We booked this hotel through an internet deal where the meal on the first night was free. We were aware that we would not be eating in the main restaurant as there was a function there that night but that there were alternative arrangements in place. We were directed to "The Metz" which is a short distance from the main building. We were not aware at that point that there was no kitchen there. All meals come from the kitchen in the main building.

There is no organisation in The Metz at all, it was a complete shambles which actually became more and more amusing as the night wore on. The woman in charge who took the orders did not pass on one single order correctly to the waiters and waitresses. Consequently, there was something wrong/missing with every single meal served.

We gave our order for starters followed by "Black Angus beefburger grilled and served with dill pickles and fries" for my husband and "Pan fried pork medallions with wild mushrooms sauce" for me. when asked what veg came with that and if there were any potatoes, we were met with a shrug. I therefore ordered fries as well. We also ordered two glasses of red wine and a bottle of water.

We were then amazed to see staff running off with the orders to the main building. Only one glass of red wine came back and no water. We then reordered the other glass of wine and the water. The waitress then ran back - and I do mean she ran - to get the rest of the order. She then had to queue with the guests from the function to get the drinks so it was a long time. The couple at the next table to us also ordered two glasses of wine, one came and they waited 40 minutes for the other. The woman then went to the front only to find that they had wine there so was able to get a glass of wine there. What was the point of serving staff having to run between venues when they could have just dispensed the drinks in The Metz? Wholly bizarre.

Our meals arrived with two lots of fries as ordered but then all the veg and potatoes which accompanied the pork arrived as well, so I felt really greedy. We ordered cheese and biscuits but had to order twice with two different people with a significant wait in between before it arrived.

The couple behind us waited a long time to place their order and then - having eaten their starters - were twice approached to ask what dessert they wanted when they were still waiting for their main courses.

One couple were celebrating a special occasion and had email confirmation that they were eating in the restaurant in the main building and duly made their way there for a drink in the bar before their meal. After their drink they were made to leave as they were not attending the function. The woman was very upset, particularly as everything they orderd was wrong when it arrived. Most shocking of all is that there was to be a wedding held there the next day (Saturday). Several of the wedding party had booked to stay overnight and they had to go out elsewhere for fish and chips as they could not be accommodated for meals. They ate this out on the terrace at The Metz.

When it came to totting up our bill - remember that our food was free, there was only the drinks - it took well over ten minutes, with a lot of number crunching on a calculator and repeated examination of the menu.

This is not the way to run a business. The waiters and waitresses worked incredibly hard and each ran the equivalent of a couple of miles, but the person in charge actually hindered rather than facilitated. She is clearly not up to the job.

The main building is truly beautiful and we did have breakfast there both mornings. I understand that if there are no functions there that it is usual to have your evening meal there and not in the ill-fated Metz. The restaurant overlooks the grounds.

There were other niggles as well. There was only one bar of soap and one small shampoo for two of us. These were not replaced after the first night. It's not the end of the world I know but you should not have to shuttle the soap between the sink and the shower in a four-star hotel and there should be a small shampoo for each guest even if it is not replaced when empty. The bathroom was not swept either. When we came to check out the bill was for a lot more than the offer stated. Fortunately, we had kept the paperwork so this was then changed.

Has it put me off staying at other De Vere's hotels? No because we got a really good deal and were very pragmatic about it. Had I actually booked a meal in the restaurant and had that confirmed by email and it was a very special occasion I would be very upset. Similarly, if I was spending a great deal of money on my wedding reception and my family and friends had booked the night before and we had to go to a fish and chip shop for our meal I would be furious.

Half term can be an intersting time for all the family. I had searched around for a hotel with swimming pool and somewhere near to historic portsmouth etc. The DBB rate was really good and the hotel itself was set in some lovely grounds. I think at weekends its all geared up to weddings but during the week you could have a quite time. I had studied the reviews and now can confirm and share with you my thoughts.
I do not fault find, I am also a tolerant person but I just had to write this down as keeping silent on this would be wrong.

When we got to the hotel we were told that the swimming pool was not in operation, apparently this had been planned for many weeks ahead but some people were not told on booking there was an obvious break down in procedure. There was many unhappy people including lots of kids! The food was good but the service in the restuarnt was very strange. Some evenings the meals were very quick other times the wait was long . The service was un organised on some evenings staff needed prompting and front of house seemed to be doing everything including trying to communicate with staff with poor language skills. On other nights it was very good with the odd moment of madness. I have never experienced anything like it. I just felt like getting up and organising them myself.

It was still a very nice place it just needs someone to get agrip of training and procedures, when this happends you will be ablt to add another star onto the place

We had spent a night at this hotel in March and apart from a couple of little things we were happy with our stay, so we decided to book again for two nights taking advantage of a deal we had been offered. Part of the offer was a meal in the hotel restaurant on the first night,

On booking in, we were told that due to a member of staff breaking her fingers and a wedding taking place in the hotel it would not be possible to have our evening meal that night,

We were offered a meal for the following night or room service, we opted for the meal on the next evening and went to a very nice local pub for a meal that night.

We understood the problem with the member of staff this is out of their control however we were very cross to find out that because of the wedding we were unable to get a drink at the hotel bar!!!!

On their website it states that if there is a function the restaurant and bar would be off limits but there was another bar and place to eat for guests of the hotel. Our problem was that the other bar could not be opened due to the member of staff who had broken her fingers, we were told by one of the bar staff that there was a very nice local pub if we wanted to get a drink!!! I find it very strange that some arrangement could not be made to cater for both guests of the hotel and the wedding party. There were two bar staff working that night and this is a 4 star hotel.

The rest of the weekend seemed doomed, the service at breakfast was slow and very disorganised. Two separate waitresses put groups of people on the same table by mistake, people were left standing outside the restaurant waiting to be seated. The staff tried very hard and were friendly and polite but just needed some organisation, perhaps this is the job of the person who went to hospital!!!

The service was a little better at dinner on the following evening but only just, the food however was good just a little slow on being delivered, we spent a long time waiting for the dessert menu!!!! We were very disappointed with our room this time as well, it was quite small and very warm. It had some nice fixtures and fittings but the paintwork and decoration looked cheap and nasty and the cleanliness was certainly an issue. The toilet was dirty, the skirting s were full of dust and there were dirty marks on the walls in the bathroom and the heater in the bathroom leaked when it was on.

Overall my husband and I would not return to this hotel unless there were some great improvements it is a shame because it is in a lovely setting and could be so much better. This is not 4 star service!!!

I decided to bring my fiance here as a suprise as its the venue where I really want to get married....what can i say, 24 hours of pure relaxtion.

The room was very nice, ideal for young people who like the modern funky look....! Plasma on wall, huge bed and nice decor and colour schemes....

The Pool and Jacuzzi was amazing, so peaceful and relaxing, huge shower, sauna and the gym, what can i say, new equipment, the treadmill has a built in tv, radio, and ipod station where its all touch screen, amazing!!! this was located under our room.

The breakfast was lovely, muesli, porride, meats and cheeses, full english, fruit, toast, juices, pastries, jams, tea, coffee...!! you eat in the manor house which is beautiful.

Nice country pubs scattered around area within a 5 mile radius.

We have decided to marry here next year as its absolutely devine.

I could recommend to anyone and not to forget, the price was fantastic for a devere hotel, £65 for 2 people inc breakfast, you cant even get into a travelodge for that these days!!