The Countryman Inn — Restaurant in England

We had a room booked at the Countryman Inn Bed & Breakfast for two nights but ended up staying just one.

Our 10pm arrival time from London on Day 1 was disrupted by traffic and EV charging needs. By the time we arrived around midnight, the restaurant was shut and there was no one onsite to speak to about checking into our room.

There was no note on the door to instruct us what to do in the event of a late arrival or a number to call. So we searched for phone numbers listed online for them and got no answer. Eventually, we ended up driving to Bournemouth to find last minute accommodation for the night.

Due to work in the Weymouth area, we drove back on Day 2 to enquire about our room.

Upon arrival around 11am, the person on duty at the restaurant had no idea about the room booking. A phone call to management came with a terse and unhelpful reply that we could not check in to our room until 2pm?! ... even though we were technically supposed to already have a room that we didn't sleep in the night before??

Eventually someone came around and let us in. We received no explanation or induction on check out times, amenities or restaurant times.

Due to the above, our overall first impression of the service culture at the Countryman Inn was unfortunately not a very positive one. Some staff training and empowerment to make decisions in the absence of management could help address this.

Room review - Our room was appeared recently refurbished and was furnished to a good standard. The bed was comfortable, lighting was sufficient and storage was plenty. The bathroom lacks any natural light coming through but this wasn't a big deal. A table and seating area and sufficient plug outlets made it easy to work from the room.

Breakfast/food review - We had breakfast and lunch here. Both were very average. The lack of seasoning made the food unremarkable. In a part of England where local produce/farmers/growers exist, the ingredients were of generic supermarket quality.

Summary - Nice central and cosy place to stay if you're visiting the Weymouth/Lulworth area. A few tweaks to the service culture and the food quality could make this place...

We stayed here last weekend & the staff were very helpful and warm. The lunch we ate on arrival was of generous portions and came out quite quickly and was tasty - the whitebait were huge! The puddings looked homemade and delicious from the chiller display in the restaurant area but we were too full to try! Dinner was plentiful that night and of home cooking style. My fish pie had mash in abundance but not much sauce at all, it was quite edible but I’ve had better. My husband had the mixed grill, the fact he wasn’t asked how he’d like his meat cooked made him worry but then he could have asked himself. It came medium and he remarked that it was okay but nothing special. The Room ... our room was a good size, beds comfortable with fresh sheets. Unfortunately, the smell of damp/condensation hit you as you walked into the room - we opened the windows at check in but this smell was clearly there to stay. The decor was bright and attractive with bold wallpaper & painted cladding. It was a bit tired and dusty in places (single wooden glazing had suffered peeling from condensation on windows /accumulated dirt around bathroom door stop & Loo roll holder & remote control!) - if the room had been dehumidified regularly it probably would have smelt much fresher and welcoming so this was a shame. My rating is based on overall experience with quality of food and cleanliness of the room being the focus. Breakfast - plentiful again but the mushrooms were so oily we both felt sick afterwards. Good coffee & decent selection of locally sourced yoghurts/cereals. Value for money? £118.50 for a Family Room with breakfast (Two Adults & 20 month old & 2 dogs) Yes - had the room not smelt of damp and the cleanliness been up to scratch. Fine for a one night stay in this beautiful...

We booked a table for two for the Sunday lunchtime carvery. We had been waned to book as this is a popular weekly event. This was borne out when we arrived, as the venue was very busy. It transpired that the table we had booked was occupied, it was indeed double booked. The manager appeared to be quite flustered, looking through his bookings and claimed not to be able to find our names. Finally we were offered a seat at a table adjacent to the bar that was more part of the main thoroughfare than actually part of the restaurant, we were surrounded by people queuing for food and staff scurrying around us. This seemed more like the inside of a motorway services than a 'country inn'. It took a while, but eventually, we were offered a drink and menus. My wife chose the carvery and I ordered the roast half chicken. When my food arrived, it appeared bland. The meat was stringy, and the skin was flabby and without any 'roast' flavour. I fact, apart from an overpowering punch of garlic, there was very little other flavour.||Meal over and we thought that it a be nice to sit in the garden, for which the pub is famous. Sadly, as a wheelchair user, I was unable to do this, as there is no wheelchair access. I found that in view of there being good and level access to the bar, restaurant plus provision of a disabled lavatory, it was shocking to deny wheelchair users access to the garden. Thoughtless at best and discriminatory at worst. The server that could see my predicament offered to get a member of the management. I refused, feeling too embarrassed to have a conversation and left, feeling underwhelmed and cheated out of what should have been a pleasant experience. ||Mr. Punch, is this the way good customers should be treated?...