The White Buck, Burley — Restaurant in New Forest

My fiancé and I stayed at The White Buck over a weekend break in the New Forest. The interior aesthetics and atmosphere were rather nice, with a cosy fire in the entrance hall, wooden interior and a sophisticated feel to the restaurant bar area. The room we stayed in (cosy room) was pleasant, clean and we could see it was looked after fairly well. However, there were a few points that we would definitely encourage them to improve on.

1. We felt that the staff at times were generally a bit stand offish and unapologetically matter-of-fact, a bit more of a hospitable and friendly manner would have gone a long way to making the place more enjoyable for guests. It’s such a minor change which really does make all the difference. One example I can give would be on our first night during dinner, I ordered a glass of wine which they poured then left on the side of the bar, it was there for 15 minutes (I timed it, sad I know but I did). When I asked the member of staff if that was my glass, they simply said “oh yeah” then gave it to me without an apology for the inconvenience. Another is waiting at the bar. During what looked like exceptionally busy times they felt that 1 person behind the bar was sufficient with over 6 people waiting for an order. I saw 2 members of staff to the side of the bar just chatting away, clearly seeing the situation but not acting on it.

2. The breakfasts were average to poor. I ordered a full English which cost £12 that consisted of 1 small sausage, 1 rasher of bacon, massively overdone scrambled egg, 1 tomato, 1 black pudding and a tiny portion of baked beans. I could have gotten around 3 times as much food for under half the price in my local greasy spoon, and frankly the quality tasted the same. Similarly, my fiancé had avocado toast which looked like the chef hastily and crassly put together. An improvement here is essential.

3. Quite noticeable limescale at the opening of the bathroom tap in the bedroom. This could be scrubbed off quite quickly with a bit of elbow grease and it’s a shame as the room as whole was pretty good except this minor issue.

4. Although this is not The White Buck’s fault, the boiler broke and we had no hot water for half of our stay. They did offer to give us 50% off our next stay and 50% off one night of the stay which we received gratefully. While I appreciate the gesture they really should have had backup immersion heaters, I’d think that this is a standard plumbing arrangement for a hotel establishment; and I was disappointed that this wasn’t installed here.

Overall I would say the experience here was average to OK, if they improve on the points we would go back in...

We visited on a Wednesday evening, we were given the keys to our room. We were a bit disappointed with the size of the room as my husband had stayed in the same room on his own. It wasn’t very large but was fine for one night for the two of us and a large dog. We got showered and went down to dinner, there were plenty of towels and a dressing gown and slippers.|We sat in the bar for dinner which was pleasant enough. We ordered a bottle of fizz and I ordered the fish & chips which didn’t take too long to come, the chips were hot under the fish but the fish was warm, the peas were different colours with mint sauce in them and again were just warm. The batter on the fish wasn’t crispy in the slightest but edible apart from the skin which the dog enjoyed. My husband ordered the pie and he said it was very nice and tasty. |After dinner we retired to bed to finish our drinks. The bed was very comfortable and large with a good sized tv. They had tea and coffee making facilities but no milk, not much good when you only drink breakfast tea. |We went down for breakfast the next morning after a decent sleep. I ordered the eggs Benedict and my husband poached eggs, there were cereals and fruit etc to help yourself too. It was great as our dog loves melon & pineapple. Our breakfast came very quickly, unfortunately the eggs were boiled hard and tasted very strongly of vinegar. I sent mine back and the lady explained how you put vinegar in poached eggs. Yes I know that but not to the extent where you can taste it. My husband fed his two eggs to the dog and left the toast. When my eggs came out for the second time they were much better in looks and taste, the sauce had been put in to a small jug but it was very difficult to get out as it wouldn’t pour. The breakfast room was pleasant and light.|I will add that this is a dog friendly hotel and it seems it as you walk into the initial lobby, there are no water bowls or blankets inside the bar or restaurant. There are no facilities in the room for dogs, no fridge for fresh food, no water bowl or food bowl, no blanket or bed and your pets aren’t allowed on the furniture. We had an awful view over the back of the kitchen, plus we’re bewildered why my husband was given a dog friendly room when he stayed on his own last time?|Would we visit again not unless we had no where else to stay in the area. I think it is more of a retired persons place to stay and I wouldn’t recommend the grounds to walk your dog in as there is no nice grassed area just Astro turf around the beer garden. Not one of the staff acknowledged our dog or offered water which begs the question are you employing dog...

Lots of positives !|Lovely property, in Burley, New Forest on the doorstep! Walking is easy from the hotel to explore the New Forest. Other lovely villages and towns nearby.|The hotel reception and the lovely receptionist, are great. Easy and very friendly check in, the lovely lady gave us lots of information.||The bedroom|The room was a premium room, tucked away along winding corridors of this lovely building. The room sadly was not value for money. Great room, with a bath in the room, in an open plan set up, plus a separate shower, toilet and sink in a separate small bathroom. There were towels over the bath but none in the bathroom. ||Not sure the open plan bath setup works in this type of room. I feel (having stayed in a variety of hotels regularly and for my work as well) A larger space is needed for that set up. |The mattress was sadly terrible, my boyfriend and I did not sleep well. The mattress was a thin cheap mattress, which hurt! I feel for a high price tag for this room, these issues shouldn't exist.. The sash windows need cleaning between the sash's! Fix the Velux window blind.||I feel for a very premium price tag, attention to detail is key, and quality I would expect.||Nice room touches, no fridge, however, in the landing hallway is a lovely idea of a glass fridge, with little bottles of milk, you can help yourself for your teas and coffees in your room. There were a couple of biscuits and a complimentary bottle of beer and water. There are bathroom robes as well.||The Bar/Dining Room|We had dinner in the restaurant. Disappointing. Steak, seemed broiled or re-heated, zero seasoning, poor quality meat. Expensive and definitely not value for money. Really good wines/menu.|The server's were delightful, really lovely.||Breakfast|Was delightful, buffet choices for cereals, toast, fruit, yoghurts, juice was all amazing as was the full English breakfast.||Overall, a lovely place for a New Forest break. Such a shame the room wasn't quite up to par for a high price tag. Investment in a much better quality mattress, would be good, and at least hand towels in...