The Castle at Taunton

Oh dear, where to start with this. A place of great repute with an outstanding history. We've stayed on a few occasions over a number of years & loved it all, the welcome, the food, the rooms. But now it all seems to have gone backwards. Nobody at reception on arrival, then cold with us when they showed up. Didn't seem to be any kind of management on show. Breakfast was awful, cold, unappetising, not replenished. Dinner, menu in Brazz was dull & the quality of food is the worst it's ever been (in the past it has been on occasions amazing, on others mediocre). This visit, just seemed to be no care in what was sent out. Rooms, beyond the old world charm now & just generally down at heel. Tatty & stained furniture. But I guess the biggest issue is that the management are not present & seem to have given up.

stayed for two nights in twin delux double - lovely spacious room with wisteria clad windows. Staff were v friendly and helpful and we ate out both nights in front of the hotel. The supper was very good on both nights and allowed total relaxation. Second evening supper enliven by performing Dementia Choir in open space just beyond the hotel - lovely and all participants clearly enjoying Late check out on last day accommodated which was great.

So from the beginning I was excited to be staying at the Castle Hotel.. This Hotel is iconic with some of the world's best chefs showcasing their skills.. Reception Friendly polite and attentive staff spot on.. it's old england charm sets the scene.. Upstairs to our room on the third floor, got to be honest smells a bit damp. The room was amazing Very elegant and ,spacious and very clean, water in the fridge and coffee machine at the ready. Nice view of the garden and the old debenhams A card from the hotel, nice touch Good start.. Came back to the hotel after the wedding and looking forward to getting into bed.. opened the door and cripes I thought I was in a night club.. not the.hotels fault I know but actually at 250 pound a night this needs to be sorted.. maybe internal glazing if planning allows.. Got to sleep about 3am.. Breakfast Have to say staff are fantastic Breakfast mainly help yourself! Not what I expected Cereal box's and fruit, bought in pastries And a toast machine.. Cooked food was allegedly kept warm in two lift the lid thing's! Bacon poor and stuck together and old sausages chewy skin over cooked and frankly rubbish Toast i expected at least an individual toast rack with decent butter and jam.. nope do it yourself Butlins style. Black pudding was soggy. I didn't bother with the mushrooms and tomato because they just looked tired. I ordered fried eggs and they were.superb, cooked.slowly seasoned well and the eggs were divine. On leaving and paying I did mention the lack of sleep and horrendous noise but I fell on deaf ears, I wasn't looking for a reduction in price, but I was hoping for at least an explanation on what the iconic hotel is doing about it.. Would I stay again.. yes but I want a room the other side.. Would I have breakfast Very doubtful.. The hotel was not full and breakfast was not busy, breakfast should be cooked to order. Come on Castle hotel your better than that. Ps I'm dyslexic so excuse the lack of grammar and terrible spelling

Cheeky to charge for parking here. It’s a bit of a run down town centre

Great stay in a nice town

Hotel is near to everything and really nice restaurants and pubs. Easy parking. Nice check in staff. Room was clean and spacious. Lovely hotel full of character.

I was very underwhelmed for the money it cost. No fridge or aircon, bottle of water that was left us was in direct sunlight so too warm to drink. Honestly, it was disappointing and I have stayed in better value hotels

A friendly welcome, and overall the Castle team were excellent, professional, friendly and helpful. Our suite was extremely well decorated, with good quality furnishings and extremely clean, the bathroom facilities were spacious. Unfortunately the room was extremely hot, and despite being provided with a second fan, the room was uncomfortably hot, to the extent sleep was almost impossible. To be fair to the hotel the outside daytime temperature was around 30c, and I do appreciate air conditioning may not be an option in a fine traditional building. The restaurant was much cooler and very comfortable as a result, we elected to have an early dinner at the Castle, two of our group decided to have the fish & chips option, it was excellent, overall the food and service were very good, a good selection of drinks too. Breakfast not so good (with the exception of the cappuccino) most of the limited buffet offerings were a little tired, the bacon tough and the scrambled egg, warm and stodgy. The freshly prepared eggs were absolutely fine, and I would recommend them.

The most stunning exterior, and there were lots of nice staff, who did try earnestly to help when I shared my concerns. The hotel was clean and our room was a really good size. The website shows beautifully decorated luxurious looking rooms, however the hallways and our room clearly have not been touched (since the 80s I’d think) and there is bit of a musty smell - which you’d forgive in the original part of the castle. With a revamp it would be amazing, but sadly they are oh so tired - it must be so tough in today’s economy. Perhaps a didfernent price point for revamped rooms might help? Awful and painful grip tape inside the bath was the worst thing (a less than relaxing soak in the morning). Overall it is just not as advertised on the website and the prices felt high considering this. Very poor quality breakfasts, especially the sausages and eggs royal. Don’t bother with the travel cot, it’s hard as nails. Rather a strongly worded welcome to Somerset in the guest handbook was definitely worth a read though! Didn’t want to take pictures to be honest.

All very impressive and good value on the basis of my booking