Review of Stanwell House 4*

Booked for 2 nights B&B through Secret Escapes. Check in was efficient and friendly. It took a while to find the car park  (It's off Cannon Street, through the public pay and display car park, spaces are limited). Our 1st floor 'garden room' was at the rear of the hotel and was very quiet. The bed was very comfortable, the decor pleasing and not corporate. Minor criticism; the over bath shower mixer was temperamental, lacked pressure and the screen didn't fit leading to a puddle on the floor. The breakfast was very good and was cooked to order. Great choice of cereal, fruit, juice and pastries. The highlight of the stay: The politeness and helpfulness of all of the staff. For us this is so often the make or break aspect of a stay. We ate one evening meal the food was good, but I will deal with a few issues in a separate review. On balance I am happy to recommend this hotel as worth visiting. We will hope to visit again in the future. Dinner I will start with the positives: We ate an evening meal in the Burcher and Co restaurant.     We chose a rib eye and fillet steak main. Each served with mushroom, tomato and watercress. Extra vegetables were a hefty  £3.50 per portion. The service was friendly and efficient. The food was very well cooked and tasty. A few gripes: The tables are so trendy that they  verge on impractical, holes and chunks missing from the real wood tops mean that glasses and cutlery came close to disappearing onto the floor. The chairs are also  very uncomfortable. (suggestion — add cushions as used in the breakfast room). The dessert seemed a bit too fussy for our taste, although other diners seemergency to like their  dishes. I didn't like the 10% service charge being added to the bill without being asked. Shame really, I would have added more, as the service and food was very good. As a guide our bill for the 2 main courses, 2 sides plus a bottle of wine was about £80.