Southernhay House Hotel - Exeter

Hannah P

Third and last stay at this hotel.  Spent £1,190 on 2 rooms for 2 nights to bring my mother for a treat.  On our second night, I was kept awake until nearly 1am by the noise of people in the bar and the staff clearing up.  I went down twice in my pjs to ask them to reduce the noise as I wanted to sleep.  The next morning the manager eventually and reluctantly agreed it would have been possible to at least shut the 2 doors to the bar and restaurant area so that the noise wouldn't have travelled so easily.  The owner was vile about it all and refused or didn't even understand that noise travels and has now banned me from returning (knowing I wouldn't)!  So don't stay in the Ivory room if you want some peace at 12.45am.  There was never anyone at reception to collect/leave keys with, and we would ring the doorbell repeatedly to try and get someone, look in the bar area etc but couldn't find anyone.  My observations on this and the consequent lack of security and possible impact on their insurance arrangements was again met with anger.    Cleanliness is also an issue - black mould in the shower, dirty carpet, clump of hair on the bathroom floor (which I had put from the shower into the bin but it was obviously dropped on the floor when the room was cleaned) etc.   No sheet on the under mattress.  Have seen from negative reviews elsewhere that this will be met with a horrible reply from the owners - they don't want to raise their standards or apologise for anything.

Sheree Atcheson

Booked here for a dog-friendly breakfast. Really great food & even better service. Had the full English & salmon & scrambled eggs. The breakfast starter of building your own yoghurt with granola, compote etc was super nice too.
We sat inside as it was a little chilly but there was a very cute outside area for dining which would be lovely too.

Would recommend.

Carol Davis

We popped in for a drink as we had passed it many times on our way home. We have not stayed in the rooms but from the pictures they look nice.
The staff were warm, welcoming and happy to answer any questions we had, nothing was to much trouble.
The atmosphere was lovely. Lovely garden to look at and it felt quiet and peaceful. Food menus change every month.
Will definitely go back.

Behnaz A

Arrived around midnight (as previously communicated with the hotel) as it was our wedding night. Also wrote in the notes of the booking that it was our wedding night. ||We couldn’t tell if we’d rung the bell properly so tried again. We were greeted with no smile or warm welcome unfortunately. As it was our wedding night, I thought we may have a congratulations note or something in the room but had nothing at all. Really disappointing. ||The stay was made up for a bit by the lovely greeting we had in the morning along with a stunning fried breakfast and pancakes. ||I’m not 100% sure it’s worth what we paid but it is a beautiful hotel.

Verity W

A stunningly decorated hotel with beautiful rooms, excellent food and overall fantastic. We have been here on a few occasions, for dinner and to stay and could not fault anything. We returned with our baby recently and realised it is not a baby friendly place! No changing facilities and charged over £4 for some boiling water for his bottle. However, that is our mistake. Just FYI for anyone thinking of popping in with small children/babies. To be fair it does state this on their website but we popped in for a coffee on a whim and didn’t think to check! Looking forward to our next (adult only!) visit.

Susan Thomson

My husband and I stay for three nights and would definitely stay again. We stayed in the Silk room which was very nice, bed was comfy, sheets and linen good quality. As Jeff H commented no wardrobe which was inconvenient as we had a lot of clothes/coats. The room was lovely and warm and we loved the fact that we could open the windows. We had breakfast, which was served, which is unusual these days, it was hot, very tasty and good menu, best we have had in a hotel in a very long time. Staff, without exception, were polite, professional, friendly and very helpful. Great stay 🙂

Emily W

Really lovely boutique hotel with huge rooms, fantastic service and in a perfect central location. Wish we’d stayed for dinner instead of going to Hotel du Vin - abysmal! - so will definitely dine here when we come back. Special mention to Nick on reception who was so friendly and lugged our massive cases up two flights of stairs with a big smile on his face. Wonderful little place.

Sven B

I decided to treat myself and stay here after my Dad passed away, I was hoping to just escape life for a while, grieve in my own way and enjoy some comfort. I paid £260 a night and I was hoping the price would be justified but unfortunately it wasn’t. The room was very compact, almost claustrophobic. The bed was comfortable and the room well decorated but some marks on the furniture and dust. For this standard of hotel and the price I would have expected it to be spotless. No milk in the rooms so you have to ask reception to bring up every time which is inconvenient as well as for the staff I’m sure. Also there is a luxury snack tray and the prices are extortionate. I had to be careful not to use something in case I was charged. Bathrobes would have been nice too.
I had room service many times and the staff were always friendly and proficient. The food is excellent and I would say the price is justified in this case.
I would have been tempted to eat in the restaurant but there was no atmosphere and always seemed so empty. This is something I noticed upon check in. Reminded me of a bit of a hospital waiting room.
I think this hotel has the potential to be one of the best and there a lot of positives as I’ve mentioned but I just can’t see myself staying again and not at these prices.