Milford Hall Salisbury

I love Salisbury. I've lived here on and off since 1993 and as of recently will be visiting for work reasons much more frequently. To that end, it's always a bit of a conundrum when it comes to choosing a hotel to stay at during the week - let me assure anyone reading this, if you fancy a home from home then choose this place. It's not perfect by any means - there's the well-known air conditioning issue. But this is to do with residents nearby complaining about the noise of the condenser fans kicking in and out - and therefore I believe IHG are currently looking at quieter units to comply with local residents' wishes. There's also breakfast which can be hit & miss - for example when we stayed 8/9th April there was a power cut which led to them bringing it out late - and as we're expected to be at meetings we didn't have much time but it wasn't the end of the world. Moreover, most days it is buffet-style, but I was caught out on the Friday morning as they'd switched to an order service - which along with checking out, I simply didn't have time for. Again, not the end of the world but it would have been nice to have been warned off so I could plan around it. One thing that puzzles me about some of the negative reviews on here - it often seems just one thing (such as stale sandwiches) can result in an overall poor score and I cannot help thinking, did the person writing the review approach the staff at all to give them a chance to put things right? I doubt it. If they had, they'd have realised the staff who work here are absolutely top-notch. Friendly, approachable - full of great advice on where to visit around the area, from dining to tourism. And they'll do anything they can to assist you. For example, after my first stay early April, I wrote an email to reception advising them of a couple of issues I had during my stay - and when I returned on 27 April, I was allocated a much quieter room and had a great week at the place. On the first night I chose to eat on Site at the restaurant and flippantly chose the first thing on the menu - buttermilk chick sandwich. HOLY MOLY it only turned out to be the best I'd ever had in my life - so much so I ended up eating the same meal for the rest of the week (aside from Weds evening when we went to the Tinga Mexican place on the High Street - which is also fantastic, by the way). Other colleagues of mine have reported similar with other dishes throughout their stays too. Hats off to the chef ;-) The rooms are exceptionally clean, albeit the walls are thin. We had an elderly residents' tour turn up on my first night there (one of which were having a right old moan about their fixed menu choices - can't please everyone I guess) - and one of the old boys had his TV on in the room next door, incredibly loud. It made me giggle as I said to my partner on the phone at the time, it's not an issue as he'll probably be asleep much earlier than I. Sure enough, he was. We also had a group of Americans turn up on another tour who were great fun - it seems everyone who strolls through here immediately takes on the friendly vibe which promulgates around the place. The old building is stunning throughout. I do love the décor and how it's been exceptionally finished with that modern chic but not at the expense of the character of the place. I mentioned the staff earlier, but they are genuinely talkative and friendly - you know how you get these corporate places where the staff are trained to just sing lines at you and smile falsely as they go through the motions? None of that here. Simon was quite an interesting guy to talk to and nothing is too much trouble for him nor the rest. The lady (sorry I will remember your name, next time!) who puts the breakfast out in the morning is very similar. You can tell their hearts are really in it and they appear to really enjoy their jobs. And it makes a huge difference. I look forward to staying with you again throughout the year as and when our courses require us to be working there over the next 2 to 3 years. Kind regards, PM

Break fast was fine, I paid extra for breakfast but there was some confusion about the this, several other guests had the same problem. Location was good.

Bit more main course choice on dinner menu,

Lovely hotel - huge room and nice decor Very helpful and friendly staff

Signage on the main road could be better as only works if you are arrive in one direction

Lovely property, update working underway which is possibly why no aircon in the room. Fans provided provided so helped cool the room.

Staff was thin on the group at check in and at other times. One lady came across as quite stern, but this could be completely unintentional

The waitress was exceptional. We think her name was Valentina or Martina. She was very overworked in a hopelessly understaffed restaurant but remained cheerful and helpful and was working very early in the morning

Had long wait for meal. Next table waited an hour and a half. Very understaffed

Not a great deal

Expensive for the facilities, luke warm shower, paying for car parking.

Beautifully clean and great location to walk into the centre of Salisbury. Rooms were exceptionally well appointed. Lovely outdoor seating close to a comfortable bar area. Staff at breakfast were friendly and very helpful.

Paying £10 a day for parking as a guest seemed rather mean spirited

Everything you might expect from a four star hotel. The reception staff were fantastic as were the staff, generally. Altogether a wonderful stay.

No shower cap available (a minor point, however)