Old Colonial — Restaurant in England

The Old Colonial was never going to win any beauty prizes given that it was always neglected inside (by the brewery and the staff). We hadn't been for 2+ years but gave it another visit as it was very sunny out so we figured there would be spare seating to eat inside.

We found a table which wasn't hard as only one other was occupied; though there were empty glasses on many of the tables.

I went to the bar for a large bottle of prosecco and a cider - the staff member didn't know what prosecco was and we then found you had sold out of the large bottles (as an ex publican I can never understand why 2 or 3 weeks of stock isn't held during the peak summer season to cope with demand surges).

There were 3 staff on duty and none of them were even remotely cheerful; they definitely did not want to be there! The youngest had perhaps only started that day as she was incapable of even basic customer interaction and hid behind the till.

I returned to our table with an expensive small bottle of prosecco and my cider.

Thankfully, there were 4 menus available - because we had to use two of them to stop us sticking to the table surface. Either sand them down or replace with easy clean marble tops.

Unfortunately, since our previous visit, the menu is probably half of what it was before and the choice is basically not there - but we were here now.

I attempted to "Order & Pay" using the QR code but that just did not work. You were presented with a choice of draught lagers and some soft drinks - but NOTHING else on the menu could be selected. If you clicked on wine nothing happened, if you clicked on food nothing happened. So it was back to the bar and another long wait.

I chose the chicken wings to start and they were dry, hard, lacking chicken and were just really poor. I contemplated complaining but the queue hadn't got any shorter and basically, life's too short.

We had the Steak & Ale Pie and the Veg Chilli for mains. I think some of my chips (lying down) were taller than the pie - it was a very hard, thick pastry top, perhaps 1cm of meat/gravy filling and then the casing. Once I had found it was only possible to get into the pie by turning it upside down, the filling (all 3 mouthfuls) was tasty. My wife enjoyed her bowl of Veg Chilli (but let's be honest 2 minutes in a microwave and finding a clean dish was the extent of that preparation/cooking)

Ah yes, I mentioned right at the start about the lack of care and maintenance to this pub restaurant. It was poor a few years ago and clearly not a penny has been spent on it since. The window glazing has blown in 50% of them; the remaining 50% were just filthy. The lining paper on the walls and ceiling used to cover up leaks and water stains is peeling and failed in its primary purpose as everywhere was just worn, torn and neglected.

I would love to win the £250 though not being an "effluencer" singing your praise, that's unlikely.

However, if you do award me the £250 can you ensure it is for another pub please; alternatively...

We stayed here for one night. We had a family room, for the price in peak season i was not expecting a lot. To say i was pleasantly surprised is an understatement.

There is free parking allotted within a privately run pay and display car park, these spaces are clearly marked, and upon check in, they will give you a card to place in your windscreen to verify your eligibility to park there. Very straight forward. Check in was nice and easy, we arrived about 8pm as we had spent the day in nearby Brean. Check in was easy and the lady assisting us was very pleasant. I didn't catch anyone's name, which i regret as the staff i had dealings with all need commending. The lady who checked us in, from later conversations with us, i believe to be the landlady.

I couldn't believe how spacious the room was! It was huuuuuge! A lovely Super King Double, with a single for the little lady. It was very clean, lighting was excellent, bathroom was clean and spacious. I couldn't fault it, and wish i'd taken pictures as i would have expected to pay around £40 more for the room than i did.

We dropped our overnight bag, and headed down to the bar. No complaints here. It's clear that management take pride in the beer they sell as well as the the cleanliness and quality of the rooms.

We stayed downstairs for a while and had a few drinks, and played a few rounds of Uno at the table. We chatted to the staff, and the previously mentioned lady, and in passing happened to mention that it was the little one's 9th birthday the following day.

There was a chap who works in the kitchen, who was on the following morning, who told me to get her to have pancakes for breakfast, as he had popped out and bought some candles.

That was such a lovely gesture! Fortunately, she loves pancakes. The following morning, we arrived for breakfast, and she dutifully had the pancakes.

As promised the pancakes arrived, with candles, and the server singing happy birthday to her, which made her day. My partner pointed out the member of staff who had arranged with with us the night before who was standing by the kitchen entrance in the distance, and she gave him a wave to say thank you. I didn't personally get a chance to thank you, so i shall do so now. I don't know your name, but it was very much appreciated, and you made that little girl feel very special! (and full)

Our stay was a wonderful experience from start to finish. Would i book again? I wouldn't even contemplate booking anywhere else.

If i had a hat, i would doff it to these wonderful people!

Side note..... from the outside, there are more attractive looking buildings in the area, but do not be fooled. This place is superb! Don't believe me. Pop into the bar and meet the staff beforehand. I cannot recommend this...

We were very disappointed to see the state of the Old Colonial - it’s such a shame to see it in such a bad way. We’ve been many times before and the difference since our last visit is massive.

The bar area has obviously had a leak from one of the upstairs rooms - the ceiling had a sheet covering the damage - but the smell of damp/mould was very off putting.

The bedrooms are also very tired - we were in room 9 and there were signs of water damage and paint peeling there too. When we went to bed 10pm Sunday evening I decided to put the kettle on - the kettle was full of water - which isn’t massive issue - but how long had it sat there? A kettle should always be left empty after a guest leaves. Also - there were no tea/coffee sachets in the room - just sugar and milk… I went to reception to get more but nobody to be seen and by this time the pub was closed. Thankfully my in-laws were also staying so I was able to get coffee from them.

On Sunday we decided to eat in the bar, the food was awful. Initially we asked for Sunday lunch - but there was only chicken available. We swapped and had steak - which we asked for medium rare - it came out cremated and I wish I had some scales as it definitely wasn’t the 8oz I ordered.

Later that day we were sat outside having drinks and decided to order something for our toddler - lots not available and what was available came out with ‘alternatives’… we ordered pasta which should have come with carrot and cucumber - but came with carrot and red peppers… my 4yr old wasn’t impressed. We then ordered donuts with strawberries - no strawberries so he got an extra donut - he was thrilled but I’d of liked him to have something healthy on his plate.

We normally would have had breakfast at the hotel - but after Sundays standards we decided to go elsewhere.

It really is a shame to see where the hotel’s standards have fallen to, I doubt we will return...