We stayed in a double room overnight on Saturday 22 May 2008 when we went for a ride on the Watercress Line Railway in the evening. We found the hotel was in a good location on the high street in Alton. There is a car park at the back and when you check into receiption they provide you with a free parking pass. The hotel is an old coaching inn with some attractive features such as a the central staircase. We arrived early afternoon and were given a room to the front of the High Street. The room was very pleasant and quite large. It had the usual hotel furniture with two armchairs. The room was traditional in style and clean and tidy. The bathroom was a bit dated. There was a bathroom with a sink and bath with shower over head but in the morning we had some difficulty getting adequate hot water for a decent shower and this was the only think that let the hotel down. There was also ensuit seperate toilet. We had no problems with noise during our stay. The hotel had a bar and seperate restaurant. We had a quick light snack (baked potato/ sandwich with chips) before going out for the evening. The food was very nice and service very good. For breakfast there was a good selection. The waitress brought fresh toast. The rest of the breakfast foods were self service. The choice included fruit juice, tea, coffee, cereals, yoguart, some lovely fresh fruit in dishes, a selection of pastries and a full cooked breakfast. The whole meal was very tasty. The service was very good throughout our stay. Alton is a small town, which we found a good base for a weekend break. We went to the nearby (next villages) to see Jane Austin's House and Gilbert White's House and Museum. Both are very nice attactions and very easy to get to with a car. On the Saturday night we did the RAT (Real Ale Train) with the Watercress Line and this is highly recommended. The hotel is a 5 - 10 minute walk to the station. I would certainly recommend it for a pleasant stay to family and friends and would happily return if we were staying in the area again.

This is nice and clean, it is an old coaching in so one must expect sloping creaky floors and no lift. This was a an overnight stopover for my wife and me. The room was clean and smallish. Tea and coffee with one packet of biscuits We booked too late to get a double bed. The TV had a reasonable selection of channels but was on a low stand and only visible from one bed..The bath room was big and clean with a bath and a shower. The trend for big dispensers has arrived, one for shower gel and one for shampoo. There were old fashioned individual soaps for the washbasin. Plastic glasses too, yuk! Breakfast. Was good with the standard hot and cold fare. It was nice to be able to eat a leisurely breakfast and watch the world (Alton High Street ) go by. Breakfast ends at 10 on a Sunday. We finished about then and it did look like some things may have run out. The staff are all very polite and helpful. The hotel is a short walk from the Watercress line (Steam trains).

I ended up staying here after the diversion signs ran out and I couldn't find my original choice of accomodation!! I was charged ?75 for a single room on a week night which I thought a tad steep, the room was fine, but looked out over the exit of the kitchen which meant that I could hear all the bins being trundled out at about 10.30pm Their was a radio / cd player in the room, but unfortunately no instructions so I couldn't tune in any FM stations. The bathroom had 3 tiles hanging off on the edge of the bath, but other than that it was clean and tidy with a good pressure on the shower. At some point the man on reception, who later turned into the Bar Man / Food Odering Chap, must have been on a hospitality course which said that customers love being addressed by their name, the first time is OK, but at the twentieth time it becomes really really really annoying!!!!!!!!!!!! The meal I had was very nice, a broad bean risotto with chicken breast all cooked to perfection, which is more than can be said for breakfast which was grim, the bacon was beyond chewy and the sausages tasted like carboard, so I settled for toast and jam.

We stayed on a Saturday night and the hotel is very easy to find in the High St. There is a disabled parking space at the front of the hotel along with a small taxi area, but the main parking area is behind the hotel. The reception give you a ticket to put into your car so you dont have to pay the car park fee. The hotel is a little tired but it is an old english inn so had character with it. There are traditional floor tiles on the entrance which could be lovely and a lovely staircase directly infront upon entering.There is a bar and comfy seating area to the left with leather settees and we had tea in the afternoon which was in nice white china. We had three rooms and were in different areas of the hotel but only a minute apart. The twin and double rooms were compact but clean. They had crisp white cotten sheets and pillowcases and one wall was painted a rich red. The bathrooms were clean and the sinks and taps were new but the tiles, grouting and paintwork had not been re-newed. There was tea-coffe facilities. Our family room was rm4. This had a nice double bed, with a seperate bedroom with twin beds, a cd player,tea and coffee ,tv, bathroom and a small lounge area. The bed settee and chair had seen better days but brilliant size rooms and ideal if you have kids. Apparently the ghost of Nelson is said to visit this room but I didnt meet his acquaintence. The staff overall were very friendly and the bar staff were foreign but obliging and we smiled at them so they were ok. The breakfast was fine, the sunday we stayed they were serving until 12. They served fresh tea and coffe e and you help yourself to fruit juices, etc.The cooked breakfast had run out at 10.15ish and we thought they were re-stocking but they came over and took an order from us.We had three full breakfasts all cooked to order so we were thoroughly pleased. I think it was ok to stay for an overnight stop, though not plush but good for the money. It is dearer if you book direct so try and book through a english inn reservation or similar.

Having booked this hotel at the last minute i was then a little worried on reading some of the reviews on here. We booked a standard double room and found the general areas of the hotel well maintained and characterful. Staff at reception were friendly and helpful whenever we had contact with them, parking is plentiful and , though we stayed on a Saturday night,(admittedly in Feb!),we found there to be very little noise. The hotel is on the high street but there are no pubs/bars in the immediate vicinity as it's all shops/commerce. We ate in the restaurant for dinner and once again, the service was very good, the menu covered all bases and the food/wine were of good quality and value. The room was very well presented with some nice touches and very clean with a most comfortable bed! We are already planning a return visit in the next few months when we're in the area and would recommend it to all really, there are late availability rates available and if you manage to get a room at these rates it's extremely good value.