The Barnstaple Hotel

We didn't stay, but had food. The staff were absolutely wonderful and went above and beyond for my son's birthday. Thank you so much to the pastry chef at the Barnstaple Hotel.

Divine breakfast, great little gym, the pool was nice too (bit cold though). Great value, clean room, modern bathroom. I would recommend

Disappointing Experience for a Birthday Stay with a Baby We stayed at The Barnstaple Hotel to celebrate my birthday, hoping for a relaxing and enjoyable break. Unfortunately, the experience fell well below expectations and left us more stressed than celebrated. Before our stay, my husband contacted the hotel to ask if they could do anything complimentary for my birthday — even something small. Sadly, the answer was a flat no, with no gesture or acknowledgement on arrival. We were travelling with our 5-month-old baby, yet we were given an upstairs room with no lift access. Shockingly, we were told we could leave the pram in reception — which is hardly practical for any parent. To make matters worse, the room was the farthest possible from the stairs, making it difficult to manage with a baby and bags. We inquired about a downstairs room and were told it was available, but the staff also mentioned that a door in that area slammed loudly whenever someone walked through, which would have been disruptive for our baby’s sleep. So we stayed upstairs, despite the inconvenience. The bathtub was clogged, so water drained extremely slowly, which made bathing unpleasant and added to the frustration. Dinner was another disappointment — there was a hair in my husband’s broccoli. Staff noticed but offered no apology or goodwill gesture. It wasn’t until checkout, when my husband raised the issue himself, that they offered to remove the drinks from the bill. This should have been handled at the time, not after the fact. Finally, we were told that checkout was at 11 a.m., or extended to 1 p.m. for an extra £10. We rushed to leave by 11 a.m., only to find out afterward that we actually could have stayed until 1 p.m. at no charge — something that would have made a huge difference when travelling with a baby. Overall, it felt like a series of poor decisions, lack of care, and missed opportunities. What should have been a special and enjoyable birthday stay turned into a stressful and disappointing experience.