Walhampton Arms — Restaurant in New Forest

I am not one to complain & have thought long and hard about writing this, hence the time frame since staying there. |My Daughter & I booked a one night stay as a treat as I am unwell & could not afford a full week anywhere. I always read trip advisor so was confident in my booking. On arrival we were met by a rather serious gentleman, I initially wondered if it was because he was really busy multitasking but there were no other customers in the pub. Having spent a lovely day together, my daughter & I were rather upbeat & chatty however, this was clearly not shared by this gentleman who robotically informed us what room we had been allocated & handed us the key before disappearing rapidly incase we attempted to converse once again.|When we got in the room, we were initially pleased. The bed was a good size, the linen looked fresh and was of fair quality and there were complimentary drinks and shortbread. Sadly there was a considerable amount of dust & numerous cobwebs but we took that into consideration as we were in the New Forest but having said that, they did look pretty well established as did the many cup rings on the woodwork. It was when I opened the bathroom door that it went further down hill as the smell of mildew was very strong indeed! When I went into the bathroom, the cause was extremely clear as all of the grouting in the shower and the sealant around the shower door was black with mould/mildew & the overall cleanliness was pretty poor. With the smell so strong I went back to the gentleman in charge to explain & asked if he could do something about it please. He responded with 'well we have never had anyone else say this & what do you want me to do?' I was rather taken aback by this as I thought he would have provided a professional response. He then added, 'your a woman, so tell me what you want to sort this?' I had no idea how to respond & just stood there. He wandered off, returning a minute or so later with a bottle of bleach that he held out to me saying 'there you are'! |I realise I should not have taken it but I am not a confident individual so I set too & cleaned the bathroom to remove as much of the problem as I could to reduce the smell. |We returned for dinner that eve and my daughter had fish and chips, she could barely eat it as the batter was like wall paper paste and gloopy. I wanted to complain but the same gentleman was there & I did not want another confrontation so I ordered her a take away afterwards.|We did sleep well and the bed was comfortable. When we arrived for breakfast he was there again & as we walked in he said 'sit anywhere' so we sat where we had the previous eve. When he came to take the order he then said 'why are you sat here? this is not the breakfast area?' Sadly I am not telepathic so was unaware that the breakfast eating area was not included in the 'sit anywhere'. The french toast that arrived was inedible, so soggy and mushy, I could not face telling him, so I wrapped it in my napkin to dispose of afterwards. Thank goodness there were some cereals, otherwise it would have been a repeat of the previous eve. |I am so...

what a shame! the rooms and pub and surrounding area is beautiful, but the service was very let down by unreliable staff, the owners were lovely and couldn't do enough for you, but staff not turning up for work is a disgrace and those that let the owners down should be ashamed of themselves. We stayed for a night and got up in time for the opening of the 8.30 breakfast but the service did not open until 8.50am as the owner was let down by staff no show, I felt extremely sorry for them as this added so much pressure to one person doing all the cooking and service for a full B&B so there were at least 15 people if not more waiting to be fed, we ended up leaving without breakfast and when i handed my key back I just wanted to give the owner a cuddle as she must have been distraught! There were a couple of B&B'ers outside that said they would offer to give a hand and I so hope they did. If this place could get reliable staff the place would be a gold mine, as the setting and lodges are stunning. I think there are a few tricks being missed with evening entertainment, live music etc, not bands but maybe a singer or musician to draw in the crowds, local advertising etc, the night we were there, there was a steady flow of customers who came and went, but obviously what you want is people to stay and spend, so I think the added addition of music would possibly draw in the crowds with the right advertising, once the pub is an established favourite you'll them get excellent staff, we would then return as the place is really beautiful. The rooms accept dogs which is a massive bonus, the rooms are very well appointed with lots of space and fantastic bathrooms.

I would definitely return if staffing issues were fixed and some sort of entertainment were added and this place really could be a buzzing place to go.

I really wanted to give it 5* but there are issues that need...

Upon arrival, a member of staff saw us arriving and asked us if we were dining. I said that we phoned and booked a table. A few moments and the waitress staired at the seating plan confused about something. Found to have been booked on two tables. Eventualy gave us one table for 3 and asked if we would like drinks, so far so good! We raed the menu's provided and decided to have the Carvery, when we got up to advance to the serving area, were told we require tickets to be allowed a meal. Tickets were given by a waiter who was very full of himself and I feel did not need to say cheeky inuendo's to please customers merely a polite exchange would have sufficed. Meal was quite good but staff on 2 occasions within 5 minutes asked if the the meal was OK. Staff did not know what to do around customers and no set of tables were allocated to specific staff to manage, it was a free for all! Finally, the chap who obviously loves drama explained how he put Sherry in the Sherry Trifle like no other and was sorry on this occasion that there was no Sherry in the Sherry Trifle but was greatful for the feedback, still paid the same though! Feedback is that there are far better places to get a meal in the area and I for one will not ever...