This is located in Holcombe a small Somerset village in England, where I used to live from aged 6…read moretil I was 20. I used to frequent this pub years and years ago, when it used to be called the Ring O Roses. Some people claim the nursery rhyme 'Ring-a-ring-o'-roses' is about the plague: The 'roses' are the red blotches on the skin. The 'posies' are the sweet-smelling flowers people carried to try to ward off the plague. 'Atishoo' refers to the sneezing fits of people with pneumonic plague. This was why it was called this years and years ago. If you go to the Old church in Holcombe there is a mound there for all the bodies from the plague. This inn dated back to the 17th century. Now it has been totally refurbished as a country hotel with 11 bedrooms and a great restaurant, with pretty gardens.. it is steeped in history, and is actually mentioned in The Domesday Book.

We have been coming to the Holcombe Inn for many years and have never had anything less than an…read moreexcellent experience every time. The food is always amazing quality especially when you consider the very reasonable price. If you have to pick a single day to come and try the food then make it a Sunday. The Sunday lunch here is by far the best we have had, not only in the local area but also, anywhere. Another thing with mentioning is the desserts. My wife would come here just for the desserts if she could. Also.... Otter on tap!

Stayed at Babington House with some friends for a catch up weekend and had an amazing time. It is…read morepart of the soho house group although non members are able to stay on certain days of the week. The grounds are beautiful and well Kempton, definitely would suggest a walk in the walled flower garden! There is an on-site spa 'the Cowshed' which offers a range of treatments from massage and facials to manicures and waxing, as well as full use of the indoor and outdoor heated pool, sauna and steam room. There is a large dining room as well as a bar, games room and multiple smaller lounge areas for guests to relax in. I found the staff to be overall very friendly and welcoming. Negatives - service was at times a little slow especially at breakfast. At no point during my stay were there any hand towels in bathroom in the main house which means either they were not restocked at all or they need to be restocked more often. Overall, me and my friends had a great time and it was the perfect place for a relax and catch up. Sue.

I wonder, would it be cost effective to sell my house and just live here for the rest of my life?…read moreCould I do that? That would be just perfect. Babbington House is part of the Soho House group, and swanky it is too. Doesn't come across as pretentious though. Small and cosy lounge rooms, dining room in the orangerie, indoor and outdoor pool, gym and the birthplace of Cowshed cosmetics means there is an amazing spa on site too with a huge range of treatments. Attention to detail seems to be a value above all others here, everything is perfect, everything is manicured, everything is worked hard to make it look like effortless luxury. It is so tranquil, even though there were obviously a large number of people there judging by the number of cars in the car park. I have no idea where they all were but everywhere we went we were alone, which was fine by us. All rooms have unlimited Cowshed products to use and test (for sale at the shop of course) and this was a nice touch. It is pricey, but is definitely one of those places where not a penny spent is regretted, and you are likely to crave the opportunity to return and spend more money.

wonderful place. very local clientele but they also are welcoming to visitors. we will be back. it…read moreis a great pub.

visited this place on our way through Radstock and absolutely loved it! The staff is incredibly…read morenice and welcoming. they have a great selection of beers on tap, as well as a full bar. They have darts, live bands, and they even have a skittles alley. we will definitely be back!

You're staying in a beautiful old country manor home. The floor boards creak, and the furniture and…read moredecorating will constantly remind you that you're staying in a special place. The gardens and setting are absolutely lovely. We very much enjoyed sitting out back each evening for cocktails. Staff is friendly and very accommodating. Though the one window opened, our room didn't have much air circulation, and would have been uncomfortably hot and stuffy without a fan that the staff was nice enough to locate for us. We'd be reluctant to return during the warmer summer months. Enjoyed the one dinner we had there, though (and we are foodies) the dishes were a little too over thought and unnecessarily complex. With the two of us having different plates each course, out of only 4 offerings per course, we sampled half of the available plates in one setting. Since the menu was identical the next night, it made me very glad we'd not chosen the dinner option over multiple nights included when booking. Just a personal preference, but would very much have preferred to see simpler preparations using the fresh local ingredients and providing a somewhat broader selection. We really wanted to have our remaining dinners at local pubs, and asked at the front desk for recommendations. We were presented with a page of what turned out to be rather out of date suggestions, and it seemed that none of the available staff had ever actually eaten in the area restaurants. One of the two restaurants listed had actually been closed for months before our arrival. Another pub listed as a steak house had actually been reopened with a completely different menu many months earlier. So don't rely on the staff to help with nearby dining options. But we'd personally recommend Mezze at the Warwick Arms in Clutton and The Somerset Wagon in Chilcompton. Both were superb and only a very short drive. Breakfast was excellent every day and again the staff and service was wonderful. We wondered if, as casual travelers, we were staying in an appropriate place, however beautiful. The other guests in the dining and lounge rooms were nearly all elderly and very well dressed. The wife commented that she felt uncomfortable walking through the common rooms in simple smart casual attire. I'm honestly not sure we are in Ston Easton's target market; and felt a little better each time we'd run across some similarly casual couple. Don't know exactly what the inn can do, but would help they'd broaden their appeal to a younger and somewhat more casual base a little over time.

Beautiful, very old manor. Room was huge (I was in the Chinese suite on an upper floor), the…read moreservice was personal, and the food was excellent (but portions small).