Brilliant place, very authentic inside.Staff were excellent quick and efficient.Food was as you may expect a tad pricey and too much of some and very little of the the more expensive item on the plates.But overall it was a place to say we've been to.Walkability: Very close to the shopping sCentre.Food & drinks: Really just the same as any other medium eatery.
John Munro
Extremely rude customer service staff and receptionist that seemed to be an issue when asking for help on queries.
George Alexander Wardwell
Just ate at the restaurant but it was delicious and we were well attended too. Cozy atmosphereFood & drinks: Yummy!
Larissa Davida
I have recently stayed in one of the Intimate Rooms to celebrate our anniversary. This hotel has a lot of potential and is gorgeous with an excellent location. However, it’s definitely not worth the money. It was really noisy, the pillows were rock hard and the bed was very uncomfortable. I’ve fed this back to the receptionist at check-out and her reply that I should’ve booked a more expensive room was extremely disappointing and unprofessional to say the least. I expected more considering the price paid and they were aware that this was for our anniversary and first night away from our daughter.
A Yhk
The bed is comfy and the shower pressure is good however the heating radiator is too far from the bed and not hot enough to warm the whole room up. It would be great if there is a portable heater available in the room.
James Duckworth
We booked the Sugar luxury room to stay in Exeter to do some Xmas shopping and were impressed with the friendly service and relaxed atmosphere the cocktails were good as was the breakfast highly recommend the pancakes. All within walking distance from the
Sven B
I decided to treat myself and stay here after my Dad passed away, I was hoping to just escape life for a while, grieve in my own way and enjoy some comfort. I paid £260 a night and I was hoping the price would be justified but unfortunately it wasn’t. The room was very compact, almost claustrophobic. The bed was comfortable and the room well decorated but some marks on the furniture and dust. For this standard of hotel and the price I would have expected it to be spotless. No milk in the rooms so you have to ask reception to bring up every time which is inconvenient as well as for the staff I’m sure. Also there is a luxury snack tray and the prices are extortionate. I had to be careful not to use something in case I was charged. Bathrobes would have been nice too.I had room service many times and the staff were always friendly and proficient. The food is excellent and I would say the price is justified in this case.I would have been tempted to eat in the restaurant but there was no atmosphere and always seemed so empty. This is something I noticed upon check in. Reminded me of a bit of a hospital waiting room.I think this hotel has the potential to be one of the best and there a lot of positives as I’ve mentioned but I just can’t see myself staying again and not at these prices.
Susan Thomson
My husband and I stay for three nights and would definitely stay again. We stayed in the Silk room which was very nice, bed was comfy, sheets and linen good quality. As Jeff H commented no wardrobe which was inconvenient as we had a lot of clothes/coats. The room was lovely and warm and we loved the fact that we could open the windows. We had breakfast, which was served, which is unusual these days, it was hot, very tasty and good menu, best we have had in a hotel in a very long time. Staff, without exception, were polite, professional, friendly and very helpful. Great stay :)
Lucy Flaws
Worst night sleep, unhelpful customer service.Our room here was nice enough but an incredibly annoying, constant whirring noise kept us both up. We called the night porter who agreed it was bad and prob old pipes or the boiler. He opened another (very cold) room for us to sleep in. However, all our stuff was in the original room so we had to dip between 2 rooms. I’m 6 months pregnant so this was not ideal! After virtually no sleep we asked for a discount/room reduction. However, the manager insisted there was no noise and because we’d been allowed to sleep in another room there was no reason for a discount/compensation at all! This was very badly handled and I was very upset. Buyer beware! The place was dead, so I assume everyone else already knows this but please learn from my mistake! You’ll get no sleep and be treated poorly.
Lewis Dean
Great place for a quiet lunch away from the city centre. The garden is lovely to sit in when the weather is behaving.
This was the third hotel we stayed at on this UK trip. We arrived a few hours before the stated check in time and instead of "you can check in now, but I'll have to charge you for an extra day" we were told that the room would probably be ready in an hour - they'd let us know and we were welcome to have a drink or some lunch. We had both a drink and some lunch and then we were informed that the room was ready and our bags had already been taken upstairs. No extra charge. And unlike so many hotels these days, they actually tidy the room and change out the linens on a daily basis. Just like before Covid! The staff are delightful. After a day or so the staff get to know you and what your preferences are. They brought me glasses of water when I was sitting outside without being asked. The bartenders were very good at mixing cocktails and perfectly made drinks they were unfamiliar with. The food in the restaurant was exceptionally good, although we had one hiccup with a breakfast. We only had dinner there one evening - for a group of 8. It was a bit pricy but the service made it worth it. Very close to the cathedral and shopping. Staff suggestions for dining outside the property were mostly very good. I wish they'd had a lift as it was very difficult for me to navigate the stairs, but I was aware of that before we arrived and I managed. (They did bring the bags down for us when we checked out.) We were a group of three couples staying and they were very accommodating. Any deficiencies are made up by the excellence of the staff.
caroleg902
We frequented Southernhay House a few times these last two weeks to enjoy cocktails in the well kept garden. Lovely friendly staff and nothing was too much trouble for them. We found each experience peaceful and relaxing and it was lovely to be able to order a cheese board to accompany the red wine to have in the garden one sunny afternoon. Admittedly it is a little expensive but a lovely holiday treat for us both with a very good cocktail menu.
MrsGinty
A well presented hotel close to the city centre. Parking is not available at the hotel so we parked in a multi storey ( Princesshay ) eight minutes walk away, it cost £15 a day which was reasonable and felt secure.The hotel has a lovely history and has lots of character and we loved the stylish bar, the staff were excellent.The dining room however wasn’t very relaxing, we ate both dinner and breakfast here.The dinner was average and had a limited choice, the breakfast was fine.The steep winding stairs to the bedrooms are a challenge if like myself you are over 65 and have walking issues as their is no lift.Our room was fine ( called Silk ) but our main issue was an incredibly annoying intermittent whirring noise which kept us awake at night, not sure whether it was water pipes or a pump.The manager told us you get noises in old buildings.We never requested any financial compensation for this issue and none was offered by the hotel.A good nights sleep is a very important part of our stay and for this reason we would never stay at Southernhay House Hotel again.I would suggest that the owners try sleeping in this room to identify the issue.The bedroom was tired and needs a refresh at this tariff and we had to sit on the bed as the chairs looked nice but were low and not very comfortable.There was no wardrobe but five wooden knobs on the wall behind the bedroom door with five clothes hangers on which was impractical next to the television.The room colour scheme was quite dark and the heavy voile curtain didn’t look clean.The standard of cleaning in the bedroom wasn’t great and the skirting boards around the bedside tables and bed were very dirty.The en suite shower room though was superb, very modern and beautifully fitted out, light bright and clean.The wifi connection in this front facing bedroom was good.Sadly due to the noise issue we would not stay here again and as a retired person I now need a lift when carrying luggage as the stairs are difficult, there are hotels in this area with this facility and also onsite parking.
MetalPixies
We had wanted to stay in the hotel for our son's graduation (we have stayed here before and enjoyed it) but they were fully booked so we opted to just have a meal in the restaurant to celebrate. When we booked (in February for a meal in July) we were required to pay a £20 deposit per head and commit to leaving the restaurant in time for the second sitting. We didn't have an issue with this as we expected the restaurant to be full. However when we arrived in July for our meal we were very surprised to see a completely empty restaurant! Bear in mind the hotel itself was fully booked so where were they all? By the end of the meal there were only 2 other tables occupied with a total of 4 other diners. The food was fine, it was ok. I think the issue was they had totally priced themselves out of the market. We paid around £60 per head for only 2 courses and no alcohol, and for this price we honestly expected something amazing and it just wasn't. It was good but it wasn't exceptional and certainly not special enough to warrant the price. It was so disappointing as we wanted to do something special to celebrate out son's graduation. The restaurant lacked atmosphere a it was so empty. The one plus was the waitress who was great - friendly and attentive but not intrusive. Based on this experience we won't ever stay there again, and certainly won't eat there again as we left feeling like we'd been duped.
Darren Kaye
Aesthetically looks nice, but if you want a night's sleep you need to avoid.There is no double glazing (assume it's a listed building so can understand) for a start so you can hear everyone that walks by.On top of this, the room we stayed in had a very loud noise all night from the pipes in the wall. After a few hours we spoke to the night porter who was helpful and when he heard the noise too let us sleep in another bed.When we told the hotel manager about the issue they replied to say they couldn't hear anything so would not compensate!Finally the breakfast was very greasy and overpriced.
Brilliant place, very authentic inside.Staff were excellent quick and efficient.Food was as you may expect a tad pricey and too much of some and very little of the the more expensive item on the plates.But overall it was a place to say we've been to.Walkability: Very close to the shopping sCentre.Food & drinks: Really just the same as any other medium eatery.
Extremely rude customer service staff and receptionist that seemed to be an issue when asking for help on queries.
Just ate at the restaurant but it was delicious and we were well attended too. Cozy atmosphereFood & drinks: Yummy!
I have recently stayed in one of the Intimate Rooms to celebrate our anniversary. This hotel has a lot of potential and is gorgeous with an excellent location. However, it’s definitely not worth the money. It was really noisy, the pillows were rock hard and the bed was very uncomfortable. I’ve fed this back to the receptionist at check-out and her reply that I should’ve booked a more expensive room was extremely disappointing and unprofessional to say the least. I expected more considering the price paid and they were aware that this was for our anniversary and first night away from our daughter.
The bed is comfy and the shower pressure is good however the heating radiator is too far from the bed and not hot enough to warm the whole room up. It would be great if there is a portable heater available in the room.
We booked the Sugar luxury room to stay in Exeter to do some Xmas shopping and were impressed with the friendly service and relaxed atmosphere the cocktails were good as was the breakfast highly recommend the pancakes. All within walking distance from the
I decided to treat myself and stay here after my Dad passed away, I was hoping to just escape life for a while, grieve in my own way and enjoy some comfort. I paid £260 a night and I was hoping the price would be justified but unfortunately it wasn’t. The room was very compact, almost claustrophobic. The bed was comfortable and the room well decorated but some marks on the furniture and dust. For this standard of hotel and the price I would have expected it to be spotless. No milk in the rooms so you have to ask reception to bring up every time which is inconvenient as well as for the staff I’m sure. Also there is a luxury snack tray and the prices are extortionate. I had to be careful not to use something in case I was charged. Bathrobes would have been nice too.I had room service many times and the staff were always friendly and proficient. The food is excellent and I would say the price is justified in this case.I would have been tempted to eat in the restaurant but there was no atmosphere and always seemed so empty. This is something I noticed upon check in. Reminded me of a bit of a hospital waiting room.I think this hotel has the potential to be one of the best and there a lot of positives as I’ve mentioned but I just can’t see myself staying again and not at these prices.
My husband and I stay for three nights and would definitely stay again. We stayed in the Silk room which was very nice, bed was comfy, sheets and linen good quality. As Jeff H commented no wardrobe which was inconvenient as we had a lot of clothes/coats. The room was lovely and warm and we loved the fact that we could open the windows. We had breakfast, which was served, which is unusual these days, it was hot, very tasty and good menu, best we have had in a hotel in a very long time. Staff, without exception, were polite, professional, friendly and very helpful. Great stay :)
Worst night sleep, unhelpful customer service.Our room here was nice enough but an incredibly annoying, constant whirring noise kept us both up. We called the night porter who agreed it was bad and prob old pipes or the boiler. He opened another (very cold) room for us to sleep in. However, all our stuff was in the original room so we had to dip between 2 rooms. I’m 6 months pregnant so this was not ideal! After virtually no sleep we asked for a discount/room reduction. However, the manager insisted there was no noise and because we’d been allowed to sleep in another room there was no reason for a discount/compensation at all! This was very badly handled and I was very upset. Buyer beware! The place was dead, so I assume everyone else already knows this but please learn from my mistake! You’ll get no sleep and be treated poorly.
Great place for a quiet lunch away from the city centre. The garden is lovely to sit in when the weather is behaving.
Restaurantji Recommends
This was the third hotel we stayed at on this UK trip. We arrived a few hours before the stated check in time and instead of "you can check in now, but I'll have to charge you for an extra day" we were told that the room would probably be ready in an hour - they'd let us know and we were welcome to have a drink or some lunch. We had both a drink and some lunch and then we were informed that the room was ready and our bags had already been taken upstairs. No extra charge. And unlike so many hotels these days, they actually tidy the room and change out the linens on a daily basis. Just like before Covid! The staff are delightful. After a day or so the staff get to know you and what your preferences are. They brought me glasses of water when I was sitting outside without being asked. The bartenders were very good at mixing cocktails and perfectly made drinks they were unfamiliar with. The food in the restaurant was exceptionally good, although we had one hiccup with a breakfast. We only had dinner there one evening - for a group of 8. It was a bit pricy but the service made it worth it. Very close to the cathedral and shopping. Staff suggestions for dining outside the property were mostly very good. I wish they'd had a lift as it was very difficult for me to navigate the stairs, but I was aware of that before we arrived and I managed. (They did bring the bags down for us when we checked out.) We were a group of three couples staying and they were very accommodating. Any deficiencies are made up by the excellence of the staff.
We frequented Southernhay House a few times these last two weeks to enjoy cocktails in the well kept garden. Lovely friendly staff and nothing was too much trouble for them. We found each experience peaceful and relaxing and it was lovely to be able to order a cheese board to accompany the red wine to have in the garden one sunny afternoon. Admittedly it is a little expensive but a lovely holiday treat for us both with a very good cocktail menu.
A well presented hotel close to the city centre. Parking is not available at the hotel so we parked in a multi storey ( Princesshay ) eight minutes walk away, it cost £15 a day which was reasonable and felt secure.The hotel has a lovely history and has lots of character and we loved the stylish bar, the staff were excellent.The dining room however wasn’t very relaxing, we ate both dinner and breakfast here.The dinner was average and had a limited choice, the breakfast was fine.The steep winding stairs to the bedrooms are a challenge if like myself you are over 65 and have walking issues as their is no lift.Our room was fine ( called Silk ) but our main issue was an incredibly annoying intermittent whirring noise which kept us awake at night, not sure whether it was water pipes or a pump.The manager told us you get noises in old buildings.We never requested any financial compensation for this issue and none was offered by the hotel.A good nights sleep is a very important part of our stay and for this reason we would never stay at Southernhay House Hotel again.I would suggest that the owners try sleeping in this room to identify the issue.The bedroom was tired and needs a refresh at this tariff and we had to sit on the bed as the chairs looked nice but were low and not very comfortable.There was no wardrobe but five wooden knobs on the wall behind the bedroom door with five clothes hangers on which was impractical next to the television.The room colour scheme was quite dark and the heavy voile curtain didn’t look clean.The standard of cleaning in the bedroom wasn’t great and the skirting boards around the bedside tables and bed were very dirty.The en suite shower room though was superb, very modern and beautifully fitted out, light bright and clean.The wifi connection in this front facing bedroom was good.Sadly due to the noise issue we would not stay here again and as a retired person I now need a lift when carrying luggage as the stairs are difficult, there are hotels in this area with this facility and also onsite parking.
We had wanted to stay in the hotel for our son's graduation (we have stayed here before and enjoyed it) but they were fully booked so we opted to just have a meal in the restaurant to celebrate. When we booked (in February for a meal in July) we were required to pay a £20 deposit per head and commit to leaving the restaurant in time for the second sitting. We didn't have an issue with this as we expected the restaurant to be full. However when we arrived in July for our meal we were very surprised to see a completely empty restaurant! Bear in mind the hotel itself was fully booked so where were they all? By the end of the meal there were only 2 other tables occupied with a total of 4 other diners. The food was fine, it was ok. I think the issue was they had totally priced themselves out of the market. We paid around £60 per head for only 2 courses and no alcohol, and for this price we honestly expected something amazing and it just wasn't. It was good but it wasn't exceptional and certainly not special enough to warrant the price. It was so disappointing as we wanted to do something special to celebrate out son's graduation. The restaurant lacked atmosphere a it was so empty. The one plus was the waitress who was great - friendly and attentive but not intrusive. Based on this experience we won't ever stay there again, and certainly won't eat there again as we left feeling like we'd been duped.
Aesthetically looks nice, but if you want a night's sleep you need to avoid.There is no double glazing (assume it's a listed building so can understand) for a start so you can hear everyone that walks by.On top of this, the room we stayed in had a very loud noise all night from the pipes in the wall. After a few hours we spoke to the night porter who was helpful and when he heard the noise too let us sleep in another bed.When we told the hotel manager about the issue they replied to say they couldn't hear anything so would not compensate!Finally the breakfast was very greasy and overpriced.