Chequers — Restaurant in Wealden

Review of Chequers Inn by Greene King Inns (Room 9, Third Floor)

I recently stayed at Chequers Inn by Greene King Inns in Maresfield and unfortunately had a rather disappointing experience. My partner and I booked Room 9 on the third floor for a two-night stay, and from the moment we checked in, we were met with a series of disappointments.

Upon entering the room, we were immediately greeted by an unpleasant odor. It was quite off-putting and definitely not what one would expect from a hotel room. The room faced east, which meant it received a lot of sunlight during the day, causing it to become uncomfortably hot. To our dismay, the sliding window could only be opened a mere two inches, providing inadequate ventilation.

The most frustrating aspect of the room was the blinds. They were pathetically inadequate, white, and see-through. As early as 5 am, (the picture here attached is the room at 5:15am) the room was flooded with daylight due to the sheer amount of light that passed through the flimsy blinds. This made it nearly impossible to sleep comfortably, and it was undeniably the most bothersome aspect of our stay.

I must mention the state of the bathroom in Room 9. The shower, along with the showers in other guest rooms on the third floor, did not work properly. The water pressure was extremely low, and it merely trickled out, making it nearly impossible to enjoy a refreshing shower. When my companion and I brought this matter to the attention of the staff and requested the manager to take a look at it, we were met with indifference. We were informed that the manager didn't have the time to address the issue and that any help he could give, wouldn't make much difference. This lack of concern regarding such a fundamental aspect of the room was disappointing and further added to our overall dissatisfaction.

Regrettably, the disappointing experience continued into the breakfast service. We decided to give the breakfast a try, but at £10 per person, our expectations were not met. The food served was far from appetising and seemed to have been microwaved without care. The bacon was excessively crispy and hard, the beans were dry, the eggs were mushy and cracked, and the sausages were pale and undercooked. The overall quality of the breakfast was subpar, leaving us unsatisfied and disheartened.

To add to our disappointment, when we inquired if it would be possible to enjoy our breakfast outside, the manager hastily refused, stating that the place was only set up for indoor dining. We were simply asking to take our plates and cutlery outside to make the most of the limited British sunshine, but our request was abruptly dismissed.

Furthermore, on Friday night, while enjoying drinks with friends and fellow wedding guests, we were approached by a younger barman around 10 pm. In a rather embarrassing manner, he asked us to stop singing or threatened to send us to our rooms. This unexpected reprimand left us feeling both ashamed and taken aback.

In summary, my experience at Chequers Inn by Greene King Inns, particularly in Room 9, was far from satisfactory. The room had an unpleasant odour, inadequate ventilation, and flimsy blinds that failed to block out the early morning sunlight. The breakfast was of poor quality, and the manager's refusal to accommodate a simple request to dine outside was disappointing. Lastly, being chastised for singing in the presence of other guests left a negative impression. I hope that the management takes these concerns into account and works towards improving the overall...

Lovely setting for a hotel. Plenty of parking, lovely garden/terrace area. The reception and bar area are fantastic and the well inside is a terrific feature. Staff were friendly and approachable too. Breakfast in the morning was nice, with a large menu plus well stocked breakfast bar, and while the double bed was small for a hotel of that standard it was very comfortable. That's the good.

The bad... bathroom in particular was dirty, the mirrors and sink had been cleaned but there were hairs on the floor and a pube lurking on the floor by the sink - the suit of thing you only notice when you are sat on the throne! The windows in the bathroom didn't open and there was no other ventilation, consequently the entire room steamed up when the shower was running, which wasn't helped by the fact that you couldn't open the window in the bedroom unless it was propped open - further exacerbating the problem was the fact that the shower was stuck on "boil". There was a can of Special Brew on the roof outside the window, which was surprising given the good choice of beers available from the well appointed bar downstairs... There were 4 downlights in room, one bulb was out, which wasn't a huge problem, or maybe it is if you consider 25% of the lights weren't working. No lamps by the beside though. There were odd stains on the wall in the room and on the blind in the bathroom. We also had a camp bed in the room which felt a lot like being eaten by a Venus flytrap, but considering this was an extra that we wouldn't have expected the hotel to provide us with its not something to grumble about!

All in all it wasn't too bad. The hotel has a lot going for it but if our room was typical then a refurb of the accommodation would add a huge deal. As well as a keener eye for spotting errant cans of lager. Everything outside of the room...

An overnight stop in a convenient location. Room was clean although staircase and corridor leading to it a bit scruffy, carpet in particular. Very hot in the room as the window only opened a few inches. I had to ask someone to do it as it was very stiff. At least there was a fan provided. Bathroom was fine - clean and with good towels. Evening meal was good value and tasty. Pubby part was very noisy and as it adjoins the restaurant part I could hear all this while eating. The breakfast was very disappointing from the start - a few slices of white bread for DIY toast, a couple of crumpets curling at the edges, cereal wrongly labelled, thermos jug of hot water for making tea. This never tastes good and I didn't touch it. No decaff tea bags anyway. The orange juice had to suffice. I wanted scrambled eggs and avocado on sourdough toast and after a bit of juggling the 'waitress' managed to enter it on the till. Apparently the set menu is what they work to and that has poached eggs. When it arrived I couldn't cut the toast with the blunt knife, the avocado tasted revolting so I scraped off the scrambled egg and just ate that. Very disappointing for the money. Needless to say I won't...