Chicken Breast Wrapped In Parma Ham
Royal Oak

Royal Oak

Bongate, Appleby-in-Westmorland United Kingdom, United Kingdom

Pub • Cafés • Seafood • British


"We had a disappointing experience during our stay. The bedroom was quite cold, and despite asking for the heating to be turned on, we had to sit in our coats. The bathroom was freezing each morning, and the dining room didn't offer much relief either. The heating was activated for just one hour, which meant the radiator was cold again when we returned to our room. Their cost-cutting measures significantly impacted our enjoyment. We raised our concerns multiple times, but there was no one available when we settled the bill. At £100 per night for bed and breakfast (totaling over £200 including dinner), it was frustrating to be so uncomfortable. Another guest mentioned they had complained about the heating during their previous visit, only to be told there was an ongoing issue. It seems they simply won’t turn on the heating. We won’t be returning, especially since it’s quite a drive to get into town. Regarding the room, we were assigned an attic room (Room 8). It had many steep stairs and low headroom in places. While the bathroom was nice, it was also freezing. The towel rail was pointless since it was stone cold, and my husband had to skip his morning shower due to the chill. We ended up moving to Room 7, which was smaller but slightly warmer despite having a cold bathroom. The bathroom door didn’t shut properly, and the lights were all or nothing. The next morning, we moved our belongings back to Room 8 since they finally decided to turn on the electric wall heater—which they could have done from the outset. It only took the chill off for a little while. On our last night, we experienced a brief boost of heat, but it only lasted an hour. When we returned after dinner, the room was already cool again. As for nearby activities, there’s a park across a busy road, but everything else requires driving to reach shops and restaurants. Safety-wise, the hotel faces a main road, and there are very few parking spaces available (around four); otherwise, you need to park on the main road. Walking to town is possible, but it takes about 15 to 20 minutes downhill. In terms of food and drinks, the breakfast was decent. When asked if we wanted toast, we received just one slice on the same plate as the cooked breakfast. After asking for more, we had to wait a while before we were given another slice. Dinner was acceptable but nothing to write home about; it felt overpriced compared to the excellent authentic Indian restaurant we found in town, which served great food at better prices and opened at 5 PM. Overall, I'd recommend bringing warm clothes for both the bedroom and dining area; we even saw another guest sitting in her coat the entire time."