I didn't actually get to stay in any of the rooms as I was at a wedding and came back the following…read moremorning for breakfast but what I did see was very nice. The hotel is large, bright and the staff were very friendly. On the evening of the wedding the staff were smiling like they were enjoying their job which in my book is so important and everything went so smoothly. The smoking area outside was this lovely big wooden walkway with a gazebo right in the middle where the kids were able to play safely.

Great place to stay. Antonio, at the bar, not only knows his stuff, but he is beyond welcoming and…read morefriendly. Go see him, let him educate you on cocktails, and have him surprise you with one of his drinks! I'd stay here again just for the bar experience!

Located on the quiet street, the hotel itself is easy to find, the hosts are friendly and the room…read moreis quite cosy and tidy. The hosts are very friendly - when I foolishly wasn't able to follow the entering instructions (they have quite advanced (for me) lock with the code), the host kindly came over and shown to me what to do. Nice toiletries in the bathroom always make your stay a little bit more pleasant. My only problem with it is paper thin walls, where I could hear people coughing/talking on the phone. Luckily all calmed down by bedtime, but when possible I would prefer not to depend on others people sensibility.

From the owner: An alternative to the large corporate chains, we offer a bed and breakfast experience with a more…read morepersonal home from home feel, yet maintain the professional touch our guests come to expect. We're regularly told that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, and there's no better start than a Fernbank breakfast, freshly cooked to order.

This pub is open again and under new management; friendly landlord Morgan is pulling out all the…read morestops to make this venue 'Great' again, offering Real Ale, live music, pool, darts, pub games and various event nights. A welcoming hotel too, at very reasonable prices. Check it out!

This pub/hotel has been refurbished earlier this year and has certainly changed for the better…read more There are live bands at the weekend and the theme is usually rock, indie, punk, alternative. I believe the council are trying to put a limit on the noise and performing times and the outside area seems to be closed at the moment so no more BBQ (shame) what do you expect when you allow a block of flats to be built right behind a pub? Peace and tranquility?! Problem is people move in and then complain. Unless they are registered blind they could not have failed to spot the Great Western. So who gave planning permission for the flats then?? This is a very friendly pub and they do a nice pint of Old Speckled Hen. This real beer was named after an MG car which was used as a runaround by the staff at the MG plant and had been patched up and painted by so many different people that they called it the 'old speckled un' hence the beer! At least the British beer industry is still alive and well unlike the car industry! If you like a pub thats a bit different then try the Great Western. You couldn't be handier for the station, its across the road. Look out for the Syn City Rockers who do an excellent AC/DC and Thin Lizzy tribute.

It cannot be argued that the hotel itself was gorgeous! Unfortunately the experience was by far the…read moreworst 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!

I stayed here four years ago with a group of American Jane Austen fans. This was my favorite place…read morein England. The hotel is gorgeous. Stunning gardens. The employees were friendly and helpful. They even set up a movie night for us with popcorn and drinks so we could watch the 2005 "Pride and Prejudice." We had a private dinner in the banquet room. The food was delicious; good variety. We loved the breakfast room.

It's always the little things that knock down a rating…read more Nice hotel, typical of suburban London. This would not be an upscale Hilton and against the Hiltons in the US, I'd put in the Hilton Garden Inn class. Creaky wooden floors, no A/C, and a wall heater. They are upgrading the rooms a bit with nice HD flat screens. I had a king room, so the bed was more than adequate. The restaurant is a little high end, but you can order off the pub menu in the restaurant. Typical English breakfast buffet, although they will cook eggs to order. Staff is very nice and accommodating. Wanted to watch the Bears and Packers championship game and they made certain that Sky Sports 2 was available on the pub flat screens. Hotel is about a mile from the city centre. Walkable or a 5 pound taxi fare. Convenient to the M3. No local transportation by the hotel, but they will order up a taxi and the concierge is quite helpful in general. The little bits still seem to be difficult. Since I have had a variety of experiences with English hotels, I'm never quite sure what to expect in the room. My room lacked a bedside phone, an alarm clock, a hair dryer and an iron. Apparently all of those items should be standard issue, although of the three people in my party with rooms, each had a different issue of those items. I asked for an alarm clock. The standard Hilton alarm was delivered next day, but on my return, I found that whoever brought it in, failed to verify that it had the right time. A call to the front desk was met with a response that they had no engineer on staff at night and no screwdrivers (I know how to set the alarms, but it takes a small Phillips screwdriver). I suspect that the hotel has a problem with guest pilferage and the housekeeping staff has given up on taking inventory. Still, rather annoying. The room is clean enough, the towels are plentiful, large and thick. Housekeeping must ration bars of soap, however. Plumbing is maddeningly English, with a toilet that requires several flushes and the usual confusing arrangement for the tub and shower controls. The tub is high-sided and narrow, as usual. Water pressure is quite good. Overall, I found the hotel fairly quiet, although you will hear your upstairs neighbor's footsteps and the person passing your room in the hall. The walls seem reasonably soundproof. Wi-fi is spotty, but free. I have a wired connection in the room that seems to be missing the connecting to the wall plug part. (again small things) There is a small workout room, which is fairly well-maintained and equipped, according to others in my party.

Not bad as hotels go for the business traveller. The beds in standard rooms tend to be a little on…read morethe hard side and it can also be a bit of a hike to get to your room. On the up side it has its own gym on site along with a restaurant

Premier Inn is a pretty basic hotel chain. Don't expect five star service here, but as far as three…read morestar hotels go, this place is ok. The location of the hotel is pretty convenient- in the Leisure Park area of town. Abundant free parking, and a shuttle bus to the railway station just behind the hotel (with a day pas only £2.30). Pretty close to the M3 and fairly easy to get to. As far as accommodations, the rooms are newly renovated with wall mount flat screen televisions, neutral colors, and several USB plugs per room. The bathroom was a bit on the tiny side, and the shower didn't drain properly even after we had alerted maintenance. Despite the fact that this hotel chain seems to pride themselves on comfortable beds, the twin bed in my room was anything but- I could almost feel the springs coming through the sheets, it was a fairly rough night. The full size bed in the room seemed to be better however- though neither had really good pillows. There is a Beefeater pub right next door that serves typical fare- as well as breakfast for hotel guests. Prepare for the hotel staff to try to sell you a meal package upon checkin- for me it wasn't worth it as I don't eat breakfast.

I am a blatant and self confessed chocoholic, always keen to try anything chocolatey and especially…read moreif it looks pretty too! Having seen several of these Hotel Chocolat stores, i ventured into the Basingstoke store, as it felt less intimidating than some others, perhaps because it felt light and airy and yet I still had somewhere to hide behind a fixture while i viewed my potential puchases! The staff vary dramatically in how helpful they are, personallly i have found the younger staff more helpful (even though i feel rude interupting their conversations about what they did last night..) they are genuinely enthusiastic and don't try to push me into buying a box of chilli flavoured chocolate - instead they thrust caramel chocolate buttons into my hand in a cute mini paper cup style packaging decorated with spots, and i melt immediately adding them to my purchase. So what are Hotel Chocolat good for? Days when you need a pick me up, gifts (great new mum gift set which i think any new mum would love especially at 2am..) and even wedding favours! They seem to offer alot of corporate gifts, although i have had not experience of these! What to buy..they do a seasonal box which i think changes every month, it is fairly pricey but the quality of chocolate is divine! Worth a try if you like me fancy something a bit nicer than you average chocolate box once in a while! Other recommendations.. the chocolate buttons, caramel buttons, rocky road giant slab, and of course the chocolate labrador - cute toy and yummy chocolate bones!

Yum yum yum. This is my favourite chocolate shop. There and loads of different varieties of…read morechocolate here. The prices are fairly high, but worth it in my opinion as this is a real treat. The staff are pleasant and often give out free samples.

Not bad for the Holiday inn chain. Has better facilities in room than the nearby Hilton, although…read moreit lacks a gym. Parking can be fun especially if you enter the car park adjacent to the petrol station!

Higher end estate-like hotel in countryside England. There seems to be a little bit of more…read moreformality, slightly stuffier atmosphere here than other places: the afternoon high tea in restaurant needs to be reserved ahead of time, I was assigned a table to sit for breakfast..and only after insisting that I wanted to be by specific area that I was allowed to do so --it was way early on Sunday morning so no other guests was there for breakfast either. The room was large and nice. I stayed in the main hotel building (slightly more expensive room than what I wanted because the standard room ran out). The bed though was a little small for 2 people...bit I guess maybe that's more common in the UK. Upon check in though I think the cleaning staff accidentally forgot a piece of cloth for cleaning on the windowsill around the curtain. ..ok ...mistake happened I guess..but that along with stuffiness of the atmosphere was not what I expected as much for the price paid (net close to USD400 a night!). The hotel was a little into countryside and slightly away from a train station. Plus, there isn't much within walking vicinity, so it's best to probably have a rental car on your own rather than always relying on taxis I think. A plus is breakfast is included...nice cold spread and hit menu selection for sure. Overall, ok hotel. A change for environment I'm typically used to..but I think if I'm around the area next time, I would probably try checking out other places instead.

Amazing experience! The main building and grounds are spectacular. I was fortunate enough to visit…read moreand stay for a week right before Christmas last year and it was such a magical experience. Hotel staff were all very kind, attentive and friendly. Breakfast daily was such a wonderful treat with so much to choose from.