From all the negative reviews on here we were hoping for the best & this us what we gut! Friendly attentive staff, spectacular views of the River Exe. Amazing fresh carvery with a huge selection of lovely veg. Great puddings. Not to be kissed! Ignore the bad reviews & give it a try .
markwJ2171WM
Put simply on our way west, needing a quick dog friendly lunch we came across your web entry...it looked and sounded good, but a battered, grubby venue awaited us. Staffed with lacklustre waiters serving lukewarm food after a 25 minute wait. Avoid this dump at all costs, until the kitchen speeds up and the staff learn to smile and interact...a great game in the meantime is to count the number of paint chips you can see from your seat..
GoldenAndBrown
Visited today. We often visit Fisherman's Cot as a halfway meeting point for lunch with friends. Usually busy, order taken and just over 1 hour later food was on the table. Staff were very polite and attentive however the Chili and chips I ordered had a pitifully small portion on the Chili side, approx 2-3 dessert spoons full, the chips portion was okay. Admittedly it was from the lighter menu so be warned. Time taken to serve to table not justified. Great location.
Pxxc
DO NOT EAT OR STAY HERE We recently ate and stayed in Fishermans Cot and the experience was so awful I feel the need to warn others. I have stayed at many hotels in my lifetime and this was the worse by far. We booked 2 separate bedrooms for the night and were given our keys and told to head towards the ‘chalet’ through the car park. Upon entering the chalet, the entrance was in a very poor state of repair, a very strong smell of damp, the carpet was filthy, cleaning products left in the hallway and we discovered the front door had a broken lock. One of the lower rooms looked like it had blood or excrement on the doors. We proceeded to our rooms and found the doors wide open with more cleaning fluids left in the middle of the room. In both rooms, there was a very strong smell of damp, the window ledges were black with mould and again, the carpet was filthy and in one of the rooms the toilet seat was hanging off. We were also kept awake all night due to the noise of the bedroom downstairs, the noise was so loud and at one point heard a lady screaming so we went down to check and discovered one bedroom and 8 people inside! We ate in the restaurant and had a 1.5 hour wait for our food, despite having our young son with us and asking if his food could be bought out earlier. As we were waiting many other tables were complaining about the food and walking out – I guess due to the long wait as well as the awful food. This is honestly one of the worse places I have stayed, all the images on the website are false advertising as they are nothing like the actual rooms. Despite calling the hotel to complain, no one has bothered to call me back within the last 2 weeks so clearly their customer services isn’t up to much either. Being in such a beaufiul part of the country, I am sure there are many other places to stay, please do not stay here. You will be very disappointed.
malcolmc998
A lovely location with picturesque river and waterfall flowing under an old arched bridge. The rooms are adequate but basic, no chester draws and the wardrobe is a rail within a wooden frame. The staff are extremely helpful, the restaurant is packed each night and the breakfasts and evening meals are very good. The building would benefit from a 'lick' of paint and the garden areas would definitely benefit from 'cutting back' and pruning. It is well worth a visit .
samanthacW8923BO
Disappointed with our stay room no 12 was by the main entrance to the lodge rooms and the main entrance door was faulty and banged closed everytime someone came in. Bathroom was full of black mould and extractor fan sounded like a washing machine on spin. Bath water was slow to drain away and when shower used you had to stand in half a bath of dirty water as it did not drain away quickly. Cobwebs all over the bedroom that had been there for a while not just a little one they were thick. Outside terrace to room very sad and needed painting. Customer service at front desk was not sure what to do about my complaint face to face and said they would wait for my email! Was really not happy to be addressed as sweetie by the counter staff not professional for guests. paid £115 for this room with out breakfast. On arrival we were advised the TV stations in this room were faulty only channel 4 available. Have emailed the company on their main website feedback page and messages on messenger direct as of yet no answer. requesting full payment back appalling stay in a very tired damp mouldy out building. Photos are available and have been sent privately.
jtommo63
what a disappointment, on arrival we checked in to room 4, there is a large sliding patio door that opens on to a small poorly maintained terrace, unfortunately the door would not lock, there was also a distinct smell of damp and on further inspection the whole room felt damp with black mould in places, we went back to reception and a member of housekeeping came to take a look at the lock and informed us they were aware of this as it had been previously brought to their attention, they tried without success to lock the door, we pointed out the damp which was rather dismissed, we were offered another room which was worse than the one we had, we decided to get a refund and find somewhere else to stay. there was no issue with the refund and the staff were helpful and polite. on reflection the accommodation block is rundown and in need of demolition, they sell the accommodation on the idyllic location.
Getaway50655506132
We visited on Sunday afternoon for tea with the family whilst on holiday from Scotland. Service (from Lewis) was absolutely outstanding, he really looked after us and was great with the kids too. Food was enjoyable and setting beautiful.
laurensS5131II
Booked a table for on a Saturday evening, given menus once seated and told the waitress would be over to take our drinks order shortly. Well, shortly turned out to be false and service was awful throughout the night. Were not advised that certain items were not available until after ordering and food with missing parts were delivered to the table. Had to ask for our drinks to be delivered to the table several times, a medium to well done steak was so rare it was still mooing. The ham hock was delicious when it arrived, although meals were brought out at staggered times so no one was eating at the same time...we were only a table of 4! No one came to check if everything was ok with our meals. Could not get the attention of waitresses, had to ask a few of them to get any service and eventually the bill. Unfortunately, this has marred our experience and we will not be returning.
richarwalker46
Fisherman's Cot is a lovely spot on the road from Exeter to Tirverton. We stopped for lunch and a break from driving. The River Exe, with its weirs, rushed under an ancient arched stone bridge made a lovely relaxing scene while we ate. It was so dramatic and beautiful, we took photos to print to canvas and hang in our TV room. This was in 2018 and it was a great memory.
Restaurantji Recommends
peterandmary2017
We had lunch at the cot four at our table.the food was excellent.the three courses we had were very prompt arriving. our waitress jade was 1st class.very efficient friendly and a good conversationalist.we had a thoroughly enjoyable experience. I would recommend the cot to anyone Thankyou
S6blr
We stayed there for several nights recently and were pleasantly surprised given some of the negatives posted here. We were lodged in the annex, in a room with a VERY comfy bed and nice sliding door onto private area. The food is very decent pub grub, prices reasonable, and staff accomodating/friendly. Only things we found slightly disappointing is the property needs a lick of paint, and new carpets in the rooms/common areas.
Steve Bragg
Nice situation, shame about the quality and staff!
We stayed at the Fisherman’s Cot for my birthday weekend. Despite the nice situation, on the river Exe, the place itself is tired and run down.
In three days no attempt was made to make up our room at all! I have never been in a “hotel” where the room has not been made up. If we wanted to deal with bed turning, towel stacking and so on we would have stayed at home, not in a nearly £100 a night “hotel”.
On the 2nd night, my birthday night, we decided to stay in so we could have a few “bevies” without worrying about driving. What a mistake!
For drinks we ordered some gin and tonics. Only to be told that they did not have any “real” tonic, just light tonic – the one where you can taste the artificial sweeteners! So had to think about other drinks. My wife asked for a Campari and soda – no Campari! Unbelievable!
The wife of my cousin asked for an Aperol Spritz. They had no idea what this was or how to make it!
Dinner was an experience….
I ordered a Rib Eye steak, only for the person serving us to be told they did not have any, by someone passing the table at the time. There was no pre-warning.
After some thought I ordered Surf and Turf. My cousin ordered lasagne and announced it was dry and tasteless. Eventually my Surf and Turf arrived, minus the prawns. I asked the waitress where the prawns were. She looked at me as though I had three heads! She scuttled of, never to be seen again. Whilst waiting I tried the Sirloin steak, which was actually tougher than an old boot! So I summoned what I thought was the floor manager who just shrugged his shoulders when I remonstrated with him over the tough steak and the missing prawns. “Don’t you want it then” he said. I said no and he took the plate away.
By this time everyone else had finished their meal and I was still yet to eat anything.
I asked for the grilled chicken and salad. Chicken was dry and over cooked!
Apart from one person, I won’t name her in case the other staff pick on her, all the staff were surly. Well the evening staff. You got the distinct feeling that they were doing you a favour by serving you at all!
By the way don’t ask for anything special for tea. Their tea selection was HUGE – English breakfast tea, that was it! No green tea, no Earl Grey, no nothing!
Back to the room. When we arrived we were told that the two keys on our key fob was for the external door to our “lodge” and the room key. Well we got to the “lodge” only to find that the external door had no lock on it at all. It was missing. So much for security.
This is not a place to stay at. Avoid, avoid!
K9245KJsteveb
Nice situation, shame about the quality and staff! We stayed at the Fisherman’s Cot for my birthday weekend. Despite the nice situation, on the river Exe, the place itself is tired and run down. In three days no attempt was made to make up our room at all! I have never been in a “hotel” where the room has not been made up. If we wanted to deal with bed turning, towel stacking and so on we would have stayed at home, not in a nearly £100 a night “hotel”. On the 2nd night, my birthday night, we decided to stay in so we could have a few “bevies” without worrying about driving. What a mistake! For drinks we ordered some gin and tonics. Only to be told that they did not have any “real” tonic, just light tonic – the one where you can taste the artificial sweeteners! So had to think about other drinks. My wife asked for a Campari and soda – no Campari! Unbelievable! The wife of my cousin asked for an Aperol Spritz. They had no idea what this was or how to make it! Dinner was an experience…. I ordered a Rib Eye steak, only for the person serving us to be told they did not have any, by someone passing the table at the time. There was no pre-warning. After some thought I ordered Surf and Turf. My cousin ordered lasagne and announced it was dry and tasteless. Eventually my Surf and Turf arrived, minus the prawns. I asked the waitress where the prawns were. She looked at me as though I had three heads! She scuttled of, never to be seen again. Whilst waiting I tried the Sirloin steak, which was actually tougher than an old boot! So I summoned what I thought was the floor manager who just shrugged his shoulders when I remonstrated with him over the tough steak and the missing prawns. “Don’t you want it then” he said. I said no and he took the plate away. By this time everyone else had finished their meal and I was still yet to eat anything. I asked for the grilled chicken and salad. Chicken was dry and over cooked! Apart from one person, I won’t name her in case the other staff pick on her, all the staff were surly. Well the evening staff. You got the distinct feeling that they were doing you a favour by serving you at all! By the way don’t ask for anything special for tea. Their tea selection was HUGE – English breakfast tea, that was it! No green tea, no Earl Grey, no nothing! Back to the room. When we arrived we were told that the two keys on our key fob was for the external door to our “lodge” and the room key. Well we got to the “lodge” only to find that the external door had no lock on it at all. It was missing. So much for security. This is not a place to stay at. Avoid, avoid!
Emma Coles
A staff member very rude. Tried to book a table all week for a special occasion Left messages no call back. Unhelpful staff Sharna, we were told fully booked no food available this was at 6pm lots of free tables. Made to sit at table 130 onwards out the back.
We had one drink and left to go to another pub for food. Still lots of empty tables
From all the negative reviews on here we were hoping for the best & this us what we gut! Friendly attentive staff, spectacular views of the River Exe. Amazing fresh carvery with a huge selection of lovely veg. Great puddings. Not to be kissed! Ignore the bad reviews & give it a try .
Put simply on our way west, needing a quick dog friendly lunch we came across your web entry...it looked and sounded good, but a battered, grubby venue awaited us. Staffed with lacklustre waiters serving lukewarm food after a 25 minute wait. Avoid this dump at all costs, until the kitchen speeds up and the staff learn to smile and interact...a great game in the meantime is to count the number of paint chips you can see from your seat..
Visited today. We often visit Fisherman's Cot as a halfway meeting point for lunch with friends. Usually busy, order taken and just over 1 hour later food was on the table. Staff were very polite and attentive however the Chili and chips I ordered had a pitifully small portion on the Chili side, approx 2-3 dessert spoons full, the chips portion was okay. Admittedly it was from the lighter menu so be warned. Time taken to serve to table not justified. Great location.
DO NOT EAT OR STAY HERE We recently ate and stayed in Fishermans Cot and the experience was so awful I feel the need to warn others. I have stayed at many hotels in my lifetime and this was the worse by far. We booked 2 separate bedrooms for the night and were given our keys and told to head towards the ‘chalet’ through the car park. Upon entering the chalet, the entrance was in a very poor state of repair, a very strong smell of damp, the carpet was filthy, cleaning products left in the hallway and we discovered the front door had a broken lock. One of the lower rooms looked like it had blood or excrement on the doors. We proceeded to our rooms and found the doors wide open with more cleaning fluids left in the middle of the room. In both rooms, there was a very strong smell of damp, the window ledges were black with mould and again, the carpet was filthy and in one of the rooms the toilet seat was hanging off. We were also kept awake all night due to the noise of the bedroom downstairs, the noise was so loud and at one point heard a lady screaming so we went down to check and discovered one bedroom and 8 people inside! We ate in the restaurant and had a 1.5 hour wait for our food, despite having our young son with us and asking if his food could be bought out earlier. As we were waiting many other tables were complaining about the food and walking out – I guess due to the long wait as well as the awful food. This is honestly one of the worse places I have stayed, all the images on the website are false advertising as they are nothing like the actual rooms. Despite calling the hotel to complain, no one has bothered to call me back within the last 2 weeks so clearly their customer services isn’t up to much either. Being in such a beaufiul part of the country, I am sure there are many other places to stay, please do not stay here. You will be very disappointed.
A lovely location with picturesque river and waterfall flowing under an old arched bridge. The rooms are adequate but basic, no chester draws and the wardrobe is a rail within a wooden frame. The staff are extremely helpful, the restaurant is packed each night and the breakfasts and evening meals are very good. The building would benefit from a 'lick' of paint and the garden areas would definitely benefit from 'cutting back' and pruning. It is well worth a visit .
Disappointed with our stay room no 12 was by the main entrance to the lodge rooms and the main entrance door was faulty and banged closed everytime someone came in. Bathroom was full of black mould and extractor fan sounded like a washing machine on spin. Bath water was slow to drain away and when shower used you had to stand in half a bath of dirty water as it did not drain away quickly. Cobwebs all over the bedroom that had been there for a while not just a little one they were thick. Outside terrace to room very sad and needed painting. Customer service at front desk was not sure what to do about my complaint face to face and said they would wait for my email! Was really not happy to be addressed as sweetie by the counter staff not professional for guests. paid £115 for this room with out breakfast. On arrival we were advised the TV stations in this room were faulty only channel 4 available. Have emailed the company on their main website feedback page and messages on messenger direct as of yet no answer. requesting full payment back appalling stay in a very tired damp mouldy out building. Photos are available and have been sent privately.
what a disappointment, on arrival we checked in to room 4, there is a large sliding patio door that opens on to a small poorly maintained terrace, unfortunately the door would not lock, there was also a distinct smell of damp and on further inspection the whole room felt damp with black mould in places, we went back to reception and a member of housekeeping came to take a look at the lock and informed us they were aware of this as it had been previously brought to their attention, they tried without success to lock the door, we pointed out the damp which was rather dismissed, we were offered another room which was worse than the one we had, we decided to get a refund and find somewhere else to stay. there was no issue with the refund and the staff were helpful and polite. on reflection the accommodation block is rundown and in need of demolition, they sell the accommodation on the idyllic location.
We visited on Sunday afternoon for tea with the family whilst on holiday from Scotland. Service (from Lewis) was absolutely outstanding, he really looked after us and was great with the kids too. Food was enjoyable and setting beautiful.
Booked a table for on a Saturday evening, given menus once seated and told the waitress would be over to take our drinks order shortly. Well, shortly turned out to be false and service was awful throughout the night. Were not advised that certain items were not available until after ordering and food with missing parts were delivered to the table. Had to ask for our drinks to be delivered to the table several times, a medium to well done steak was so rare it was still mooing. The ham hock was delicious when it arrived, although meals were brought out at staggered times so no one was eating at the same time...we were only a table of 4! No one came to check if everything was ok with our meals. Could not get the attention of waitresses, had to ask a few of them to get any service and eventually the bill. Unfortunately, this has marred our experience and we will not be returning.
Fisherman's Cot is a lovely spot on the road from Exeter to Tirverton. We stopped for lunch and a break from driving. The River Exe, with its weirs, rushed under an ancient arched stone bridge made a lovely relaxing scene while we ate. It was so dramatic and beautiful, we took photos to print to canvas and hang in our TV room. This was in 2018 and it was a great memory.
Restaurantji Recommends
We had lunch at the cot four at our table.the food was excellent.the three courses we had were very prompt arriving. our waitress jade was 1st class.very efficient friendly and a good conversationalist.we had a thoroughly enjoyable experience. I would recommend the cot to anyone Thankyou
We stayed there for several nights recently and were pleasantly surprised given some of the negatives posted here. We were lodged in the annex, in a room with a VERY comfy bed and nice sliding door onto private area. The food is very decent pub grub, prices reasonable, and staff accomodating/friendly. Only things we found slightly disappointing is the property needs a lick of paint, and new carpets in the rooms/common areas.
Nice situation, shame about the quality and staff! We stayed at the Fisherman’s Cot for my birthday weekend. Despite the nice situation, on the river Exe, the place itself is tired and run down. In three days no attempt was made to make up our room at all! I have never been in a “hotel” where the room has not been made up. If we wanted to deal with bed turning, towel stacking and so on we would have stayed at home, not in a nearly £100 a night “hotel”. On the 2nd night, my birthday night, we decided to stay in so we could have a few “bevies” without worrying about driving. What a mistake! For drinks we ordered some gin and tonics. Only to be told that they did not have any “real” tonic, just light tonic – the one where you can taste the artificial sweeteners! So had to think about other drinks. My wife asked for a Campari and soda – no Campari! Unbelievable! The wife of my cousin asked for an Aperol Spritz. They had no idea what this was or how to make it! Dinner was an experience…. I ordered a Rib Eye steak, only for the person serving us to be told they did not have any, by someone passing the table at the time. There was no pre-warning. After some thought I ordered Surf and Turf. My cousin ordered lasagne and announced it was dry and tasteless. Eventually my Surf and Turf arrived, minus the prawns. I asked the waitress where the prawns were. She looked at me as though I had three heads! She scuttled of, never to be seen again. Whilst waiting I tried the Sirloin steak, which was actually tougher than an old boot! So I summoned what I thought was the floor manager who just shrugged his shoulders when I remonstrated with him over the tough steak and the missing prawns. “Don’t you want it then” he said. I said no and he took the plate away. By this time everyone else had finished their meal and I was still yet to eat anything. I asked for the grilled chicken and salad. Chicken was dry and over cooked! Apart from one person, I won’t name her in case the other staff pick on her, all the staff were surly. Well the evening staff. You got the distinct feeling that they were doing you a favour by serving you at all! By the way don’t ask for anything special for tea. Their tea selection was HUGE – English breakfast tea, that was it! No green tea, no Earl Grey, no nothing! Back to the room. When we arrived we were told that the two keys on our key fob was for the external door to our “lodge” and the room key. Well we got to the “lodge” only to find that the external door had no lock on it at all. It was missing. So much for security. This is not a place to stay at. Avoid, avoid!
Nice situation, shame about the quality and staff! We stayed at the Fisherman’s Cot for my birthday weekend. Despite the nice situation, on the river Exe, the place itself is tired and run down. In three days no attempt was made to make up our room at all! I have never been in a “hotel” where the room has not been made up. If we wanted to deal with bed turning, towel stacking and so on we would have stayed at home, not in a nearly £100 a night “hotel”. On the 2nd night, my birthday night, we decided to stay in so we could have a few “bevies” without worrying about driving. What a mistake! For drinks we ordered some gin and tonics. Only to be told that they did not have any “real” tonic, just light tonic – the one where you can taste the artificial sweeteners! So had to think about other drinks. My wife asked for a Campari and soda – no Campari! Unbelievable! The wife of my cousin asked for an Aperol Spritz. They had no idea what this was or how to make it! Dinner was an experience…. I ordered a Rib Eye steak, only for the person serving us to be told they did not have any, by someone passing the table at the time. There was no pre-warning. After some thought I ordered Surf and Turf. My cousin ordered lasagne and announced it was dry and tasteless. Eventually my Surf and Turf arrived, minus the prawns. I asked the waitress where the prawns were. She looked at me as though I had three heads! She scuttled of, never to be seen again. Whilst waiting I tried the Sirloin steak, which was actually tougher than an old boot! So I summoned what I thought was the floor manager who just shrugged his shoulders when I remonstrated with him over the tough steak and the missing prawns. “Don’t you want it then” he said. I said no and he took the plate away. By this time everyone else had finished their meal and I was still yet to eat anything. I asked for the grilled chicken and salad. Chicken was dry and over cooked! Apart from one person, I won’t name her in case the other staff pick on her, all the staff were surly. Well the evening staff. You got the distinct feeling that they were doing you a favour by serving you at all! By the way don’t ask for anything special for tea. Their tea selection was HUGE – English breakfast tea, that was it! No green tea, no Earl Grey, no nothing! Back to the room. When we arrived we were told that the two keys on our key fob was for the external door to our “lodge” and the room key. Well we got to the “lodge” only to find that the external door had no lock on it at all. It was missing. So much for security. This is not a place to stay at. Avoid, avoid!
A staff member very rude. Tried to book a table all week for a special occasion Left messages no call back. Unhelpful staff Sharna, we were told fully booked no food available this was at 6pm lots of free tables. Made to sit at table 130 onwards out the back. We had one drink and left to go to another pub for food. Still lots of empty tables