Appleby Castle

Very good

Liked: Our stay at appleby Castle had some truly magical moments. Dinner was a highlight—accompanied by live piano music, it created an unforgettable, enchanting atmosphere.
Disliked: bBreakfast was €14.95 per person, same price for kids, which felt excessive. The continental option only included Weetabix—no jam or yogurt—and was €9.95, which was very disappointing. Overall, the experience felt like a letdown. The castle itself needs quite a bit of maintenance; generally, it looked worn and in need of some care.

Awesome experience

Liked: Wonderful Castle Experience with welcoming hosts - dinner was beautiful too
Disliked: Hubby would have liked a TV but I was happy without one

A unique experience and great...

Liked: Property is fantastic, very unique and overall (especially given the size) it is very well kept.The staff were all very friendly and helpful. All service was prompt and little things like the music and live piano in the dining hall were a pleasant touch.
Disliked: The food and drinks were fine but slightly disappointing.

Fantastic stay in a Grade...

Liked: I was so excited to stay at the castle as we used to visit when I was a child in the early 90s, it really is a fabulous building with period furnishings and we had an amazing roll top bath for a soak in the evening. There was information provided in the room about the history and waking up in a oak backed bed surrounded by tapestries was like waking up a princess :P
Disliked: I have done a lot of work with listed buildings so was not surprised by some of the quirks, such as the private bathroom being down the corridor as opposed to ensuit. I can imagine this being an issue for some people though and am not sure it was clear in the booking that this was the case. The only other issue was my own, should have booked the dining room, have regrets, I guess we will have to go back again!

Good

Liked: Character and location
Disliked: Slightly tired

Exceptional

Very good

Liked: Was a really nice experience and something unusual
Disliked: There was no TV in the room

Totally fabulous

Liked: We visited with Daughter and her American boyfriend, they don’t have much that’s older than a few hundred years, his face when he saw where we were staying, when they saw their rooms, it’s like staying in a museum, everywhere you turn is history. There wasn’t very many staff, we only met 1 and what we presumed was one of the owners, We had breakfast, which was very good, but not the evening meal, it did smell amazing but my Husband is a burger and fries kind of guy, so we walked 5 minutes down to the village, and ate at one of the local pubs. Just a fabulous little village and an amazing stay
Disliked: There wasn’t really anything we didn’t like, other than when we arrived the gate was shut, and we didn’t know how to get in. But once we did

Passable