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A charming 16th century coaching inn located in the South Downs
BookMember since January 2025
Lovely hotel but restaurant staff a little unhelpful
stayed: May 2026
Cannot fault the friendliness of the lady at reception when were first arrived and the room was lovely with complementary snacks etc. Had two attempts at eating in the restaurant which let the hotel down in terms of customer service and hospitality. On our first night we entered the restaurant at around 8pm but were told the kitchen was closed because it was bank holiday Monday (fair enough - although this would have been useful to know when we checked-in). We have never visited Lewes before, so we asked if there were any other restaurants that they could recommend, but received the rather abrupt response 'not really, I can't think of anywhere that would still be open now' (we ate in a charming Indian restaurant two minutes along the Highstreet that evening). On the second evening, we asked for a table and requested to sit in the main, wood-panelled, section of the dining room, closest to bar and kitchen as it was more secluded (we had our 8 week old baby and my wife may have needed to feed him). We were told we couldn't sit there because 'there are no waiters working that section'. The restaurant seemed very well staffed that evening and we were disappointed by the lack of hospitality and flexibility offered, considering all waiting staff had to pass the section we requested to collect food from the kitchen etc, so we ate elsewhere (again!). A little front-of-house polish and a more accommodating demeanour from restaurant managers/staff would make this gem of a hotel shine a little brighter.
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