Bankes Arms Inn Studland — Restaurant in Great Britain

We live in the village, we had friends over from over seas, I initially contacted the pub directly, but they have failed to answer in a reasonable timely manner.||||Let's start with you cannot book a table, we were a group of 7 wanting to sit and eat and show our friends where we live and how much we love it here. We ordered drinks at a busy bar, asked if we could move two table together to be told " that's effort" I asked if a waiter could clear glasses from a table and was huffed at!!! You literally have to be quick on your feet to get a table! ||||We order food, slight issue with an over seas bank card with a stroppy and rude bar female server!.... I use that term loosely, I can only assume she was just old enough to serve beer due to her rude attitude and lack of knowledge of the banking world and legal tender! Clearly dragged up lacking any kind of manners or how the service world works!||||We order food, two curries arrive and don't look like what they should, asked if the waiter could check which was which, she said no, walked off. No one checked on us though dinner, had they done so they would have known the food was less than acceptable. ||||Move on to dessert, what a show that was.... we had staff try to clear our table whilst people were still eating, I had to tell them no... I was huffed at again and given sassy attitude! at this point its frankly a disgrace and embarrassing that the staff are just so vile, poor manners and say "what" rather than pardon. manners do not exist here! or anyone who understand the English language!||||It's not a reasonable priced pub either, but we knew that, but our friends wanted to go.... a few hundred pounds spent on what can only call it a disaster! the chef clearly doest know a Thai red from a tikka or how to make a Dorset apple cake that is not raw..... or what kinds of rice should be served with what food! ||||This pub is over priced and aimed at turning over footfall quickly and fast! they are not interested in locals supporting them at all.... I guess the rumours were true after all about how poorly run this pub is! ||||would I return.... not in a million years! Tourists if you want to go and be robbed in daylight crack on, just know the locals don't use it and...

Having lived in Dorset for many years, the plan was to share this lovely area with my husband, who had never visited previously. The Bankes Arms (named after the wealthy family that owned much of the county in a by-gone era) is in an ideal position for outdoor adventures, many miles of coast line, sandy beaches, with panoramic views from the beer garden across Studland Bay to Poole, Bournemouth and over to Hengistbury Head in the east.||Now let's cover the reality. The Bankes Arms is more of a pub with rooms, rather than a hotel proper. There is no reception, you report in at the pub bar. We arrived on the last day of February. The weather was dismal, wet and windy. There was no heating in the room, the floor was solid wood, with the standard stone tiles in the ensuite shower room. It was cold. There were no rugs on the floor, so our elderly dog could not relax his arthritic bones except on his bed. Unfortunately, this poor start triggered our closer investigation - cobwebs down the wardrobe, dust on every ledge and under the bed, mould on the window, broken shower head and bedroom door closure mechanism, clogged shower drain and shower door off its runners so that it wouldn't close. There were no hooks to hang dripping rain coats. The room needed a thorough deep clean.||The positives? The staff are friendly and helpful (especially when some of the above were brought to their attention). The food is good, wholesome and provided in generous portions. The king-size bed is very comfortable, yet is the only seating to watch tv. There are only padded dining-style chairs to sit on, and little storage space in either room for personal possessions.||Our suggestion is that the management should take a critical look at their standards, especially in comparison to other local establishments. However, in conclusion, the Isle of Purbeck is extremely popular all year (particularly when the sun shines!), with this establishment at the centre of a unique, stunning, historically interesting part of the...

Hadn't visited here for 5 years.

Good points... Stunning location and views. Easy enough paid parking on the side. Large outside seating area Marque to side of pub if it's raining and huge grassed garden area with tables and chairs directly in front of pub and over the road overlooking the sea Dog friendly.

Bad points...( I never like to share negativity but these guys are leaders on that board!)

ALL STAFF ARE ARROGANT AND RUDE....we will never visit this pub again because of this.

No eye contact at all from any of them (at least 8 that we counted) and we were there 2 hours. Not a single smile or interaction from one member of staff. Even at the bar the barman was completely full of himself and obviously annoyed that he had to tell us what Gin they had and was very sloppy in how he poured and served it...( if you're bored buddy, let someone else enjoy doing a great job and service to what used to be a great pub!)

Food was okay, no idea why they charge as much as they do for such basic cookery. My partner left his overcooked greasy chips and was disappointed with his 2 waffer thin pieces of ham that were that small they sat under the egg!

We had to remove our finished plates and cutlery onto a table next to us almost an hour after we'd finished eating, at least 4 members of staff walked passed our table in that time and ACTUALLY LOOKED at the empty plates.

Totally shocked at the service and attitude in this place.

Staff training in BASIC customer service would be a good start.

There are definitely better places to visit in Swanage than here.

Shame on management for letting such a beautiful piece of English heritage go to...