The Ram Inn — Restaurant in Lewes

Judging by many of the other reviews on this site, our own very disappointing experience of the Ram is not unusual. The pub came highly recommended by some foodie friends, who also stay there regularly, so we booked with confidence.||Sadly, our room, Beanstalk, did not live up at all to the photos on the website and, if I had realized how very small it would be – my husband could barely stand in the very tight shower room – I would obviously have booked two rooms for our party of two adults, one tween and two dogs. ||However, at £270 for one room for one night, I rather thought we had paid enough for our accommodation! Towels and bed linen were of a very superior quality but the rest of the room exhibited extremely poor finishes? Plug sockets hung off the wall, the blinds did not work properly and the wind whistled through the latched door. There was not much in the way of sound-proofing and we did not sleep until the pub downstairs had emptied.||Patently, we appreciate that this is a very ancient building but hanging two contemporary water colours of the South Downs above the bed doesn’t necessarily explain such elevated ‘boutique hotel’ prices!||To be fair, the food, both at dinner and at breakfast the next day was generally good and not ridiculously priced. There is obviously some sort of distinction between locals/regulars and one-off residents such as ourselves and the January weekend we stayed, the pub was fairly full of parties of walkers and hikers.||As mentioned elsewhere, the service is breathtakingly poor. The team of mainly young waiters, waitresses and bar staff all looked smart enough but there were very few smiles, nor anything which might be construed as a welcome when we arrived for our £400+ stay? ||Any questions about the village and local area were met with a blank stare and try as we might, we were unable to get any member of the team to engage with us at all, let alone in a cheerful or friendly way, during our entire stay.||Surly was the name of the game, both in the evening and on the following morning and a desperate request for help, when we mislaid a wallet, again drew blank expressions and a mumbled: ‘Well, the cleaner hasn’t left anything on the bar….” I subsequently found the lost item under the (very uncomfortable) bench where we were sitting the night before. It would have been a very small gesture to have offered to help us look for it! We were not sure whether or not it was a question of shyness or lack of training but at these prices, you do not expect the staff to look as if they would rather be anywhere else but helping the paying customers in a generally friendly way!||Upon our return home, I was assailed by a number of emails asking for feedback. I duly filled out one of these forms, asking for a Ram representative to contact me to discuss the our experience before I posted anything on a public platform such as this one. No response! Hence this review.||In summary, a clearly excellent kitchen only occasionally operating to its full potential and an overall dining experience undermined by surly, young staff who need to understand rather more about ‘hospitality’ than they currently do. I have worked in the industry myself so do have some insights? ||Not at all recommended for an overnight stay in overpriced rooms. This is not central London and at these prices, any reasonable guest would expect a far higher standard of finishes and...

Judging by many of the other reviews on this site, our own very disappointing experience of the Ram is not unusual. The pub came highly recommended by some foodie friends, who also stay there regularly, so we booked with confidence.||Sadly, our room, Beanstalk, did not live up at all to the photos on the website and, if I had realized how very small it would be – my husband could barely stand in the very tight shower room – I would obviously have booked two rooms for our party of two adults, one tween and two dogs. ||However, at £270 for one room for one night, I rather thought we had paid enough for our accommodation! Towels and bed linen were of a very superior quality but the rest of the room exhibited extremely poor finishes? Plug sockets hung off the wall, the blinds did not work properly and the wind whistled through the latched door. There was not much in the way of sound-proofing and we did not sleep until the pub downstairs had emptied.||Patently, we appreciate that this is a very ancient building but hanging two contemporary water colours of the South Downs above the bed doesn’t necessarily explain such elevated ‘boutique hotel’ prices!||To be fair, the food, both at dinner and at breakfast the next day was generally good and not ridiculously priced. There is obviously some sort of distinction between locals/regulars and one-off residents such as ourselves and the January weekend we stayed, the pub was fairly full of parties of walkers and hikers.||As mentioned elsewhere, the service is breathtakingly poor. The team of mainly young waiters, waitresses and bar staff all looked smart enough but there were very few smiles, nor anything which might be construed as a welcome when we arrived for our £400+ stay? ||Any questions about the village and local area were met with a blank stare and try as we might, we were unable to get any member of the team to engage with us at all, let alone in a cheerful or friendly way, during our entire stay.||Surly was the name of the game, both in the evening and on the following morning and a desperate request for help, when we mislaid a wallet, again drew blank expressions and a mumbled: ‘Well, the cleaner hasn’t left anything on the bar….” I subsequently found the lost item under the (very uncomfortable) bench where we were sitting the night before. It would have been a very small gesture to have offered to help us look for it! We were not sure whether or not it was a question of shyness or lack of training but at these prices, you do not expect the staff to look as if they would rather be anywhere else but helping the paying customers in a generally friendly way!||Upon our return home, I was assailed by a number of emails asking for feedback. I duly filled out one of these forms, asking for a Ram representative to contact me to discuss the our experience before I posted anything on a public platform such as this one. No response! Hence this review.||In summary, a clearly excellent kitchen only occasionally operating to its full potential and an overall dining experience undermined by surly, young staff who need to understand rather more about ‘hospitality’ than they currently do. I have worked in the industry myself so do have some insights? ||Not at all recommended for an overnight stay in overpriced rooms. This is not central London and at these prices, any reasonable guest would expect a far higher standard of finishes and...

Palmed off with a filthy room.

Well, where to start with this. I’m not someone who normally complains or has ever had to cancel and leave a booked room before I’ve even stayed there. On this occasion, however I felt it was the only appropriate course of action. We arrived at the pub and were greeted by a friendly and informal manager. The pub had clearly been overstretched throughout their Sunday lunch service and they were just starting to recover. The manager then informed us that he was changing our room from the room I had specifically booked to another “nicer” room because housekeeping hadn’t been in. He didn’t seem too bothered despite the fact I’d wanted a different room. Having got in to the room it became clear that it was filthy. The sink obviously hadn’t been cleaned at all, and then sitting in the bed I realised the sheets were stained with mud and red wine and had obviously just been pulled back. The floor was muddy and had hair all over it. I understand mistakes happen but I think I lost confidence in the place as it seemed they had tried to disguise the fact the room wasn’t clean by putting in some fresh towels and making the dirty bed again, hoping we wouldn’t notice. It was quite obvious however.

This was enough for us to decide not to stay there. The bartender who dealt with us was mortified amd very helpful. The second manager who came on shift was apologetic and slightly more interested than the last one who disappeared off shift. He offered us a free stay in one of the smaller non ensuite rooms, but how could be confident in it, having been so let down and potentially deceived? It was meant to be a treat for my girlfriend’s birthday and unfortunately put a real dampener on it and I was obliged to quickly replan to save the event. Such a shame, and as I say I’m not normally a complainer.

The whole place felt like it was overstretched. Unfortunately I’ve seen many times places that rely on nice paint and a guaranteed steady stream of visitors due to its location, but apathy and greed can easily set in. If a place stops caring and just takes the money then the system can break down as in this situation. Being the only guests booked in, is it too much to ask for your room to be clean and ready? Such a let down and a shame for the birthday girl. Refund has not yet been received. (Writing the next day). Surely this should be a priority?

Also, even if the room had been cleaned it wasn’t nearly as nice as the pictures or the price would suggest. Marks all down the wall and floor. I asked if the fire was on, as we were coming in from a freezing walk. The manager glanced over at the embers and remarked something about it seeming to have burnt out and then never did anything about it despite chatting to friends at the bar.

Some serious effort...