I looked online for a pub for a stop off on our way to the south coast. I came across The Chafford…read moreand decided to give it a go. We were not disappointed. Immediately we walked in there was a cheerful smile from behind the bar. Ordering drinks I was asked if we were eating. As we were there for a lunchtime bite a tab was opened. My partner ordered a tuna mayo baguette. It arrived with a small side salad and chips. Delicious, she said. I ordered whitebait and, beeeg mistake, their version of British nachos. Chips, beautiful chips, covered in chilli beef and cheese. I say, beeeg mistake as the portions, of both, were huge. I couldn't finish it all. All in all a wonderful, friendly pub with fantastic service and really good food. Certainly worth a four star review. Thank you one and all.

Having already placed a review on Trip Adviser, I was a little surprised to read one or two…read morenegative reviews thereon which I would totally disagree with. Taking visitors from New Zealand for lunch I had "stumbled" on the Chafford Arms after a fleeting internet search. I couldn't have done better had I spent many weeks researching. Excellent food, excellent service and friendly helpful staff made this a most enjoyable afternoon. We will no doubt return there and The Chafford Arms will be high on my list of recommendations.

I stayed in a very cozy room at the top of this hotel. The room was clean and well stocked, the…read morebed was good. It was warm and pleasant. WiFi was free and was fine. TV had five channels, reception fine. The pictures on the walls were characterful rather than being "chain-y". The hotel has more a lot character to it than your typical Premier Inn, which I assume is the main competition. I found all of the staff to be friendly and helpful. I agree with some comments here that if it had a lick of paint and they renewed one or two carpets it would bump up their ratings. However, it would presumably also put up the prices at what is a value offering. It was a perfectly good experience and would be happy to come back. If you want a basic but comfortable, slightly old fashioned hotel with no sense of a chain about it, it would be a decent choice.

Came to The Rose & Crown for breakfast with a large group (there was 40 of us!) and it was a great…read moremorning. The staff were all so helpful both in the lead up and on the day of the breakfast itself. The food was really good - the poached eggs in particular were delicious! Would highly recommend for group events. We will be back!

This is actually called the Tunbridge Wells Hotel so hope I am posting my review in the right…read moreplace! An excellent place to stay and dine. Great location in the heart of the Pantiles. Our room was tiny but very clean and well kept. We got it last minute on a third party site and were glad we had two nights here. The breakfast is a small menu but I appreciate the vegetarian selections. The best breakfast I've had was the vegetarian Pattie sandwich. Mmm mmmm! Just the right amount of food, two pieces of crusty toast and a savory veggie patty which reminded me of harvest burgers in the 90s when I first became a vegetarian. Very tasty. They have a 24/7 bar (yaaaaaas) and an excellent wine list. Great dry white wines. My other breakfast here I ordered salmon and cream cheese toast (instead of a croissant) and the husband got one of the croissants. It was good. Top that off with a nice cold Prosecco and that's a nice Saturday morning holiday. :) the guy who waited on us July 12 in the morning gave us outstanding service. Didn't catch his name but I was impressed overall. He gave us a taxi recommendation which is always helpful. There was a live jazz band Thursday night outside the hotel and that was very energetic and fun.

When we learned our favorite band would be playing for Jazz on the Pantiles we booked a room here…read more Arrived today to learn the bandstand is just out in front of the hotel. We were fortunate enough to get an outdoor table for an incredible meal and cocktails on a lovely summer evening and a most comfortable room in a delightful historic hotel. Not to mention a fine breakfast. To make it perfect the service is phenomenal! Thank you, AJ & Brian for everything.

My wife and had a long weekend at the Hever Hotel over the Bank Holiday weekend. It initially took…read morea while to find (don't trust the Sat Nav) but the relaxation then started. Friendly staff and a very good restaurant offering good food without being overpriced. Will definitely return.

Outstanding accommodation and service. We really appreciated the little touches that made it…read morespecial like the home made cupcakes, the welcoming pot of tea on arrival, and the guide to the town with a map that the hosts have put together themselves that we found in our room. The bed was one of the most comfortable we have ever slept in and we liked the pressed cotton sheets. The hosts completely lived up to their wonderful reputation! We will recommend The Lancers highly to our friends.

We had to let people know how very much we enjoyed not only our stay at the very lovely Lancers,…read morebut also the kindness shown to us by you both. The lovely accommodation showed that you care so very much about people and go out of your way to make the stay a really wonderful experience. (And what can we say about those cupcakes???). Your lovely place was the best we stayed at on our whole trip. Kind regards - cannot thank you enough.

Thatcher would be proud…read more Looking around Hever, many would be left with the impression that the owners are enormous fans of Anne Boleyn. The unfortunate wife of Henry VIII is, after all, the main focus of the exhibition and makes an appearance on much of the marketing material. But look a bit closer, and the more astute visitor may notice a different, more 'true blue', streak permeating the house. Yes, Labour voters clutch your pearls, but the proprietors appear to be worshippers of none other than Margaret Thatcher. (More so than Ms Boleyn, I would wager.) In the castle, visitors are treated to a near life-size oil painting of the union basher. And for those lucky enough to stay in the guest house for the price of £300 per night, they will find a letter written by the Iron Lady to thank the castle for her stay that has been framed and hung in one of the hallways. Among the owners personal possessions, I note Ms Boleyn has not received a similar dose of affection. Of interest is also the fact that this castle, its stunning gardens and water maze, owe their amazing condition to our friends across the Atlantic. Most stately homes in Britain are now virtually on their knees, with years of decline and underinvestment in the country reflected in their faded carpets, moth-eaten curtains and peeling paintwork. Hever, however, has avoided this fate for the good reason that it was bought by... gasp... an AMERICAN. Horrifying as it may sound, Mr Astor - who owes his astounding wealth to the rise of New York City - purchased the castle and injected nothing short of a fortune into it in order to create the attraction that we see today. Demonstrating an entrepreneurial spirit so often absent in Britain, he then had the vision to order the construction of a second moat, a lake, a walled Italian garden complete with artefacts from Pompeii, a 'wall waterfall' and to direct the gardeners to shape some bushes like a chess set. I don't think he was involved in the water maze, so loved locally, but its presence reflects Hever's enduring ambitious spirit. Perhaps it was this spirit that so inspired Margaret Thatcher to write of Hever: 'I have seen several castles and large country houses but none as perfect as Hever.'

If you are visiting London, Hever Castle is a must do. Only a 90 minute drive from London hotels,…read morethe trip is well worth the wait upon arrival. From its sprawling vistas to the castle itself this place is a real treat. There is a large lake on site that offers rowing, an area that allows you to try your hand at archery and even a place to see falconry. There are jousting exhibitions and plenty of food from the cafe or restaurant on site. The REAL gem is the castle. Home for Queen Anne Boleyn from 5 years old to 12 one can only imagine the wonder this place brought her. The castle provides an audio tour in several languages so there is no issue there. (The staff are marvelously kind and helpful in the castle and in the dining areas and gift shop.) It's small but chock full of informative history about Anne Boleyn as well as those who lived in the castle after her death. If you are looking for a respite from the concrete jungle and noisy planet that is London, Hever provides you with lots of peace and quiet Tour the rose garden or just sit and enjoy the views and shade from the trees. It's an idyllic setting and a trip that will make your visit to the UK complete.

A very classy venue indeed. Another example of Decimus Burton architecture in TW and possessed of a…read morefantastic wine list, high quality staff (lots of French people, inevitably) and a lovely garden to the rear with views to Calverley Grounds. I visited recently to celebrate a friends wedding and they decided that, fantastically, the Wedding Banquet would be a good old Ruby Murray. I guess it would have been easy for the chefs to turn up their collective noses but hey(!), they served up some eye watering classics. Good on 'em. Feeling flush & wanting the best? Visit. The only grumble is a lack of parking. There's a multi storey over the road but it is usually full of shoppers during the day. If you can afford to visit, why not get the chauffeur to drive round the block a few times? Job done.

Situated not far out of the main part of Tunbridge Wells, Hotel du Vin is an absolute credit to the…read moretown. This is a premium hotel where individuality matters. The 34 rooms are named after drinks and all bar 4 come with roll-top baths and showers (the remaining 4 just have showers). The beds are made up with crisp Egyptian cotton sheets and are incredibly comfortable. For me, the thing that makes a difference is the service. Attention to detail is superb from the free loan of CDs for the rom, through the fresh coffee, through the attentiveness of the staff at every opportunity. Breakfast is good - Continental or full English (including the oft forgotten kippers and so on). Compared to many HdV's the dining room here is small but it still retains the charm that HdV have fought so hard to recreate. The little bar is a gem - cosy leather furniture, glass in hand, cigar from the selection. perfection!

After a disastrous attempt that resulted in a failed trip to Stockholm, we decided to run away to a…read morefind a nice spa and try to revive our weekend. We picked The Spa Hotel in Tunbridge Wells at it had availability and seemed to meet what we were looking for. We enjoyed the afternoon using the facilities such as the pool and steam rooms. The hotel bar was nice and we had a very enjoyable lunch. I enjoyed a De Stressed massage, which left me exceptionally relaxed. The massage really set me off on a good note and I was looking forward to the rest of the stay. However, this is really were the good things about our stay ended. The room we got, which was booked as a double premium suite was no where near what we would have expected for the rate we paid. The room was in the eaves and quite a bit cramped. As I am more so on the taller side, this was clearly going to lead to a few head bumps. Fortunately, those we amazingly avoided. That left us with the evening ahead. Unimpressed by the restaurants menu and high price, we set out down the road for the Pantiles and found a great couple of places. After returning and settling down for the evening, things really turned for worse. The air conditioner made noises every 30 minutes or so when it wasn't on that would wake you up. The bed was exceptionally small and only fit two people if one lay sideways. The ability to properly sleep in these conditions was just unachievable. After a very rough night and lack of sleep, the relaxing feeling that I had was long gone and replaced with extreme tiredness and plenty of soreness. We are exceptionally disappointed with what can only be referred to a terrible stay. This hotel really had the opportunity to be top notch, but it severely missed the target. Don't think we would likely stay here again.

This really is an attractive, quality hotel. Tunbridge Wells has two really top end places (the…read moreother being the boutique Hotel du Vin which has been heavily reviewed here on Qype) and this is the larger and more mainstream of the two. I think it is denoted a four star but I've been to worse five star places! Trained, professional staff, upmarket facilities, groovy bar, loads of conference rooms and excellent cuisine. I live too close to ever need to stay there but otherwise this is an absolute asset to TW.