Augill Castle — Hotel in Great Britain

What a privilege to stay here again. After first coming for our honeymoon, we jumped at the chance to come back when invited to a wedding nearby. I will try to sum up why it is such a special space but to be honest, I am almost reluctant to tell anyone else about this absolute gem and don’t think I am eloquent enough to do it justice. I have read the negative reviews with some amusement as I cannot reconcile them with Augill castle.

Staff - The proprietor, Simon could not have been more friendly or welcoming and even helped carry my ridiculously heavy suitcase up to our room for me. He even kindly lent my husband a tie at the 11th hour! It’s clear that all of the team support the ethos of this place and it seems they all love to work here.

Room- To call it a room does not do it justice....Pendragon is a glorious visual feast with a four poster bed, beautiful views out of the many traditional windows and a wonderfully deep claw foot tub. They had even been so considerate to make sure we were in the same room as last time which is just another thing that adds up to why we love this place.

Food- not only is the dining room spectacular but the food is wonderful. Although we did not have an evening meal here, the menu and food itself looked lovely but we did enjoy two superb cooked breakfasts. The bar area is perfect for us - good selection with comfortable seats. The afternoon cake for guests is yet another lovely touch.

Decor/surroundings - just picturesque. The grounds are wonderful, the castle itself is incredibly decorated with many traditional features and I really enjoyed reading about the history of it on the discrete information boards.

Overall, I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend. Even as young couple without children, we were impressed with the entertainment options available for little ones including the cinema room, library full of toys, hold-all in our wardrobe stuffed full of baby/toddler items (‘in case you forgot’), guest kitchen and grounds to explore.

Can’t wait to book our next...

Cannot rate Augill Castle highly enough; we’d give it ten stars if we could! We have just returned from a three night stay over Christmas. It was a cosy, magical and truly unique experience from start to finish. The castle itself was stunning, atmospheric and beautifully decorated for the festive season, and our bedroom (Appleby) was warm and spacious with a gorgeous en-suite, armchairs, open fireplace and very comfortable bed. We had our two infants with us, and were provided with cots, sheets/blankets and a nappy bin in our room, along with children’s plates and cutlery laid out ready when we arrived for each meal. The owners and staff were incredibly welcoming, professional and accommodating; nothing was too much trouble for them and we were really made to feel at home (to the point that we felt able to leave our bedroom door unlocked, walk around the castle with our shoes off and curl up with a book on the sofa in the drawing room). Wendy in particular is lovely; she was so kind, a brilliant hostess and really looked after everyone. The food was superb - fresh, simple, homemade dishes that were cooked to perfection. Delicious breakfasts (best scrambled eggs I’ve ever tasted) and the Augill soup and treacle tart were to die for! We were struck by the attention to detail, from the personalised table cards to the surprise visit from Santa on Christmas Day and the presents he handed out to each guest. We’ve stayed in lots of hotels but this one definitely has the X-factor. It’s luxurious yet informal, and has an incredibly appealing charm and quirkiness. Would highly recommend it to anyone. Our stay was absolutely faultless and everyone who works there should be very proud of themselves for doing such a fantastic job. Thank you so much for giving us all an incredible Christmas...

Visited after reading so many positive reviews. The hotel is a restored 19th century manor. It has quirky features and no two rooms are alike. The rooms we saw were clean and interesting.

It is called a family hotel. I thought that meant it was run by a family. However, it also means that meals will be accompanied by screaming children. One of the two lounge area had children's toys around the floor. A tripping hazard for some guests and just like being home for others.

This would have been a 4 star rating if the food had not been so bad. Tea was the best meal with everything being fine, except for very overdone scones. Some folks will enjoy the family dog who comes to each person for food. The dog was also attending guests in the dining room with a small amount of whining when food was not provided.

At dinner, we had three types of bread that were inedible. Stale with one having an odd chemical smell. Broccoli cheese soup was good. After a long wait, we were informed that the chef thought there was something wrong with the chicken, so offered a substitute. The other offerings were poor. Tough ribeye, mussels missing half the contents, half-cooked french fries, etc.

Breakfast offered porridge that was only partly cooked for two of us, while one got a well-prepared version. Bacon was hard and dry and eggs had retained significant pieces of shell.

Until the food improves, I would not...