I had my wedding reception in Penny Square Barn. What an amazing venue this was for a wedding…read morereception. The barn is owned by the fabulous farmer Bruno and Gill, such wonderful people! I stayed with Bruno and Gill for B&B and one of my fondest memories is having a bottle of vino and a gas with Gill in the kitchen. Honestly Batcombe is just a fantastic place with some amazing friendly, interesting people. Bruno had just put in toilets when we got married here which was fantastic and the barn had not been used all winter so we had a lot of cleaning up to do. Its no frills but it makes it for economic sense as a wedding venue if you have the vision and want to get married in a glorious location. The main barn itself is gorgeously rustic, just put some dichroic floods as a backdrop and it becomes wonderfully atmospheric. We had a friend climb around like a monkey and do an amazing job on lighting and hung long swathes of black fabric over the not so pretty metal door entrance to the barn. In the smaller barn annex we also hung fabric to disguise the galvanised roof. We were able to have a fire going outside and allowed to have fireworks (before 10pm of course) and a flamethrowing fire engine. The villagers were just fantastic and welcoming and Bruno was an absolute star! Not only was he a bell-ringer, but he ran the bar at the village hall and made sure we had enough fuel to run the genny for the weekend. Barn does get cold at night so its worth renting a couple of space heaters. We got a TENS from Mendip council and ran our own bar which was fab. This is a beautiful quiet village so its not the spot to pound music late into the night as noise does carry but its a perfect venue for an event such as a wedding in the summer.

This was a bucket list place for my wife and I was happy to help her realize this aspiration. While…read moreher motivation has to do with her love of the Downton Abbey franchise, I was interested in visiting both for the value of its status as a cultural icon and its historical significance as a magnificent castle. Built for and passed down through the succession of the Earls of Carnarvon, it was built in 1679 and renovated in the 1840s. It's a fascinating representation of upper class life in England. I was anticipating the fact that the castle would be memorable. What took me by surprise, however, were the grounds and how enjoyable they were to traverse. First of all, the vastness of the 1000-plus acre estate was almost overwhelming. There was so much area to explore that you could almost spend a full day hiking around. There were a few structural follies on the grounds such as the Temple of Diana and Heaven's Gate that were interesting. There were also tree groves and flower fields that were enjoyable. But the highlights of the grounds were the gardens. The Rose Garden was quite nice, but the main garden was magnificent. It features several types of beautiful flowers and the variety and quality were impressive. Upon walking through the castle, an appreciation of the architecture and decorative arts are a major part of the enjoyment. For Downton Abbey fans, how the physical set fits with beloved scenes from the show adds an extra dimension of meaning, of course. The castle features 200 rooms, many with breathtaking opulence. The self-guided tour takes you through several rooms including highlights such as the Saloon, the Library and the Music Room. There are descriptions for each room with staging indications in many of them for scenes depicted in Downton Abbey. The Egyptian Display is another noteworthy feature. Ancient Egyptian culture and history was a passion of the 5th Earl of Carnarvon. He ended up being a part of the effort that discovered the tomb of King Tutankhamun. The items displayed and the descriptions are interesting. It's an additional charge over and above the fee to visit the castle, but it's worth it. It's also worth noting that there is a food tent. The offerings there are decent quality and the prices are not unreasonable. The pleasant staff adds to the experience. There are sundry other refreshment opportunities as well, such as an ice cream stand. As far as practical considerations, you need to buy your tickets on-line before visiting. Entries are timed, so you need to choose the part of the day you want to visit. Visiting is perfectly doable on your own with little stress without a tour guide, but there certainly are guided tour packages available if you don't mind paying the extra cost. The location is remote, so driving is the most convenient way to get there. Parking is included with the fee and there are plenty of spaces. Public transportation is not a great option and a taxi or Uber would be relatively costly unless you are staying at one of the few hotels that are close by. But overall. I think both of my wife and I felt like this was a unique experience that was very enjoyable and it was particularly meaningful for my wife. We'd recommend it to anyone, especially those who are Downton Abbey fans. The fee is not cheap but also not exorbitant, especially compared to fees for places like the Vanderbilt Mansion. It's worth it for such something that will, for most people, be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

Went on a day trip here from London This is the castle from…read more"Downtown Abbey" tv show It has beautiful Victorian architecture inside but I absolutely love the grounds - they host many events here I would love to attend a summer garden party- maybe one day! We enjoyed a tour, you can only see parts of the castle as it's still being used by an actual couple who live there day to day The highlight was afternoon tea in the patio with the castle in view

The most beautiful and convenient place for so many things.read more

Pop in with my Mum who was down from the Highlands of Scotland on a wet day…read more We both had the homemade soup, I went for Tomato & Basil, can't remember what Mother went for. Lovely & thick, we both could not finish, very filling.

Friendly welcoming tea room…read more The breakfast here is out of this world. I loved every bit of it. Staff are friendly and cant do enough to ensure your stay is a happy one. The breakfast was hot, high quality and delicious. The tea was a really nice tasty blend, really enjoyed it here. I will be back for more

Wonderful service provided for my brothers wedding. The staff is very friendly and polite. They did…read morea lot for us extra to make the day memorable. Their flower arrangements and stage set up were spectacular, we recommended their service to many of our friends and family without any hesitation. KWS you get 5 stars! Keep up the good work.

From the owner: Wedding planners in West Londonread more

100 year old bar lounge featuring a rare collection of whiskies. And mixologist Francesco is an…read moreartiste.

One of our last nights in London we stopped into The Bloomsbury Club…read more After being seated at the covered outdoor bar, the service was spectacular and I ordered (and enjoyed) a Dingle gin (just having been to Ireland and had a Dingle gin flavored ice cream that I loved) with a pineapple juice mixer and the honey ordered a mango fizz (which he adored). During our visit the musician Colin Andrew played/sang and he was amazing. With notes of Paolo Nutini, he really added to the overall vibe and made the night a hit. All in all I can't speak highly enough about The Bloomsbury Club drinks and vibe and would absolutely return in a second!

Great food. Started with the monkfish tikka, which was fantastic. Very large portion, prepared…read moreperfectly. Followed by the murgh malabari, a chicken curry. Very nuanced flavors, loved the way the coconut was woven into the curry. Beautiful. I found tha ubergine side not as great as the other dishes, tasted fine but not exceptional. Only concern was trying to find a server to get the bill when I was ready to leave.

We arrived in Southampton after a long drive from Cornwall in very foul weather. Since we both…read moreenjoy Indian food we went to our old standby, Yelp, to do our research. After reading the reviews on several places we decided to try Kuti's. We made the right choice. Since we had no reservations we arrived early hoping they could fit us in. At 5:20 pm they were not even open yet but they invited us in out of the rain and welcomed us to sit at the bar while they continued to set up the dining room. After ten minutes or so the hostess seated us at a very nice table. The ambience is upscale with linens and well dressed polite staff. That would count for little of course if the food did not match the setting. It did not disappoint. We had lamb korma, chicken jalfrezi, rogan josh, mushroom rice and of course naan. The portions are generous and we intentionally order enough to take some home with us. It was that good. The price is very reasonable for the quality and quantity of the food. Overall it was a delightful experience and we will head straight there next time we are in Southampton.