Bankes Arms Hotel

This place has excellent friendly staff, the food is very good allbeit a limited menu if you are looking for something healthy! The room was large clean and comfortable, the only criticism was the tired looking shower room, where a lick of paint on yhe walls would clean it up and removecthe mould around the outside of the shower tray, just a replacement of silicone would change everything in that room. But overall a lovely place in an excellent location and will be vising again

Great location and the hotel staff were wonderful.

We asked for a got a room away from the front as stayed last year the same time but found room very hot and noisy from traffic consistently going past. Shown to our room by Wendy the day manager who seemed to be a jack of all trades as also served as breakfast lady. Our room -The Gloriette - seemed acceptable on first impressions but as we settled in, not so good. The whole room needed a through deep clean. Windows had black mould round them, the glass table topper under TV was thick with dust. Curtain rails were totally rusty making curtains dirty. Bed had a strange foam topper on mattress with just a bottom sheet thrown over it which did not reach the sides. Pillows needed throwing out years ago as totally flat and a horrible yellow colour inside pillow cases. Very dubious about getting into the bed although bedding seemed clean. Nether of us slept well the whole 4 nights. The 2 upright chairs in bedroom needed throwing out as well as both so uncomfortable to sit on as both seat pads had sunk and one was totally ripped. Bathroom fittings clean but shower head came off as soon as water turned on, and long black hairs on controls. Toilet brush had no handle on and nor did the inside of the shower cubicle. Extractor fan thick with dust as was the small swivel mirror on bathroom table. Bathroom door had black marks around handle. Holes in wall from previous fittings and just grubby looking all around. To be fair we told Wendy about the shower head and it was replaced by another and also the toilet brush was replaced as rooms refreshed every day. The saving grace was the breakfast which was very nice and very generous helpings. The location could not be faulted. But we will not return as bedrooms need a lot of money spent to bring up to todays standards. Hate writing such a negative review but maybe by reading this, management will consider spending money on upgrading the rooms - badly needed. A pity.

Very friendly staff and comfortable stay

I was aware there was at least a 50% chance of a room overlooking the main road (Wareham to Swanage). But sadly I was also overlooking the sharp corner. Meaning HGVs and Chiller units were directly under my window. The key could not be found that night for my room. However when shown to it, the door was open. I didn’t question the lack of key. I asked for a fan as it was very humid. No one ever came back to me. There was a dubious stain in the toilet (not cleaned properly). My bed was on a metal frame. It creaked with every movement. Thankfully I did not take my boyfriend. The noise would have been horrendous. It creaked with each time I moved a little. Due to the heat I kept the windows open. So then I had the church clock every hour on the hour ringing in each hour. I chose the hotel for closeness to a sporting event. It sufficed. Next day I was chased as the staff thought I’d ’accidentally’ taken the key. The key I never had.

I have only ever written positive reviews in the past, but the cleanliness and other issues at this hotel were too bad to ignore. We stayed in a twin room, which at first sight just looked a bit tired. It was actually very dirty! There was an ottoman between the 2 beds, with lamps etc. There was a thick layer of dust over the whole thing. The valances on the beds were filthy and stained, as if they'd never been washed. The bathroom had patches of mould on the walls, cobwebs from the ceiling and dirty marks on the walls. When I opened the bin to throw away the soap wrapper, the bin hadn't even been emptied! I removed the shower mat from a towel ring, and it fell off the wall. It was literally balanced on a broken fitting. The only mirror in the bedroom was just leaned against the wardrobe at an angle. I told a member of staff, who didn't seem very bothered at all, or try to get it rectified. She just said she'd leave a note for the Manager. The Manager was never around so I couldn't speak to him about the problems. Next morning at breakfast, I went to choose a yogurt, only to find that over half of the pots were 5 days out of date! I told the server and she removed them, but it put me off having one! There was also a huge stone loose on the outside patio, sticking right up in the middle of where people have to walk. It would be easy to rectify, but is an accident waiting to happen! I told the same member of staff, as it's dangerous, and could cause serious problems for the hotel if a guest tripped over it and was injured. Again, a very casual attitude and a shrug. At the least, this should have a cone on it to alert people. My comments to the staff were meant to be constructive, to make them aware of problems in order to avoid bad reviews etc, but it seemed that simply didn't care. I've stayed in countless hotels, and some have tired decor, but they're at least clean. This was the dirtiest room we've ever stayed in, and for the price we paid, it was dreadful. The food was ok, and the staff were friendly, just a bit too blasé about guests.

Check in staff member was extremely helpful as we had a problem which she sorted quickly. Rooms are a good size with very efficient showers.

Great position,perfect for the castle.

We had a wonderful 3 night stay at the Bankes arms. the staff are friendly and welcoming .the food and service were very good. the pub is a lovely old building in a very picturesque village with Corfe castle and the Swanage railway right on the doorstep. The Purbeck room however i did have a few issues with, although nice and clean there is a step between the bed and the bathroom (and the window seat) there should be some kind of warning on these as people could easily trip over in the dark. the shower needs a shelf in it for the guests to put their toiletries on so that they don't have to bend down for them when showering and a rubber shower mat would also be a good idea and proper sized bath towels would be good. the main bed room needs a mirror near a plug socket so guests have somewhere practical to dry their hair with a hair dryer. Room keys could benefit from a coloured fob on them to distinguish it from the front door key these are observations not criticism's. Over all we had a great stay and will visit again

The food and the staff were excellent and we would recommend eating at The Bankes Arms Hotel. We were disappointed with our room for the price we paid. The website states rooms have been refurbished but this was not true for our room. It has mould in the shower, evidence of water damage, cistern is pulling away from the wall, radiator value covered in old plaster, carpets need a good clean. There was nowhere practical for my wife to dry her hair, we had no hand soap on the first day. The room needs a serious makeover. Cups at breakfast were mucky and had to be changed and the replacement glasses in the room also. It is a real shame as this is a lovely old building right in the heart of Corfe Castle and really lets down the people that work there.