Reviews of Kings Lodge Hotel, Durham
Review by John on 28th September, 2009
Add your review Date visited: 2009-09-28
Good Points: Food was very good with a good selection on offer
Bad Points: Room was to hot even though there was no heating on.
General review: Overall a good experience
Review by Jo Phoenix on 27th July, 2009
Add your review Date visited: 17th June 2009
I entertained guests at the restaurant, and while the food was good the service was appalling. Very embarrassing for me as I wanted to impress my guests. What's more I phoned the following day to complain and was told there was no manager on duty. I wrote to complain and my letter was never replied to. I will never go there again.
Review by Nicola on 3rd October, 2008
Add your review Date visited: 2008-10-03
Good Points: called beforehand to confirm reservation spoke to girl who was really helpful and gave me directions. Nice hotel makes a change from staying in chains i.e "Holiday Inn" etc. Nice dinner in bar, comfy room
General review: Good stay, didnt feel uncomfortable having dinner etc on my own
Review by Anonymous on 28th January, 2008
Add your review Date visited: 2008-01-28
General review: Not a quibble in sight. Friendly and extremely helpful staff. Food good, if not exceptional. Will definitely stay here again. (Although my residual Durham accent may just have won me a friend or two among the staff -- who I cannot praise/thank enough.)
Review by Douglas Murray on 6th May, 2007
Add your review Date visited: May 3-5, 2007
The hotel is convenient for the centre of Durham and is generally quiet - although we were wakened each morning about 6a.m. by a large truck revving its engine in the carpark. The dining room and bar lounge are attractive and well set out but our bedroom was cramped and a bit shabby (although the beds were clean and comfortable). Breakfast was good but we were put off dining there in the evenings by the strong smell of cooking which pervaded the downstairs area at lunchtime. Despite the promise online of satellite TV in the bedrooms there was only the usual four channels in ours, and although online it said departure time was 12 noon we were turfed out of our room at 11a.m. Our overall feeling was that it probably was one of the better choices of a hotel for the centre of Durham but did not quite live up to its promise and was a bit overpriced for what it offered.
Review by Reid on 2nd October, 2006
Add your review Date visited: 28.9.2006
Absolutely lovely. Full of surprises. I was on my own but I felt comfortable and safe. Food is to die for. I am keeping this one to myself.
Review by MR & MRS ZENTHON on 21st September, 2006
Add your review Date visited: 21st Sept 2006
Beautiful hotel. Excellent service. Wonderful food. Friendly staff. Would definitely recommend. Found by accident whilst driving around. Best hotel yet visited in England
Review by Lynda Crosby on 16th July, 2006
Add your review Date visited: July 1st 2006
The hotel itself is right next door to a busy bus depot although I have to say this was only apparent when we where enjoying a glass of wine in the garden. The accomodation was nice the room was cramped and the pillows hard. Our problem was with the restaurant the service was poor (table booked for 8 sat down at 9) we had to beckon a waiter for a menu/winelist and to order a drink. The starter was acceptable but not special and the main course was unbelievable I ordered goats cheese, tomato and onion tart tartin and was presented with a lump of plain puff pastry in a bowl on top sat a slice of goats cheese straight from the fridge around the puff pastry was pieces of raw tomato and onion. There was no salad just the honey and mustard dressing. I sent the dish back and was offered a replacement I ordered the pasta which after a long delay (my friend had finished her meal) I returned the dish also unacceptable (no filling in some parcels). The service was still poor our wine and water were kept away from out table in a bucket (not a problem with that) however whenever we needed a top up we had to find someone to enable us to get at out drinks not an easy task I can tell you. The cheeseboard however was nice. Needless to say I was not charged for my main course (I never actually had one) and we were not offered any recompense for the poor service, lateness of our table, inconvenience of having not eaten a main course. The following day I spoke with the MD (who only made himself available when I refused to pay the bill). He was a rude, self satisfying, obnoxious man who was totally uninterested in our plight. He inferred we were serial complainers trying to get a discount and proceeded to tell inform us of the fact he never gets any complaints and that his restaurant is the best in County Durham. His answer for the poor service was because they were busy, (the restaurant was not full by any means and we certainly didn't have a problem booking a table one week in advance). His response to the poor meal was a palate thing. He eventually offered us a free meal with wine next time we visit. I can honestly say free meal or not I wouldn't choose to eat in that restaurant again.
If you are planning on staying here avoid the restaurant both for an evening meal and breakfast unless of course you like your toast to resemble warm limp motherspride bread and your poached eggs to taste of vinegar and of course the exceptionally bad service.
Review by Steve on 29th May, 2006
Add your review Date visited: 28/05/2006
Friends and my wife and I visited the hotel following a recommendation from a local newspaper "places to eat" supplement. We ordered meals in the bar, with all but myself ordering normal bar fayre - I ordered the "special" rib eye steak, as opposed to the normal bar menu ribeye. My steak arrived (very good incidentally) arrived with the normal bar menu chips, rather than the North chips (which were and extra £2.50p for x6 chips),x3 small mushrooms and half a medium tomato. Also there was no steak Diane sauce. My wife's meal was a steak baguette with chips and salad - the meal was actually half a baguette, limited meat and the salad was merely a handful of lettuce leaves - no other salad veg. I complained to the waiter, who promptly offered that the chef would prepare me some chips and sauce and some salad for my wife. we waited maybe 5mins, during which time our friends had to start their meals, so we did the same. By the time the North chips, Diane sauce and salad arrived, my meal was finished (how lond does it take to eat a handful of chips, x3 mushrooms and half a tomato?). I complained to the waiter that my meal was extremely poor value for £10.95p, but basically received a shrug of the shoulders. My wife and friends then complained and we were refunded the price of the bar meal ribeye steak. All in all, very poor value for money and poor quality of service.
Review by Scott on 14th May, 2005
Add your review Date visited: 14/05/2005
Absolutely excellent from start to finish. Good service, very nice setting. But the ultimate has to be the food....most definitely the best meal I've had in years. Highly recommended
Anonymous Review
Add your review Date visited: 13/09/2004
"Parking, breakfast, service, etc very good",Curious dinner menu
Review by Janet
Add your review Date visited: 27/10/2004
"I felt that the resturant was too stuffy. They seem to be trying too hard to impress and miss the finer details. for example the bacon on the vegatarian breakfast , also at breakfast we were squashed into a corner and unless all the party stood up the ones at the back couldn't get out."
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