Reviews of The Purbeck Vineyard, Corfe Castle
Review by D. Peile on 3rd August, 2008
Add your review Date visited: 22nd July 2008
This hotel has a lovely location & this area of Dorset is stunning but I left feeling disappointed. My room overlooked the parking area and front gardens and is opposite the staff room/private area with associated noise. The room & ensuite were clean but I feel it was overpriced compared to 1st floor double rooms which have a balcony and view. I requested a dinner reservation but it was not known whether the chef would be opening the restaurant! I asked to be kept informed but had to call reception to elicit the situation. The website refers to “fine dining” but the meal was not special and certainly did not look like the photographs on the website. The white house wine (vineyard produced) is very fresh and pleasant.
Breakfast was good, (except for hard, overcooked mushrooms), but peaches and pears were tinned, with only stewed strawberries one morning; yet this is the time for sourcing local fruits. One morning the chef, apparently, had forgotten to put out croissants, and after me pressing that surely there must be some in the freezer and saying I would be happy to wait whilst one was popped in the oven, my croissant arrived microwaved, greasy and horrible. The radio was blaring loudly at breakfast each morning, and was also on loudly the afternoon that I sat outside to admire the vineyard and the lovely view. This spoils the setting and is not conducive for relaxation in such a nice spot.
The staff are young and inexperienced and need to be trained thoroughly. Furthermore the owners need to introduce themselves to the guests, take an active role and check everyone is happy. I often stay at hotels/ B&B accommodation and I did not feel particularly welcome. It is such a shame!
Review by David Lawlor on 20th July, 2008
Add your review Date visited: 19 July 2008
Whilst efforts are devoted to regaling customers regarding the finer points of wine - dead flowers adorn the diners table. Do not set your heart on a bottle of the House Red - they've run out until October (the waitress Guffawed as she informed us - it's because it's so popular!). I had the Mushroom Medley - tasted like it's last place of residence was inside a jar. Don't expect fresh vegetables - just cherry tomatos lost in a sea of lettuce leaves - mind you the potatoes were very edible (the highlight of the meal in fact). Service - charmless, obtrusive and inept. Someone needs to standback and look at the dinning experience from the customers viewpoint - start by trying to eat the Prawn Cocktails - anyone ever heard of shredding the lettuce?
My advice would be to avoid
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