Charades Guest House

I rang the reception bell and a gentleman appeared enquiring if he could help me: No introduction; no welcome; no pleasantries. Upon learning my name, he found a set of keys, placed them in the door lock and told me not to worry about locking the front door. Breakfast was from 07.30am-08.50am. When I queried 08.50am, I was advised that there were only two of them (proprietors) and they had rooms to clean. Simply, this is not an issue for guests, and it should not interfere with guests. The room was reasonably spacious and clean, but the room was cold, and a touch of the radiators revealed them to be only slightly warm and just sparking into life. It was colder in the bathroom. It was -2C degrees when I arrived. The room should have been warm. Heating was switched off over night and did not re-ignite until around 06.45am. Consider how cold the room was with a -4C degree temp outside overnight and no heating inside. Breakfast was reasonable, although choice was limited from the buffet counter to (some) fruit and cereal. The cooked breakfast was enjoyable. Whilst at breakfast one guest drew the proprietor’s attention to the milk being sour. The guest was publicly rebuked by the proprietor who advised that everyone else had had the milk and that there had been no complaints, and besides the expiry date (of the milk) was the 20th. The guest defended themselves and further milk was provided which was no better. I was embarrassed for the guest. Remarkable, rude, and unnecessary behaviour from the proprietor. That afternoon I returned to my room. Again, there was no heating on– that was 3.30pm. The cold snap was continuing; the room was icy cold. I sat in my coat and turned on an additional small electric radiator provided (it was too small for the size of the room). This had little impact. Staying here is not cheap - £280 for a two-night stay in January. The service that I was provided with fell far below that which I have encountered anywhere before. The number of 10/10 reviews are incredulous: my experience was 2/10. Proprietors need to engage and welcome their guests, rather than leaving guests feeling that they are imposing upon them– this having already been commented upon by other reviewers. I shall not be returning.

Excellent location, lovely place, quiet and convenient to the city centre. Been here before and will come again. Lovely room and comfortable bed. Breakfast great. Easy parking and walking distance into the city takes 10 minutes.

My favourite place to stay in Hereford if I'm fortunate enough to get in. Excellent value for money. The rooms are comfortable and immaculate. The breakfast is first class and freshly cooked to order. Couldn't ask for more from a friendly, family run hotel in an ideal location.