It cannot be argued that the hotel itself was gorgeous! Unfortunately the experience was by far the worst I had in all of southern England. The staff was incredibly rude and spiteful. I know it seems incredible to consider but it's true that many Europeans just don't like Americans, especially in rural areas. It does not occur to them that we are not all the same, that most of our states are bigger than their little country and we boast incredible diversity of ethnicity, culture, morality, character and personal behaviors. For us it's absolutely impossible to avoid because as soon as we open up our mouths, our accents betray our origins. I have to allow that Londoners are better about this, being an international city. So if you would like the staff to argue relentlessly with you over something mundane, try and correct your pronunciation of foreign words (the English are famous for mispronouncing non-English words), take hours to serve you terrible/overcooked food, which when you say something they insist is perfect, sleep in highly uncomfortable beds and treat you as if you are a lower form of life then this is definitely the place for you! read more