Gidleigh Park Hotel Review

Spectacular! Incredible service, wonderful location and delicious food.

Overall, it was a beautiful property to walk around and experience

Gidleigh Park Hotel is stunning, an amazing location and surroundings. However, the food we had was a real let down.

It may have just been an off night - we all have them - but something has gone seriously wrong here. The technique was amazing, all of it impeccable presented and served, the menu was glistening with imagination. But it almost universally lacked flavour and texture. I can't understand why.

It started off wonderfully with three very imaginative dim sum. I thought that we were in for a treat. However, every single subsequent course, including the desserts were completely lacking. Occasionally it bordered on unpleasantness. If you have rabbit sous vide without flavour, you are basically eating a slightly meaty jelly - not very nice. And if a chocolate mousse only has a brief hint of cocoa powder, then you are basically left with a lump of fat in your mouth. The menu had mackerel, lamb, beef, all stunning local(ish) ingredients. By the time they found their way to the plate the flavours and textures had gone AWOL.

This is just my take. I'd love to be more positive. We enjoyed our stay nonetheless. But when you are charging top of the top premium prices as a two Michelin star restaurant for food and wine, you really have to deliver. And for me, it didn't. Pity.

Beautiful location, very expensive and lacking the odd feature as it's small, but overall fantastic spot with great food.

Wow luxurious fantastic food and excellent very attentive personnel

Went here for 3 course lunch. Had a fantastic afternoon with flawless service and delicious food. Highly recommended!

The grounds are absolutely stunning, the pitch and putt is definitely good fun!
We had the 7 course taster menu which was exquisite and the service was impeccable. A big thanks to Marek who made our dining experience amazing. Would recommend to anyone wanted beautiful scenery and food!

Wow. I dare you to eat here and not be amazed. The ten course tasting menu was incredible.

Such a great welcoming environment, great restaurant and the rooms a la Downton Abbey. A mega must, not cheap.

just a wonderful experience beautiful setting fabulous food and amazing service

Great place to stay with family, tasty meals and the rooms are elegant, comfy beds, great staffs and service.

We visited the hotel for my 40th birthday. The hotel is set in stunningly beautiful grounds and is a very comfortable and classy venue. We had the ten course tasting menu which was superb.
For a special occasion I would highly recommend the hotel/restaurant.

Divine! Excellent service and the afternoon tea was incredible. I treated my friend who said the ambience, service and quality of the food surpassed the Savoy in London. Very peaceful. The grounds are stunning and you can enjoy walking around if you are so inclined. The terrace has amazing views. In the past I have had Sunday lunch which was equally amazing. Staff were professional and attentive without being intrusive. I will go back again.

Faultless! Absolutely impeccable service, food of an incredible standard, and a lovelt atmosphere. A real treat.

Beautiful, historic, chic, Michelin starred, expensive!

Fab remote place with great comfortable accommodation with fabulous service which is very relaxed. Pictures are of Castle Drogo, which was nearby.

Extremely poor customer service and untrained staff. Very disappointing :(

Something that is very hard to find, very cosy and great afternoon tea.

We were celebrating our 35th Wedding Anniversary Weekend and Went for Afternoon Tea.It was wonderful
Thank You!

There is posh and there is Gidleigh Park posh. With its intimidating 50 page wine list and its staff looking after my every whim. A great experience but tomorrow, I will have to go back to making my own sandwiches for lunch :(

Enjoyed a lovely birthday lunch with friends and family yesterday. The food, ambience and attention to detail by the staff was amazing. Thank you for making a special day perfect.

Outstanding food and service, never experienced anything close to that before

Surprise surprise surprise, but do not come by SUV, won't fit the road

A very English experience. Good food and service. Tranquility at hand.

Went for a champagne tea given to us as a present. Service attentive but unobtrusive, food absolutely delicious, surroundings glorious.
Can't find any fault.

Because I couldnt get in, I cant recommend. It looks fab, but was clown we went ,

High class cooking in a fantastic setting. Getting there is interesting, on very narrow roads, but worth the trip.

No no no. This is not how you do food at this price. Sorry. But true. Service good.

Stumbled across this place after driving through Dartmoor. They weren't serving dinner but they did accommodate us with tea and it was excellent.

Nice location but a little too stilted for my taste and extremely expensive.

First class food in a wonderfully relaxing setting. The staff were universally excellent and the building and surrounding area is beautiful.

Fabulous food served by professionals in beautiful surroundings

This place is just wonderful. They think of everything. You are treated so well from the minute you arrive until you leave.
Nothing is too much trouble. The food is absolutely amazing.
We had a picnic made up for us and went on a walk around the grounds, along the river, through the woods and sat in the kitchen gardens...very romantic.
It is so quiet here, nature is all around so the sound of the river running and the birds singing is such a breath of fresh air.
Our room had a garden view and it was beautiful.
There are tennis courts, a putting green and a croquet lawn that everyone is encouraged to use.
The bar is open 24hrs (very convenient) and there is a pantry room so at all hours of the day and night you can have tea,coffee, hot chocolate and home made biscuits.
I would recommend this place to anyone needing some adult time away from a busy life, a romantic getaway or even a break for people with older children.
We will definitely return.

We celebrated an anniversary at Gidleigh Park. The service was exceptional as expected for such a venue and we felt spoiled. The sun arose at the front of the hotel and gave some spectacular views across the fields - quite breathtaking. The food was amazing and sitting in the peace and quiet of the lounge was a pleasure. They provide some games to help you wile away the hours, if you're not out exploring the local moors. The only small downside is the VERY narrow and long winding road up to the hotel. Pray not to meet anything coming the other way

Lovely relaxing hotel, amazing service, excellent food. A bit difficult to get to - very narrow lanes.

A fantastic experience with excellent food. Loved it!

Spectacular property, unobtrusive yet faultless service, perfectly appointed rooms without a hint of dated abandon and wonderfully comfortable beds. This is how a hotel should be done. Bravo!

Fantastic Hotel, amazing service. Review of the restaurant separately.

One of the finest dining experiences I've had. Christian - our waiter, was second to none and thoroughly impressed us with his knowledge of the menu and took the time to answer all of our questions. The food was perfectly cooked, the accompanying wine and drinks both before (on the terrace) and during the meal were fantastic. It is situated in a beautiful pocket of the National Park. We also walked through the grounds, which equally contributed to a wonderful experience. Thoroughly deserving of the 2 Michelin star status. I will certainly return.

We had the ten course taster menu as a treat after our wedding. We were made to feel very welcomed and the house was spectacular. The food was exceptional with friendly, helpful service particularly from the somellier who expertly paired wines with the meals. A truly special experience at a truly special place.

More down to earth and welcoming than you would think, superb setting and grounds, well worth a visit

Classy classic place with good food & drinks. The service is extraordinary.

Fantastic Experience. Great Venue/Staff/Food. Will Definitely Be Going Again.

Thoroughly enjoyed a very special property in beautiful surroundings that is extremely well presented and effectively managed.

Historic hotel based in a beautiful location. Staff make you feel at home. Go for a culinary journey in the two Michelin star restaurant and finish by a walk in the park.

Came here for a catch up with some friends and the food was incredible, separate menus for people with allergies and great service from the team! The sommelier was very knowledgeable and knew his stuff, great credit to the team. I believe his name was Tom. Thank you, we will be back.

Had a wonderful weekend at Gidleigh Park, the staff were very efficient and friendly.
Only drawback was our room was called a de-luxe with a garden view, which was through a small sky light window or small leaded window with a large bath in front of it, so you could not go to your room and sit and look out the window. The room was very spacious though and a very large bathroom and quiet.

Excellent lunch for my wife. New chef settling in nicely

Fantastic.
Looked a after very well for my wife's birthday. Faultless food and well worth the reputation. Next time we shall stay overnight so we can enjoy a walk, the fire and the board games. Thank you!!

Gidleigh is a phenomenal experience and worth every penny. This is a must visit restaurant and having the wonderful tasting menu is a must

Everything from the drive to the venue, to the service was absolutely spot on, we were treated incredibly well.

They even prepared some special birthday treats after we had finished our lunch and sat in the lounge for drinks which was a wonderful touch

Attended for step mothers 50th birthday. Service was excellent, views from and around the hotel are incredible and the food was beautifully presented and tasty to eat. Enjoyed it thoroughly

Gidleigh Park is in a stunning setting within Exmoor national park. hotel probably better suits to the little bit older clientele. Food was of exceptional quality (however not my sort of thing im fussy) staff were really friendly and helpful. Rufus the dog loved his stay and can't wait to visit another of your hotels.

I could write at length about many aspects of Gidleigh Park but the only thing you need to know is that the experience is a sublime distillation of many wonderful ingredients. Thank you to all who made my day memorable.

Perfect hotel for a getaway. It was so tranquil and peaceful. The road leading up to it is extremely narrow so if you re not used to English country roads, it s best to get a compact car. Our room was impeccable and the grounds were beautiful. Only downside was the gluten free sandwich during lunch was awful - cold, hard bread. Would suggest toasting. Dinner was wonderful and they were able to whip up delicious gluten free courses for me. I d love to stay here for a week or so. The only thing stopping me is that I don t fancy a sit down dinner every night. Would be nice to have other dining options. There doesn t seem to be any nearby and I wouldn t dare drive in the evening anyway, because of the narrow, unlit roads. But other than that, we had a fantastic stay.

Such a gorgeous location. We went for our five year anniversary and were not disappointed. Make sure to go for the tasting menu. Rooms were clean and had loads of charm, staff were friendly, helpful and non-invasive.

Beautiful hotel in stunning countryside. Only down side that I can see is the very narrow lanes to gain access

Great setting and friendly service. 7 course tasting was a treat and good value lunch for a acclaimed 2 star Michelin restaurant

Outstanding food. Excellent service. Beautiful grounds. Pricey but you get what you pay for, quality throughout.

Such an amazing experience, the tasting menu was delicious and stunning. the staff are friendly and professional. Had such a lovely birthday celebrating here. Will definitely be back .

Me and my family booked gidleigh park on recommendation As Michael cane was a chef there. It was for a special family occasion so we were all looking forward to it. A few days before when we phoned up we were told there were now new chefs but just as good so we went ahead with the meal. They were deffinatly not and the food was very average!

I have an 8 week old son and didnt mention him at the time of booking as he wasn't born so it being a problem didn't cross my mind. When we arrived and they saw him They Made me feel very unwelcome the fact I had him as children under 8 weren't aloud. Which I understand but he is 8 weeks old and sleeps most of the time. we were told he had to be put in the room next door and we would have to set up FaceTime on our phones as a monitor!! Which I felt uncomfortable about leaving him in an UNLOCKED room out of my site. Not only did this ruin our whole meal as we were unable to sit as a whole family once due to the fact we had to get up one after another constantly as the FaceTime kept cutting out. we were disturbing all other guests going in and out of the room all the time which seemed more disturbing Than if he was with us. But They could have accommodated us easily aS there were tables in the room he was in already set up and we could have moved in there to eat so we were with the baby but they were very difficult about the situation. As soon as everyone else left we brought him in and he fell asleep immediately which he would have done if he was aloud with us or we were put in the room next door. so our "family" celebration was ruined.

The customer service..... Well there was none. Not once did anyone come to our table to ask if our meal was ok. They put things on our plate I.e sauces without even asking if we wanted them. Our coats weren't taken as we walked in the door we had to ask for them to be taken. Our coffee's were also cold. And know one said bye as we left! All of which you would expect from a 'Michelin' star restaurant. The service in the local cafe was better!

I will never go back there and never recommend it to anyone. It is not worthy of any stars

Incredible surroundings and perfect food, with amazing service!

Exceptional, although what you would expect from such an establishment. Location is tricky to get to, but worth the narrow roads!?

Couldn't ask for more. We were treated wonderfully well and we left wanting to return soon.

We could not find any faults with the hotel, or the friendly but professional staff. Our room 'bell tor' was the best room we have ever stayed in, well designed great lighting and a very large shower and also a bath with views over the lovely grounds, the room was immaculate.

The grounds are very well kept, will a fast running river running through the gardens, great for photos!



The breakfast and service was excellent.
Overall experience was excellent and we would return.

thank you for a great stay 5 out of 5.

A beautiful hidden gem in the English countryside, peaceful and harmonious with nature.....

Everything about this place has been planned to ensure absolute attention to detail. Food amazing, location stunning and quite frankly worth every penny!

My experience was wonderful, l enjoyed every minute. and the service was top class, though remaining friendly and welcoming, a lovely lunch, a lovely day.

Gidleigh Park is a magnificent country retreat surrounded by beautiful countryside. It offers a calm and peaceful atmosphere where one can sit on the terrace with a drink and just let the tranquil surroundings work their magic. The grounds are beautiful with majestic mature trees, a crystal clear stream and meandering woodland paths. The room I had was spacious and well appointed with a welcoming tray of treats such as homemade chocolates to a jug of refreshing spring water from their own well. The food was outstanding. The staff were, in the main, friendly and welcoming. However, for one day we had my young grandson with us and although his behaviour is impeccable, we had the feeling that children were not really that welcome. The attitude towards us changed when he left! I think this is a place that is used to a certain clientele; wealthy, older and middle English! This is a minor criticism but if you are looking for high end accommodation and fine dining in a very traditional and formal style Gidleigh Park is the place for you. If you have young children you might be wise to look elsewhere.

Most amazing and magical place. From the moment we arrived to the door being opened for us as we left.
We had a 3 course lunch (courtesy of a gift voucher from my daughters) with so many extra mini courses and surprises it was incredible. Food was out of this world, every mouthful delicious and all so exquisitely presented. The service was faultless with nothing too much trouble.
After lunch we had a walk around the grounds which are beautifully maintained and with the river running through it, a bit wild and very Dartmoor.
Despite the very narrow lanes with numerous totally blind corners you need to navigate to get here, it is so worth the effort.
Very expensive (although given what you get - reasonably priced), so unfortunately it will need to be a very special occasion to return but we will definitely want to go back in the future. Thank you for a very memorable day.