The Bear — Restaurant in Havant

We booked to stay at The Bear as a stopover between a visit to Arundel Castle and the Mary Rose exhibition in Portsmouth.

The old hotel has a big car park to the rear which is free for guests which is handy albeit difficult to get to. Search for Bear Hotel Park Place on Google Maps to get there easier but take your time as you arrive because it is awkward.

When we arrived we were booked in by a very helpful lady and we went up to our room, number 23.

Before I continue let me say that I accept that The Bear Inn is a very old building. I realise it takes a lot to keep it operational and that the pandemic had a big impact. There will be restrictions on what updates can be carried out and it needs to stay open around any repairs etc.

So firstly, as is often the way there wasn't a straight line in the room.

The floor tilted downhill away from the windows at quite an angle.

I’ve added the comedy pic taken from the pillow. It shows the extent of the slope😀

Not too much of a problem in itself however the room itself as well as the communal areas was grubby. It just felt like it needed a deep clean. It had the musty carpet/disinfectant/old dust smell like you get in some old buildings.

The hotel is dog friendly and didn't smell of dogs. The few that were there stayed quiet during the night which was good.

The ceiling in the bathroom had a big crack in it above the bath and some of the ceiling was started to come loose. The bath panel was badly cracked and had been "repaired" with some screws, the toilet roll holder was rusty as was the base of the bathroom mirror. Something had been mounted on the wall above the sink but had been removed leaving the red rawl plugs in place. The furniture was shabby and dated. Outside our window was scaffolding, no idea what for but at 8am the next morning the workers were scraping away at something outside so we had to keep the curtains closed.

The rooms at the front of the hotel overlooks the road and although it isn't very busy the traffic began, lightly, at 05.45 and gradually increased as the morning went on. There are rooms at the rear which should be quieter. The windows are old, wooden sash windows and a frame within the frame showed that secondary glazing panels, previously fitted, had been removed. Ideally they will be reinstalled soon.

There is a door opposite room 22 which is at the top of a set of stairs that lead down to reception. It slams closed very noisily. They need to adjust the closure rate and the final closing speed.

We ate in the restaurant that evening. I had the meat pie and chips with peas and gravy and my wife chose the Salt and Pepper Squid starter and Sea Bass and Escalope risotto. Both of which were excellent. The risotto was the best of the three by far, it was so creamy. The portions were big and very reasonably priced.

In the morning we had breakfast which, again, was great. I had the full English, my wife had scrambled eggs and salmon on sourdough bread. There was a range of fresh juices, breads for toast, pastries and croissants, unlimited teas, coffees and specialist tea bags. All in all a brilliant spread.

Throughout our stay the staff were excellent.

There is a nice courtyard type area between the rear entrance and car park with bench tables pro sit at and enjoy a glass of your favourite tipple from the hotel bar/pub part of the...

I stayed here on 9-10 Nov 2024 with my partner, going to an event nearby.

The bed was incredibly comfortable, and that's where the compliments end. Because unfortunately the lovely bed was in a room that was in this hotel, which was regrettably dreadful.

My expectations for the hotel were not great. But the location was ideal for our reason to stay. The hotel smells damp from the minute you embark on the trek to your room up the many stairs that flail off in different directions.

Our first room smelt old and mouldy - the wardrobe was unusable because of this. My partner decided to use the bath (after a quick clean) which was all going well until she tried to stop it. The cold tap wouldn't turn off, sending us into a mild panic.

I shot off an the expedition back to the reception, where I quickly interrupted the two chatting staff (still in a mild panic) to explain that we can not turn the cold water tap off in the bathroom. The response was a very serious, 'Would you like us to come and take a look?'

'Either that, or your hotel might flood, I guess!'

By now, I could have quite easily cancelled my evening plans and just driven home, but they soon realised the issues and moved us to another room. The new room (49) was much more modern - 1990's I'd say compared to 1970s in the previous room. The bathroom was less mouldy and the taps worked which was a start. The wardrobe also smelt fresher.

Despite being told when we checked in that our room was not near the downstairs wedding party, we were actually on the top floor directly right above it. So, when came back to the room at 11 ready for bed, the room was shaking and filled with the beat of what seemed like a rave downstairs.

My partner was none to pleased to say the least and shot off back on the journey down to the reception. (If you want to get your daily steps in, this may be the hotel for you if you can cope with all the other stuff BTW).

When she argued that we were told that we would be nowhere near the party, the answer was along the lines of... 'Oh no, all the rooms are either near the bar or the venue. She wouldn't have said that'.

The only plus was that the party was finishing at 11.30. So, at around 11.20 the rave stopped and we had to endure a room full of party goers hammering out Angels by Robbie Williams, followed by You'll Never Walk Alone before the music stopped and the throng of people went for a loud chat outside, right beneath out window in the car park.

Thank heavens for ear plugs.

Needless to say, We'll...

First couple nights I was saying how polite people were I felt almost at home I was away from my usual work setting trying to chill the room was very expensive 325 and for one day i extended my room i payed 85 pound and that wasnt breakfast included had to pay further 12.50 the orange juice was nice I payed for my first few days in a basic double room I was sure breakfast was included it wasn't I had to pay 12.50 on top id opted first few days no breakfast as i was on budget I was extremely disappointed n didn't eat breakfast again on the day i did have it as it was undercooked for my liking n I went to the local whetherspoons down the road it was beautiful there breakfast. The rooms in the hotel what can I say tidy yes clean no I always take a cloth with me and when I wiped the daydil in my room and skirting they were black corridors all need deep cleaning I also was bitten by something while in bed the towel I'd left dropped on bath n floor was mucky kept getting placed back on the hand rail unchanged for the 4 days the heating was never on so even if i wanted to dry my beach towel id bought with me i was unable and the staff very rude communication between the staff lacked in tremendously i had wrote a great review first day but quickly decided i had to change it I've had to remove my great recommendations as day after I wrote it staff seemed to dislike me think it was because I was popular with guest tbh maybe they were jealous people I'd met had only gone for a night extended there stay not because of the hotel but because they liked my company but the manager s miss or Mrs j was the rudest she started being rude with others n I pressuming its because they were my friend might I point out I wasn't a nuisance or a pest was out all day most days but while I was there at the hotel I felt intimidated and threatened by the staff not the customers so thank you for helping me with my mental illnesses it is contagious how you speak to people n you made me feel snappy I get one holiday a year so thanks for making it so memorable maybe concentrate on cleaning and communications between your staff as things said apparently should not have been by staff but somehow that was the customers fault you can't do your job properly my advice would be avoid this hotel i came home so I didn't get myself arrest i was so annoyed in the end couldn't...