"Dear Mr Riley. Whilst you were on vacation I stayed at your hotel, with my partner, for three nights from Tuesday 20th August. We had been looking forward to some excellent food in the evenings, especially having been informed by friends and family that the 1559 restaurant had received high praise from the restaurant guides and had 2 AA Rosettes, not an easy task to achieve. I only wish I had done further research as it turns out the awards were given to the former management at Marriott. In all honesty the service and food on that first night was a complete travesty. On check in we were told it would be advisable to book a table but that none were available until 8 pm. Fair enough, that gave us plenty of time to have a look around the grounds. Arrived at the restaurant entrance at 8 pm to be told by the young lady hostess that there would be a further delay as the kitchen had just received an order for a table of 10 or 12. We were seated at 8.30. Menus given, nothing like our expectations, totally boring. 8.40 pm our order was taken, including an order for wine and water. Someone came along to tell us there would be a further delay. To be honest, if I had not previously had a drink at that point we would have left to find somewhere local to eat. We waited, and waited, and waited! I had ordered a starter of calamari, and we both ordered the sea bass fillet for main course. at 9.15 pm our main courses were served, by a lady who might have been the restaurant manager or duty manager. I asked where my starter was. She took the sea bass back to the kitchen. I asked her to ensure the sea bass would not just be re-heated and served again and that fresh fish would be prepared. At 9.20 pm my starter was served: 5 pieces of ready battered squid rings with a little salad an mayo dip. For a 2 Rosette restaurant I would have expected at least fresh battered squid rather than the factory produced stuff from Brakes or 3663, especially at the prices charged. Still waiting for the wine! It was delivered at 9.25 pm as the starter plate was cleared. Our sea bass main course was delivered again at 9.30 pm. We expected crispy skin on one side and succulent flesh on the other, a simple cooking process. What we received was an overcooked and dry fillet of fish with some crushed potatoes. We ate what we could in order to satisfy basic hunger and left at 9.45 having paid our bill. Apart from one apology when taking away my starter plate nothing more was said by the manageress or staff. I have never seen a more incompetent team working in a restaurant, the young, scruffily dressed, lady hostess did little more than wander around looking confused; the male waiters, I think two of them, were equally incompetent. The next two nights you lost significant revenue as we decided to eat elsewhere. I can heartily recommend the near by Blue Boar Inn. Excellent food and service. On the plus side, we had booked B&B. The following morning we rather anxiously went down to the dining room. We were welcomed at the host desk and the buffet system explained and then asked to find our own table. The food was much better and certainly comparable to many other hotels of a similar type. Unfortunately, replenishment of the buffet was more haphazard. I asked for more yogurt and some lemon slices for my tea. It came out, eventually. The hot food was of a good standard. The room was comfortable and clean and well serviced except on the last morning when we noticed we had only been given one bath towel. I went downstairs and helped my self from a bale of clean towels on the trolleys cluttering the lobby. All in all, it seems to me that the hotel has been treated as something of a cash cow and maintenance neglected. There are areas that have not been looked after well and would suggest a carefully thought out plan of maintenance is conducted. As it stands, and based on our personal experience, we cannot justify more than one trip adviser points. Yours sincerely Norman Dinsdale"
