were a few issues. The rooms were quite dark. The showers were awful. The water pressure was really bad in our room - 107 and in my mum’s room the shower was so hot and it wouldn’t cool down - 102. The fire alarm woke us all up at 7am which wasn’t very nice. The evening meal was okay but quite a limited menu. The dessert was very disappointing as we couldn’t eat the crumble as it was unpleasant. I think I have been charged twice for my booking and now have the stress of trying got sort that out. It’s convenient for a trip to Highclere Castle but I wouldn’t stay any longer than one night.
Stayed 1 night in Aug 2022

8/10 Good

Geoffrey

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service
Downtown Iffey
Rooms small with no proper storage
Stayed 2 nights in Jun 2022

6/10 Okay

Amanda

Travelled with partner
Liked: Staff & service
Disliked: Cleanliness
My partner and I stayed at this hotel so that we could walk to Highclere Castle for a tour booked months ago. The overall hotel is charming, the staff are lovely and the drinks were great. However the room we stayed in was quite dirty. It desperately needs a deep clean (spider webs in corners and on the ceiling, lots of sticky surfaces and lots of dust on the coffee pods and other edibles). The walls are very thin and you can hear the highway beside the hotel at night… while I’m a deep sleeper and this didn’t bother me, it could bother some future guests. The menu in the pub/restaurant is quite limited (if you’re craving fresh veggies and fruits), however everything we ordered was quite delicious. Overall it was a decent stay, the biggest issue I had was the cleanliness of our room.
Stayed 2 nights in Jun 2022

10/10 Excellent

James

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
A True Gem
Wonderful Hotel. Great food excellent service
Stayed 1 night in May 2022

8/10 Good

Kimberley

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Dining on sight. Friendly staff
Stayed 1 night in May 2022

6/10 Okay

Peter

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
My stay
The room was a little cold and the duvet to heavy. The toilet was cramped and the seat was loose, which could cause a problem The evening meal was over seasoned for me so had to leave most of it. The breakfast was sparse. The location was perfect, however, there was a lot of road noise.
Stayed 1 night in May 2022

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Fabulous Stay & Doggy Friendly!
Staff attentive and friendly, food was lovely, whole place was very clean and tidy, the room we stayed in would benefit from having a fresh coat of paint, other than that we had everything we needed including a coffee machine, nice clean linen & towels & toiletries, even home made biscuits! VERY dog friendly, they get treats, water bowls, dog baskets, even free poo bags!! Hotel is a 10 min walk to Highclere Castle.Our stay was lovely and would definitely stay again & recommend, Thankyou.!
Stayed 2 nights in May 2022

10/10 Excellent

Chris, Pickering

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Great place to stay if you are visiting Highclere Castle, five minutes by car one road and turn across the bridge
Stayed 2 nights in May 2022

8/10 Good

George

Stayed 1 night in Apr 2022

8/10 Good

michael

Liked: Cleanliness, room comfort
Stayed 1 night in Apr 2022

10/10 Excellent

Miss

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Excellent stay
Brilliant and friendly service. Lovely room with a great selection of teas, alternative milks and even a small coffee machine. Good selection of (paid for) snacks available in room too. Booked in for our evening meal, beautiful food with great vegan options, as well as breakfast too. Really enjoyed our stay
Stayed 1 night in Mar 2022