Knoll House Hotel Review

Great location but too expensive and too dated.

I can understand both the good and bad reviews. We came here for a week with our two young boys in September. The hotel is trying for a good family experience and the old fashioned style is not a problem for us. Also the room we had has been recently decorated and is perfectly acceptable.

However what really lets the place down is that there is just no proper management of the staff. There are a few exceptionally good people working at Knoll House and it really was a pleasure to deal with them. However the majority of the staff are Eastern Europeans who do not communicate well with the guests or the other staff members. They also lack common sense which comes across as either laziness or just not caring what the guests think.

They either need to cut their rates or spend more of the money on the actual guest experience. However I suspect that it is a cultural fossil and will not be fixed until it changes hands. This will be fairly soon judging by the extreme age of most of the guests.

Had a brilliant few days here in the Easter holidays. The staff are excellent and the food is also top level. Amazing service and the baby listening allowed us to have a sensible conversation over our dinner with a glass of wine. Its a short walk down to an idyllic beach and perfect for children. I cant recommend this place enough and to make things better all the guests were charming as were their children. It felt more like staying at a friends house to be honest.

This hotel really could be a jewel in this area but there are some things that let it down and regrettably can't give it anymore than 3 stars. The hotel has recently changed hands and is in that stage of uncertainty. Our room (55) was spotless with a fairly modern bathroom and was very comfortable, but the decor...and tartan carpet made it feel aged, however I'm sure this will be sorted as part of the takeover refurbishment. Main gripe is the restaurant.... service is from 7 till 9..so went in at 8 to be told there were main courses and starters that had sold out this unfortunately left a VERY limited selection....an hour into evening service and food has sold out.....REALLY. What we eventually selected was fairly good....but not gourmet.....and if you're charging customers top prices this should be expected. To be honest the head waiter looked embarrassed and was very apologetic. Into the bar and again early transition everywhere....no draught ales at all, only bottled....yeuk!!! Though a good selection of malt whiskies and the wonderful humour of Ed the barman saved the day.....and like the head waiter was embarrassed at the lack of selection. Breakfast was buffet style, and had a good selection, 9nly small gripe on this....why only put out 2 thin slivers of butter for your toast etc?? most hotels have a tray or bowl where you can help yourself to these etc, that said though the waitress was happy to go and get more. I honestly want to be more positive....but this hotel seriously needs to be brought up to date to lose that 60/70's feel. Definitely change the evening menu, and employ a head chef that works with the maitchredean to ensure there are sufficient portions of food to cover the service. Have a properly stocked and functional bar.....for goodness sake you're located in the south west where there are a pletherer of fine draught ales and ciders. BUT....and this is the big BUT....you really must stop thinking you're a 5 star gentry retreat as part of the takeover...simply stop trying to be something your clearly not....and become a beacon of hospitality in this area.

Fantastic food at a great value for money, would go back just to eat! Yes it was that good. Hotel was also nice. Room size is a bit small but still very nice furniture and bedding.

Enjoyed our 2 nights stay. Warm friendly and relaxed atmosphere. Staff all so pleasant. Room and beds comfortable and clean. Good quality appointments. Excellent breakfasts. Will certainly come back.

Lovely hotel set in a fantastic location. Lots of facilities and access to a lovely beach.

Friendly staff, good food and a hotel with history and beautiful views.
Excellent walks to the beach and surrounding areas. Well worth a visit and stay

Excellent hotel with period features and decorations. Very efficient and friendly staff. Great breakfast.

Lovely hotel, such interesting decor and great food. Will definitely be returning

Been going every year for the last 8 years. It's like going back to the 50s (in a good way). Great food, friendly staff and fantastic beaches nearby. Very relaxing family (and dog) break.

Only stayed one night but was quite impressed with hotel.
Now considering coming here for a longer stay.

Lovely food. Friendly staff. Wonderful views to the sea. Log fires.

Beautiful location, fun to get to (via Sandbanks Ferry when it is working) The staff were friendly and as warm and inviting as Knoll House itself. Rooms have been recently renovated and are lovely throughout the campus. Food is much better than the high street chains such as Cote or Brasserie Blanc. Dog friendly and charming.

Amazing hotel, beautiful views and the most pleasant stay.
Maybe more vegetarian options could be offered but otherwise we loved it.
It was exactly what we needed after COVID-19

It's like going back in time 40 years to the golden age of Holidays of my childhood

We didn t even stay the place is a cross between a nursing home/ boarding school.
I booked with Secret Escapes so truly devastated.
My daughters birthday spent driving there and back home again.
The companies selling rooms should go and stay there- fantastic location but truly terrible hotel.

Endearingly old-fashioned. Such a beautiful setting. Family suite was very suitable for us. Staff extremely friendly, though occasional issues with understanding as many don't have English as their 1st language. They really aim to please though. Swimming pool area very clean and pretty. Half-board, breakfast was plentiful and quite good. Dinner was Ok. Saturday night dinner was noticeably better! The food in the Bistro (not included) was better. Lots of families and older people with dogs. You may also arrive by helicopter!!

Great place dog friendly. Staff friendly food amazing. Want to come again. Well don't want to go..

Great hotel in a beautiful location. Good service from friendly staff and the food is fantastic. Family and dog friendly.

Positioned with beautiful views, reasonable value hotel although a bit dated.

A perfect team really helpful and nice. Only can recommend this hotel

As an annual visitor to the hotel I have no complaints, the food is spectacular, there is plenty to do and the staff are crazy friendly. 10/10!

The location is what sells this place, stunning views of one of my most favourite places in England! Rooms really do need an update for the prices charged in comparison to other local great hotels

Locked away in time old hotel great view nice and quaint

afternoon tea over priced & appalling service a place to be avoided

Lovely location. Great outdoor pool. Friendly staff.

Lovely location, and good quality of bathroom products. Let down by small bedrooms and quality of food.

Wow. What can I say. The rooms are absolutely tiny. The hotel is ancient - only fit for a stay at Halloween if you want a good fright. The lights in the corridors don't work. It's like tjeybe never heard of WiFi - Don't dare sit down for breakfast or they will boot you out your seat as apparently tables are pre allocated in a massive empty dining hall but they won't tell you that until you've sat down and won't explain why your being moved. If you call to ask if you can be allocated anywhere else the following morning they refuse to budge as their hands are tied! What!? So they keep the tables for certain room numbers that are randomly allocated and don't even know that's where they are going to be sitting for the whole time of breakfast and don't let anyone sit where they want. Great start to the morning. Staff are half asleep, unhelpful and rude. One waitress stood directly in front of me and sneezed into her hands and it apparently didn't occur to her to wash them before seeing to other customers coming in for breakfast. Damian definitely takes himself way too seriously. It seems they could all do with a bit of hospitality training. Food was nothing to rave about.

Beautiful location excellent room excellent room excellent room very close to the sea

Hot tub already closed on a Friday during daylight hours and we re told on Saturday it will be being cleaned so it can t be used then either. Seriously?!

Good food & friendly staff...Room walls are a bit thin so noise seems to travel especially if you have loud neighbors...

Wonderful peaceful location, 10 minutes walk through gardens to beach. Drove past for years and very happy with the accommodation and wonderful food

We had a fantastic stay. Staff very friendly. Nice clean room, lovely views, comfy bed. Food was superb (afternoon tea, evening meal and of course breakfast). We used the indoor pool and hottub. A lovely hotel in idyllic setting.

I love the hotel and this was our fourth visit. However the food has taken a turn for the worse and is absolutely terrible ( evening meals). In fact all meals were so bad it was almost unbelieveable that it could be served up. Never used to be like that so such a shame.

Fabulous place, excellent location great restaurant and good amenities... Highly recommend!!

This is the second visit here and again staff friendly and helpful. And food was lovely

Picturesque and lovely walks. Good food and service. Thanks!

Amazing place, the staff are hospitable and it's set in beautiful grounds. I only stayed for one night but i was i was here for longer. I'll definitely come back and explore the surrounding areas more! Book it, you won't regret it. Dinner menu and meal is superb as well and you can't miss the breakfast which allows you to eat up a decent amount before going on a hike, walk or bike ride

Food so far has been excellent! Staff are friendly but not that helpful - I am here with 2 dogs and nobody was able to give directions for local walks or even the location of their own poo bin. My room I would describe as mean - the minimum with very small everything - bed, tv, kettle, bathroom! It is also the furthest possible place away from an exit on the first floor - not helpful with dogs!

Will definitely come back here, beautiful views, close to beach thanks to weather we felt like on holiday in Tenerife :)
Liked:
1. the outdoor pool,
2. hot tub,
3. sauna,
4. room

Didn t Like
1. Smell in snack bar - think they have issues with kitchen ventilation

The food was good but at this price you can have better meal elsewhere.

Knoll House is a lovely, relaxing hotel in a fantastic location.

Reduced staff meant quite a long wait at meal times. Apart from that it was good.

We had a lovely stay at Knoll House Hotel. The food was excellent, staff were very friendly and welcoming and our dog was treated as a VIP. There are some amazing walks from this hotel with a regular bus running past the hotel to both Swanage and Bournemouth. The room was very comfortable, the hotel is full of character and we will be back

This hotel is in a fantastic location and our seaview room was very comfortable even though not modernised apart from the Bathroom. The Bar and terrace are a great feature which do not open until 7.00 pm for residents so if you want an More

Love this place ..fabulous hotel , food and staff ..just an amazing place to stay ..can't wait to go back yet again next year we have been going back for the past 4 years ...this year my boyfriend proposed

Lovely staff and amazing service. Couldn't fault anything. Went for afternoon tea and used the facilities loved the outdoor Jacuzzi under the stars. Indoor pool area could use some updating though.

Lovely old hotel, huge and with a variety of rooms on offer at great value. Take your own pillows as they only supply blocks of wood on which to sleep. Would have been 5 stars but the fire alarm went off at 5am, I am sure this is not a regular occurrence. Breakfast was perfect, even vegetarian suasages on request!

Beautiful and charming hotel that takes you back in time..worked there last night had a lot of fun and the staff are very accommodating.

Knoll House exceeded our expectations. Despite the property needing a major renovation, the excellent service, food, facilities and grounds made up for it. The atmosphere is really nice- friendly, relaxed and efficient. Perfect for children - mine are 2 and 6, and there were plenty of elderly guests to smile and chat to them, and everything we needed. The family suites are great. And The Pig hotel is down the road if you need a fancy cocktail or posh dinner fix....

Hotel is in a great location for a very short walk to a fantastic beach as well as other longer walks. Great food and friendly staff what more could you ask for.

Food good if you like Alacart menu. Could improve on choice .

A lovely old fashioned hotel. Comfortable with very friendly, helpful staff. Food is good too.

A bit old fashioned and run down but still a nice place to stay. You can see the sea!

Great hotel set in a good location. Friendly staff, comfortable bedrooms and delicious food. All round great experience.

Just lovely..in every way. Can't recommend highly enough!

Perfect location for the superb beach just across the road and miles of heathland behind the hotel. Dog friendly both for your room and in the hotel lounges. Our room was chalet like in a square behind, well equipped if a bit tired , and not exactly spotless. Single glazing makes the kitchen fridge block a bit noisy for the sensitive at night. Dining could have been excellent but for young inexperienced students serving . Plates not put out, no knowledge of the menu, orders gone astray but they did their best. Food was ok but let down by soggy scrambled egg, very cheesy cheescake (not creme brulee cheesecake as on menu), dry chocolate mousse, basically lack of attention to detail.Having said that, we would go back on another Travelzoo deal. Would not pay full price.

Stayed here for a wedding around the corner, room and bed ok. Breakfast self service. Seemed a lovely but quirky hotel

Lovely place, friendly staff, beautiful hotel and location is idyllic.

A bit dated but that's part of the charm. Dogs welcome. Good breakfast. Go with secret escapes for best deal

One of the world's hidden gems in one of the world's most idyllic settings. You will struggle to find such an honest, warm and friendly hotel in these modern times. Simply superb.

I feel that a 1 star is very generous. The afternoon tea consisted of four dry, burnt scones, a cake that tasted like scrambled eggs and dry sandwiches. The spa was filthy and stank of wee. It consisted of a tiny changing room with no where to store your belongings and a tiny pool that looked like it hadn t been cleaned for a while. We would not recommend this place to anyone and we were very glad to leave.

a beautiful time warp, gorgeous building, was some summer palace for a duke? I like it a lot, please don't lose the character in any upgrades. I can imagine Agatha Christie visiting.

I am giving Knoll House Hotel 5 stars because the staff here are fantastic and so welcoming and accommodating. For Alex and Anastasia in the restaurant nothing is too much trouble and Aiden at the bar is very friendly and helpful.

Was on a deal,which was fine but I think the prices were inflated to make the deal look better than it actually was.Breakfast was good,everything you could want, dinner ok but tried to make into something fancy ,which it wasn't.The building looking a little tired but that's part of its charm.We paid a little extra for a sea view room,well worth it,nice room.Service could be a little patchy.

This place has such potential. A simply stunning location with incredible views, and the staff were all great. It just needs some investment and general modernisation. Hard to beat on a sunny day though.

Lovely hotel . Our room had a sea view and we could see the Isle of Wight. Food good but a clear gluten free menu would help with glutn free optios for starters mains, and desserts . Good facilities and activities include golf, walking, table tennis and real fires.

Had a drink on the patio at the front and enjoyed the ambience and service after a nightmare at the pub down the road.

Nice friendly hotel. Good food but a little expensive compared to restaurants outside

Always wanted to stay in this lovely hotel and thanks to Travelzoo we have..home from home feel about it..efficiently run and in an enviable location..

Excellent Hotel, Great facilities with a lovely pool and spa area and amazing food. Very friendly staff. This is our 5th stay here now. Was a family run Hotel but the atmosphere still seems the same.

Room itself was spot on but the food & waiter service, not so good. Staff barely speak English, had to be chased and reminded on drinks.

Really enjoyed the stay, was great fantastic very caring staff. Highly recommended

Very chaotic quite shabby looking thought knoll house would be a beautiful place but looks like a Butlins camp

Perfect. The hotel's close to the touristics points. The staff is very friendly and helpful. The room is amazing with sea view and have everything that you need.

My piece of heaven. The location,room, food, and staff were perfect (Poole bay plaice was superb- as was the roast beef, thumbs up to the chef). First time away this year because of Covid. My husband and I could not fault anything. We will be returning sooner rather than later. Oh nearly forgot , the out side pool was the icing on the cake for me. Thankyou to all at Knoll House for making our weekend break perfect.

Nice standard rooms very large Hotel connection with Enid Blighton great food good staff four star amenities sea facing Hotel plenty for the family..

A bit dated but staff excellent and its dog friendly. The setting is perfect