Name: Amberley Castle- A Relais & Chateaux Hotel
Address: Amberley, Horsham
Telephone: 0800 031 8416
Rating: 4.5

Superb

Exceptional

Liked: The stunning location, superb food and team.
Disliked: The employees were superbly friendly but, service was at times very poor, due to the low numbers employed by the owners.

A respectable and beautiful place,...

Liked: The cleanliness, the breakfast
Disliked: NA

Excellent stay - exceptional staff!!

Liked: Unique experience to stay at such a well-preserved castle in the UK. Our children loved the knights and running around the castle grounds. The breakfast is fantastic, but most of all the staff really goes above and beyond in terms of service!We'll be back and are already looking forward to the tasting menu at the main restaurant.

Exceptional

Liked: Beautiful property and setting, lovely atmosphere, room was lovely and we were goven a free upgrade. Staff were attentive courteous and helpful.
Disliked: Nothing

Disappointing for a Relais et...

Liked: The castle and its grounds were beautiful and the interior quite grand. Breakfast was of high quality and plentiful with good choices. We also had dinner at the restaurant and the food was quite decent (except for the wine - see below). The maitr'd at breakfast was attentive and very responsive to our requests.
Disliked: The services overall fell well short of what we would expect from a Relais et Chateaux hotel. In fact I can quite confidently say that it is the worst R&C establishment I have stayed in by a long shot. There is a distinct lack of smiles on most of the staff's faces and we didn't really feel welcomed. The only exceptions being the receptionist and the maitr'd at breakfast. We had a suite in the annex and although the poster bed was comfortable enough, half the lights in our room didn't work which made the room quite dark. The wine list was generally very over-priced. We ordered a bottle of the Alpha Estate Xinomavro Reserve VV "Barba Yannis" (2019?) at GBP88 (which sells at around GBP30 retail) but this was not available. The waitress offered us a Xinomavro Hedgehog Vineyard 2021 which a of a lower level from the same winery (retail price under GBP20). When I asked how much it would be, she said that it would be the same price ie GBP88. I asked her to reconfirm again because I felt it should be cheaper given the lesser quality, and she seemed a bit impatient with my repeat question and said "it is GBP88, just for you". The 18 hole putting course was very badly maintained and we were constantly searching for the tee-off's and the holes.

Lovely surroundings. Hotel could have...

Liked: Beautiful property in a lovely village
Disliked: Expensive and felt a little under-staffed at times. Could do with a proper bar / somewhere to relax