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Reviews of The Dower House Hotel

3 out of 5
The Dower House Hotel
The Dower House Hotel, Rousdon, Lyme Regis, England

Reviews

9.8

Exceptional

Rating 10 - Excellent. 93 out of 102 reviews" "
Rating 8 - Good. 5 out of 102 reviews" "
Rating 6 - Okay. 1 out of 102 reviews" "
Rating 4 - Poor. 1 out of 102 reviews" "
Rating 2 - Terrible. 2 out of 102 reviews" "

9.8/10

Cleanliness

9.8/10

Staff & service

9.2/10

Amenities

9.8/10

Property conditions & facilities

9.6/10

Eco-friendliness

Reviews

10/10 Excellent

Cathy

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Fantastic place to stay, Neil, Rosemarie and all the staff are so welcoming. A good choice and quality of breakfast which was cooked only once you ordered and therefore was lovely and hot (so many hotels end up with warm breakfasts). We have already recommended to several friends!
Stayed 3 nights in Oct 2023
Response from Rosie on 29 Oct 2023
Dear Cathy ! Thank you so much for such a fabulous and lovely review of The Dower House Hotel. We are thrilled you loved the breakfast and thank you for recommending us to your friends. We will see you again soon I am sure. With very best wishes Rosemarie

10/10 Excellent

John

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Beautiful area. Owners very friendly
Stayed 1 night in Oct 2023
Response from Rosie on 29 Oct 2023
Dear John thank you so much for your lovely review. We are pleased you enjoyed your stay and loved the area. We would love to welcome you again soon. With very best wishes Rosemarie

6/10 Okay

Graham

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service
Disliked: Room comfort
Dissapointed
Lovely house and friendly owner. There it begins to unwind. The room was very nice BUT the heating is broken so instead of having 4 nice radiators pumping out some heat we had one small electric oil filled radiator. So yes the room was cold. Went downstairs to have a sandwich. I had one round of cheese and my wife had a round of cheese and pickle. We also had a few crisps sprinkled on the side. We had to leave a day early as my wife wasn’t feeling too well so I just paid the bill without looking. BIG MISTAKE. We were charged £12 for the plain cheese sandwich. Oh that’s £12 each so the total food bill was a mighty £24!! Before posting this review I emailed the hotel as I think there must have been a mistake. But to date (2 days later) I haven’t even received the courtesy of a reply. You won’t get fat on the breakfast either. Tasty yes. Portions small. A side order of toast for 2 people was one slice cut in half. Maybe this bread is made with gold dust. Would I return. No.
Stayed 2 nights in Oct 2023
Response from Rosemarie on 21 Oct 2023
GrahamWe are pleased you liked the hotel and room but are sorry you were disappointed with some aspects of your stay. We are also sorry you had to leave early and hope your wife is feeling better!Apologies but we did not receive an email from you, otherwise we would certainly have responded very quickly to answer your concerns.We had a temporary problem with the thermostat of our biomass boiler unfortunately and provided oil filled radiators as backup. Luckily it wasn't cold and we did check with guests if they wanted an extra radiator, we could have provided an additional one for you had you asked. The problem was fixed within 24 hours.In terms of the charge for sandwiches we do not believe this is high for a hotel using the finest local produce and providing linen napkins, we have never had the price questioned before.Our breakfast is completely bespoke and guests can have as much or as little as they like, they only have to ask. We provide unlimited hot drinks, toast and if requested a second portion of any breakfast item. We are always very happy to provide more if required and this is genuinely the very first time in 10 years of trading that any guest has ever said our breakfasts were small.Once again we hope your wife is feeling better and are sorry you did not enjoy all aspects of your stay.

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Lovely hosts, dog friendly and great place to stay
Stayed 1 night in Oct 2023
Response from Rosie on 19 Oct 2023
Thank you so much for giving The Dower House Hotel a lovely score. We absolutely love looking after our guests so thank you again for enjoying the hotel.!With very best wishes Rosemarie

10/10 Excellent

Adam

Stayed 1 night in Aug 2023
Response from Rosie on 2 Sept 2023
Dear Adam - thank you so very much!! We are thrilled you enjoyed your stay with us and very much hope you will consider us again!With very best wishesRosemarie

10/10 Excellent

Andy

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Return guests to this friendly hotel in a quiet area five minutes drive from the main town centre. Very comfortable rooms which are all nicely fitted out. We are always made to feel very welcome and our boxer dog even more so. Breakfast is served in a separate dining room or can be taken with your dog in the bar who also receives a little morning treat. Outside in the garden, there is a large fenced exercise area to help keep your dog safe. A great place for a short break and we always look forward to returning. Dogs are not permitted in some of the rooms and so if you are traveling with a dog it is worth checking with the hotel as to which rooms you can book.
Stayed 2 nights in Aug 2023
Response from Rosie on 31 Aug 2023
Dear Andy - gosh thank you so very much for giving us such a glowing review! We are of course happy that you enjoyed your stay with us and of course Sadie too!Again we really hope that you will come again and stay with us. Best wishes Neil and Rosemarie

10/10 Excellent

Nigel

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Stayed 4 nights in Aug 2023
Response from Rosie on 23 Aug 2023
Dear Nigel - thank you so much for the great review! We are happy you enjoyed your stay with us!Best wishes Rosemarie

10/10 Excellent

Andrew

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Lovely hotel
We stayed for 2 nights in a standard double (peek )room in July .The room was very nice with a large bathroom with quality fitments, including a rainfall shower.The breakfast was very good and cooked to order.There is no restaurant for evening meals but this is not a problem as the hosts recommended the ship inn not far away.A family run restaurant where we dined twice .The hosts are super friendly ( I haven’t been hugged leaving a hotel before) and I’m sure they would accommodate any reasonable request you may have .We didn’t get to use he outside pool due to the weather which was the only downer on an enjoyable stay
Stayed 2 nights in Jul 2023
Response from Rosie on 20 Aug 2023
Thank you so much Andrew for such a glowing review! Wow we are so happy you enjoyed your break with us and we very much look forward to welcoming you both again - hug mandatory !! Best wishes Rosemarie

10/10 Excellent

Sarah

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 1 night in Jul 2023
Response from Rosie on 23 Jul 2023
Dear Sarah Wow thank you so very much!! We are so pleased you enjoyed your stay with us!Best wishesRosemarie

10/10 Excellent

Francis, Horsham

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
The location is very good, being just a 10 min drive to Lyme Regis centre, with a very good car park as you enter the town, free after 6pm! Good restaurants, some of vehicular close on Sunday. Rooms very comfortable and a very warm welcome with a hearty breakfast
Stayed 1 night in Jul 2023
Response from Rosie on 11 Jul 2023
Dear Francis thank you so very much for a lovely heartfelt review! We are so happy that you enjoyed your stay with us and very much hope you will return! With very best wishes Rosemarie

10/10 Excellent

Bryan

Stayed 1 night in Jul 2023
Response from Rosie on 6 Jul 2023
Dear Bryan. wow and thank you both so very much! We are thrilled you enjoyed The French Lieutenants Suite and we very much hope you will return! With very best wishes Rosemarie

10/10 Excellent

Tony

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Enjoyable stay, excellent room, friendly owners and staff, great breakfast.
Stayed 1 night in Jun 2023
Response from Rosie on 25 Jun 2023
Dear Tony thank you again so very much for staying with us! We are thrilled you loved your stay and very much look forward to welcoming you again. Best wishes Rosemarie

10/10 Excellent

Michael

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Holiday heaven
Enjoyed it so muchh we stayed an extra night. Could not fault the friendliess and service
Stayed 3 nights in Jun 2023
Response from Rosie on 25 Jun 2023
Dear Malcolm thank you so very much for such lovely words! We are happy you enjoyed your stay with us and very much look forward to welcoming you all again. Best wishes Rosemarie

8/10 Good

Elaine

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service
Stayed 2 nights in Jun 2023
Response from Rosie on 16 Jun 2023
Thank you Elaine for your stars - we hopefully will try and make them 5 next time we see you! With very best wishes Rosemarie

10/10 Excellent

David

Travelled with group
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
fabulous place to stay with great rooms and bar open until 11. Host can't do enough for you. Recommended
Stayed 1 night in May 2023
Response from Rosie on 22 May 2023
Dear David thank you for your wonderful review we are thrilled you enjoyed your break with us! With very best wishes Rosemarie

10/10 Excellent

Victoria

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Excellent location, only a few mins from the town. Beautiful views and a stunning hotel both inside and out and our room had a huge comfy bed (we needed a step ladder) and a bathtub you could relax and immerse yourself in. Great staff, so helpful and accommodating. We had a wonderful short break. We will definitely be back. Thank you :)
Stayed 2 nights in May 2023
Response from Rosie on 16 May 2023
Dear Victoria thank you so much for such a lovely review! We are so pleased you enjoyed your break with us and we do hope to see you again very soon. Best wishes Rosemarie

10/10 Excellent

Marian

Stayed 1 night in Apr 2023
Response from Rosie on 14 Apr 2023
Dear Marian. Thank you so much for that fantastic score! That is absolutely brilliant and we are so thrilled you enjoyed your stay at The Dower House!We do hope you will visit us again very soon.Best wishes Neil and Rosemarie

10/10 Excellent

Richard

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Perfect place to relax as be spoilt.
A three day break to revisit the lovely places in and around Lyme and couldn’t emote pleased with our voice of hotel. Perfect location and wonderful place to relax and enjoy te kind hospitality of owners Neil and Rosemarie. They were keen to make us very comfortable and provide excellent breakfasts - even our dog received a sausage as a treat each morning. We were all very spout.
Stayed 3 nights in Mar 2023
Response from Rosie on 15 Mar 2023
Dear Richard thank you so very much for such a fantastic review of us and the Dower House! We are thrilled you enjoyed your break with us and also Meg did too!We very much look forward to welcoming you all again soon. With very best wishes Rosemarie

10/10 Excellent

Joe

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Lovely welcoming hotel
Lovely hotel, very welcoming and friendly owners, great location near to Lyme Regis (5 minutes) and a really good breakfast. Will definitely be back!
Stayed 1 night in Feb 2023
Response from Rosie on 1 Mar 2023
Dear Joe thank you so much for your lovely review! We are happy you enjoyed your break with us and yes we would love you to stay with us again! Best wishes Rosemarie

10/10 Excellent

andrew

Stayed 1 night in Feb 2023
Response from Rosie on 1 Mar 2023
Thank you so much Andrew for this lovely score! We are thrilled and we very much hope you will come back and see us again . Best wishes Rosemarie

10/10 Excellent

Ian

Travelled with family
Dower House
Amazing hotel - great location rooms, team and food. We’ll be going back 100% and would highly recommend to anyone 😁
Stayed 1 night in Oct 2022

10/10 Excellent

Amanda

Stayed 1 night in Sep 2022
Response from Rosemarie on 20 Sept 2022
Dear Amanda - Thank you so much for this 10 - it really does mean the world to us that you enjoyed your stay here at the Dower House Hotel. We do hope you will visit again. Best wishes Rosemarie

8/10 Good

P

Liked: Staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Disliked: Cleanliness
Stayed 3 nights in Sep 2022
Response from Rosemarie on 18 Sept 2022
Thank you for your review ! So glad you had a great stay sorry about the water glasses!! Rosemarie

10/10 Excellent

Paul

Stayed 1 night in Sep 2022
Response from Rosie on 4 Sept 2022
Dear Paul thank you so much for this fantastic score! We are so pleased you enjoyed your stay with us. We very much look forward to you both coming again. Best wishes Neil and Rosemarie

10/10 Excellent

Helen

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 1 night in Aug 2022
Response from Rosie on 24 Aug 2022
Dear Helen thank you so very much! We are thrilled you enjoyed your stay with us and we very much hope you do return. With very best wishes Rosemarie and Neil.

10/10 Excellent

Scott

Stayed 1 night in May 2022
Response from Rosie on 4 Sept 2022
Thank you Scott! We do hope you will come and see us again! Rosemarie

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Great hotel would definitely be back
Fantastic hotel extremely clean decor was beautiful is better than it looks on the website gorgeous location very quiet breakfast was lovely very friendly welcoming staff and helpful
Stayed 2 nights in Apr 2022

10/10 Excellent

Peter

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
47th anniversary
Very nice stay in every way,room we had was a bit same other than that was great Would go back.
Stayed 3 nights in Apr 2022

10/10 Excellent

Philip, Rowley Regis

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
The property was excellent in every way. Our room was light and airy with plenty of space and superb amenities. The owners and staff were professional, friendly and helpful. Breakfasts were just right and access was totally appropriate
Stayed 3 nights in Apr 2022
Response from Rosie on 5 Apr 2022
Dear Philip thank you both so much for such a lovely review! We are very pleased you enjoyed your break and the hotel and very much look forward to you coming to stay again with us! Best wishes Neil and Rosemarie

10/10 Excellent

James

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
A lovely stay at a wonderful hotel!
We had a fantactic stay at Dower House! It was a great experience and worked really well for our family.
Stayed 2 nights in Mar 2022
Response from Rosie on 23 Mar 2022
You are so welcome thank you for staying with us! Rosemarie

10/10 Excellent

Zoe

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Wonderful property, quiet and beautiful location. Rooms are lovely. Thank you to Neil and his team, sorry not to have met Rosemarie but hope to on a return visit
Stayed 1 night in Mar 2022
Response from Rosie on 23 Mar 2022
Dear Zoe thank you for your lovely review! I am glad Neil looked after you and yes I will meet you next time. Best wishes Rosemarie

10/10 Excellent

Scott

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 1 night in Mar 2022
Response from Rosie on 23 Mar 2022
Thank you so much for a lovely score. We look forward to welcoming you again. Rosemarie

10/10 Excellent

D

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
This hotel is anything but dower !!
We only stayed one night at the Dower, but wished it had been the whole weekend ! Fantastic stay from arrival to leaving. Booking process was painless, the owners Neil & Rosemarie could not have been friendlier, or more accommodating. The hotel itself was warm and welcoming. We stayed in a ground floor suit that opened out onto the gardens with great outside space to allow our lab to run around. Breakfast is a must and nothing was a bother. We will most definitely will be back.
Stayed 1 night in Dec 2021
Response from Rosie on 19 Dec 2021
Dear guest - Thank you so much for your lovely review!! It was a pleasure to meet you - Best wishes Rosemarie

10/10 Excellent

Kara

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Fantastic dog friendly break
Fantastic 2 night stay with our daughter and black labrador at The Dower House Hotel. Beautiful room. Very spacious and lots of charm and character. Rosemarie and Neil were very welcoming. Our daughter enjoyed meeting Sybil and Basil, the two great dane puppies.
Stayed 2 nights in Oct 2021
Response from Rosie on 19 Dec 2021
Dear Kara thank you for your lovely review and we are so please you enjoyed your break. Best wishes Rosemarie

10/10 Excellent

Philip f

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Excellent
Excellent hotel
Stayed 3 nights in Aug 2021
Response from Rosie on 9 Aug 2021
Dear Philip thank you so very much for such a lovely score! We are thrilled you enjoyed your time with us and we look forward to seeing you again very soon! Best wishes Rosemarie

10/10 Excellent

Malcolm

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Wonderful stay - exceptional welcome from Neil and Rosemary - lovely hotel - great location - super room - welcome warm pool - and excellent breakfast outside in sunshine - thanks !
Stayed 1 night in Jun 2021
Response from Rosie on 6 Jun 2021
Dear Malcolm thank you so very much! It was a pleasure to meet you both and please come back and see us soon! Best wishes Rosemarie

10/10 Excellent

Steve

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
An enjoyable stay.
The whole experience was excellent. The hosts, the rooms, the food, the atmosphere, everything was just perfect. Would highly recommend and will be definitely visiting again.
Stayed 2 nights in Oct 2020
Response from Neil on 28 Oct 2020
Thank you for your feedback. We hope that you will be able to stay with us again in the near future. Best wishes Neil

2/10 Terrible

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness
Disliked: Staff & service
room ok and clean The host appeared surprised we had a dog even though we had called and confirmed we had a dog. They were fine about this when we arrived. Their 2 Great Dane dogs were over friendly and frightened my dog and actually broke my spectacles when I tried to pick up my dog No real solovyev, and still charged extra £45 fir my dog staying.
Stayed 3 nights in Jul 2020
Response from Neil on 18 Oct 2020
We are very dog welcoming at The Dower House but always explain that as we have Great Danes it is not advisable to enter the dog exercise area if they are already in there as they may frighten smaller dogs on an initial meeting. Our dogs are very friendly but as they are large we always adopt a cautious approach. Not only did this guest not follow this guidance but to make matters worse tried to pick up his dog which is never advisable and his glasses were accidentally knocked off but they did not appear to be badly damaged the metal frame only being slightly bent. The guests appeared to enjoy their stay and this incident was not discussed further until the time of their departure. We do not believe we did anything wrong and so still charged our normal charge for our dog guests. We know this guest was also not feeling well at the time of their stay so we hope they are now feeling better.

10/10 Excellent

Nicola

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Dower House - Stradlings
We were only in Lyme Regis for the day, on our way from London to visit relatives In Penzance. We found Dower House to be a real home from home. Neil was super helpful and very friendly. He booked us into the nearby Ship Inn for a lovely dinner. It all felt very cosy, a hard thing to pull off in this age of mental Covid restrictions. Beautiful breakfast served by the lovely Trish. It really didn’t matter that the weather was blowing a gale outside tbh.
Stayed 1 night in Oct 2020
Response from Neil on 18 Oct 2020
Thank you for your review and we hope you will be able to visit again.

10/10 Excellent

Rachel

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Fabulous and safe stay
Our stay at the Dower House was fabulous. They have put stringent measures in place in relation to COVID, for example numerous hand sanitisers around the hotel, staff wearing masks for breakfast and booking a time for the pool so you are not using it with others. They also do not go into your room unless you specifically request them to and you can indicate anything you need them to top up in the room or if you do want the beds to be made etc. The hotel is clean and comfortable. Neil and Rosemary are fabulous hosts and really try to ensure you have a good stay and cater for anything you need if they are able to. They were able to arrange tables for dinner for us and taxis at short notice and their recommendations were excellent. One evening we had had a big lunch so didn’t want to go out for dinner and Rosemary made us a lovely cheese board and sandwiches which was much appreciated. There is also a fantastic selection of drinks available at the small bar and Neil knows his stuff in relation to recommending gins! Overall a fantastic stay and we had no concerns about our safety in the current climate.
Stayed 4 nights in Aug 2020
Response from Neil on 18 Oct 2020
Thank you for your review. We are very pleased to be able to look after guests in these difficult times and have adopted measures to mitigate any risks. We hope you will be able to stay with us again in the future.

10/10 Excellent

Min C

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 1 night in Jul 2020
Response from Neil on 5 Aug 2020
Thank you very much for your review.

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Stayed 2 nights in Jul 2020
Response from Neil on 5 Aug 2020
Thank you for your review.

10/10 Excellent

Nichola

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Fabulous find.
We spent a lovely night at the Dower House. It’s a really dog friendly hotel, spotlessly clean with great service. Our hosts were most welcoming.
Stayed 1 night in Feb 2020
Response from Rosie on 20 Mar 2020
Dear Nichola thank you so much for such a fabulous review! We do hope you will visit us again soon. Rosemarie

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
The owners gave us information and assistance on local places to go, things to do and places to eat. We felt very welcomed and at home.
Stayed 3 nights in Mar 2020
Response from Rosie on 20 Mar 2020
Thank you for such a lovely review! Please come back and see us soon! Rosemarie

10/10 Excellent

EDWARD

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 1 night in Dec 2019

10/10 Excellent

Angela

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 1 night in Nov 2019

10/10 Excellent

Andrew

Stayed 2 nights in Nov 2019

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Beautiful location, fantastic property, welcoming hosts and great room.
Stayed 2 nights in Oct 2019
Response from Rosie on 3 Nov 2019
Thank you ! wow so pleased you enjoyed your stay and you know, please come back! Best wishes Neil and Rosemarie

10/10 Excellent

graham

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 1 night in Oct 2019
Response from Rosie on 3 Nov 2019
Wow Graham thank you!! We are pleased you enjoyed your stay with us and look forward to seeing you both again soon! With very best wishes Neil and Rosemarie

10/10 Excellent

Paul

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 1 night in Oct 2019
Response from Rosie on 3 Nov 2019
Thank you so very much for Paul for our 10 out of 10!! We are pleased you loved the hotel and hopefully see you again soon! Best wishes Neil and Rosemarie