Balfour Arms — Restaurant in East Devon

Following our visit to the balfour arms we were really excited to go and take my niece to a 'Princess ball' we understood a lot of time to get tickets delivered etc and was done by the organiser however after notifying what day and times would be best unfortunately the delivery was in a time my niece was out. I was then informed by my sister to contact the pub to get a special video sent for my niece again nothing ever got sorted. However the day it self came round quick and my niece enjoyed every moment despite various concerns I had. Upon arrival I enquired about a second ticket I had paid for as I was informed id need one for my 2 year old daughter after child care fell through that week and woth work I didn't have enough time to sort other arrangements. When I stated I had contacted the day before I was met with a rude and sarcy man who stated oh she won't be happy with that despite the landlady being the one who I had spoke to the day prior. As we then ventured in to the pub which was very well decorated and the face painter was lovely and chatty to all the children. It became time for the entry show which entailed all the kids going into one small hall but no parents meaning we couldn't keep an eye luckily my 2 year old was more interested in the slide but I still felt uneasy leaving my niece in there but she said it was amazing. Then the activities such as an Easter egg hunt were meant to take place but nothing ever took flight for that and the bouncy castle was post phoned due to the weather which we understood but there wasn't really anything else. After noticing quite a few families woth smaller kids who didn't have wrist bands from paying for ticket start playing around I got a bit frustrated as I paid 25 quid for my daughter to only par take in the outdoor slide. I then messaged the pub on Facebook to enquire about this and was sent a generic reply and told that the landlady had been away for a few days but I had enquired before the holiday to then get offered a refund for my daughters ticket and I've yet to recieve ant update regarding this and the promise of a refund was done back on the 16th April. There is another review by Melissa Matthews that my partner and I also agree with. Such a shame as it had...

We went for a 'Princess Ball' that was poorly planned, logistically, and poorly executed. The invites were not delivered via any of the 3 promised ways, the activities were basic, and again some not even present! and the face painting was only 1 person; given how many tickets were sold, most of the kids were spending the whole time in line, or not bothering (we were in the not bothering camp!). The food was disastrously planned: "Princess banquet" was basic pub grub (the margarita pizza was melted cheese on a baguette!) Served on paper plates. The tables looked pretty, but they had no space for parents to stay with their children, so the bar staff literally yelled at the parents to leave. Expecting parents to leave their young (many under 5) with complete strangers, with no knowledge of DBS checks or anything, and actually shouting at them to leave is diabolical! I even overheard the lady behind the bar bad mouthing one of the parents who refused to leave the room! Half the pub was still open to the public, so anyone really could have access to these parentless children. No one had any space in the area to move around from one area to the other, so were constantly queuing just to move to the next room! It only got better with space because most people left halfway through! The toilets were disgusting and mouldy with wobbly toilet seats. The only saving grace was the end disco; the children really enjoyed. The staff dressed as characters had had time to warm up, as most of them refused to even acknowledge the children in the opening show. The men dressed as Maui and the other guy (not sure who he was supposed to be) were really great and engaging with the children, and the DJ did a really good job. Other than that, it was quite the letdown, and given the price of the ticket, we didn't even get free ice cream or crepes included, those stalls charged on top. Won't be attending the pub at all again, let alone another ticket event. A friend had paid to attend the Harry Potter event... but has now...

Staying in the area, we were struggling last minute to find a place to eat, then we saw good reviews for this place.

On arriving, I wasn't that confident, it is not your usual well polished, everything perfect style of chain pub. Nothing wrong with it, just a touch more down to earth with imperfections, as such I was intrigued to see what the experience was like.

Well, talk about focusing on the right things! For us, with a four legged friend, it was imperative that the pub was dog friendly ... and boy was it ... when I asked if I could bring our lively pup in I was told "of course" and it really felt like everyone was pleased to see him (and us).

We ordered food. Staff were super friendly. They had a baby shower going on, but still, super attentive. Food didn't take long, and it was just good! We both opted for the hunters chicken and it was lovely. We left for the evening and headed off to our camp site.

We talked about this place and realised it was a little gem, and focused on heading back there on Sunday for a roast. The same again if not even better, super attentive staff, and a bloody lovely (good portion) roast. Not long after the chef walked through and after back tracking, brought out a some meat for the dog, treating him like a king.

In reflection this evening, we realised why we liked this place so much, it isn't pretentious, it isn't super polished, it is just relaxed and makes you feel at home, yet they focus on the important bits ... Great service and damn good food.

If you guys read this review, please pass my thanks to the team, but especially to the chef, who I probably didn't thank well enough for serving us decent meals and treating our pup in the way he did. Looking forward to coming back, and a definite...