We stayed at the Ivy House Hotel after been recommended by friends. We called to book and were made to feel very welcome. This continued when we arrived. We settled in to our room, which was modern yet very comfortable. The power shower washed away the stress of the city. The bar called us for pre dinner drinks, as the weather was warm we were able to sit on the delightful patio to be greeted by a man in a red waistcoat (who seemed to have had a tipple himself!!). The next decision was what to choose from the menu as the selection was excellent. Everything sounded so tempting, a modern, costmary yet British menu. (The kitchen was using all locally produced products). The man in the waistcoat made a few suggestions for both the food and wine. We took his advice on the wine and selected our food. We were shown to our table, in the restaurant. Although the restaurant could do with a lick of paint the atmosphere was pleasant. We were served a variety of breads and the cherry tomato foccacia comes recommended. The starter, crayfish tail salad was presented well, and the rocket gave the peppery taste needed. What made it so tasty was plenty of dressing, so often the dressing only covers the first layer of leaves! Main course was melt in the mouth, even though it looked to good to eat! Rump of English lamb with dauphinoise potatoes. The lamb was cooked to perfection and perfectly complimented by the creamy potatoes. The crunch of the vegetables rounded off the flavours. Even though the tummy was saying no I couldn’t resist finishing the meal with a Baileys cream brulee and my tummy wasn’t disappointed it was divine! Coffee was served in the bar with a Brandy for good measure. Breakfast the following morning was buffet style; yet again we were really impressed with the selection and quality. The scrambled egg was perfectly cooked to order, just the way it should be (not rubber or dry as is usually served!) The location of the hotel is perfect to explore the area we suggest you take a trip to Avebury, that is if you can tear yourself away from the high street (which is said to be the widest in the UK). We truly enjoyed our stay, so if you are looking for a hotel to get away from it all and spoil your taste buds we suggest you give The Ivy House Hotel a try!

We had been impressed by the web-site showing refined & tasteful rooms. Sadly the two rooms we were shown were both shabby with dated decor. (We took the second as we were travelling with friends) The en-suite and bedroom were in severe need of an update. The evening meal was good in parts but spoiled by mediocre dessert, tepid coffee and the poor attitiude of the waitress. Breakfast was self service and best descibed as poor. One shining star was the young receptionist - very pleasant, but she cannot overcome the shortcomings of this hotel