The Burford Bridge Hotel stands in a picturesque location, yet only 10 minutes from junction 9 of the M25. The reception area is light and breezy, and service was swift if a little impersonal. The hotel seemed somewhat quiet for a valentine’s weekend, but this suited us perfectly. The lounge and bar areas are very homely with plenty of little corners to hide in. The menu was imaginative and the food well presented, if slightly pretentious and lacking in substance for our liking. Don’t get me wrong, it was of a very high standard and great for a special occasion, but at £27 for two courses and £32 for three I would have expected to come away not feeling hungry, which unfortunately my boyfriend did. One plus point of this experience was our friendly and extremely attentive waitress.

Some parts of the hotel date back to the 13th century, and although there’s the expected creaky floorboards, the room was very modern. It was well appointed with the usual amenities (toiletries/shower cap/tea/coffee/hairdryer/iron/shoe polish/mini bar etc etc), and although quite small had an extremely comfortable bed. The bathroom was spotless and a reasonable size. A bonus to this hotel was the outside pool area, which is just as pretty as seen on the hotel’s website. Obviously on a cold day in February we didn’t take the plunge, but I can imagine in summer it’s a great place to relax. We booked direct with the hotels website and paid £89 for a classic double room excluding breakfast, which would have been a further £15.95 each.

The hotel lies at the foot of Box Hill, an area looked after by The National Trust and full of natural beauty. Please don’t be fooled by the term ‘hill’. This huge, hunk of a mini-mountain is a haven for the energetic rambler, littered with folk brandishing professional poles and walking boots. Whilst I consider myself a reasonably healthy 28 year old, I found the climb up to be challenging, and became slightly disheartened after being overtaken by pensioners who weren’t even breaking into a sweat! That said, once at the top the views of the surrounding countryside and vineyards are well worth the effort. And if you don’t fancy the walk, you can drive up to the top, something my boyfriend ‘conveniently’ forgot to mention…

Just slightly further down from this hotel is Denbies Vineyard. They run informative tours around the vineyard on a little train throughout the year, and have a great shop where you can buy their wines, along with other produce from the region. The impressive Gallery Restaurant offers magnificent views over the rolling hills, and the food here was of a higher standard in my opinion that the hotel. Well worth a visit.

One last small mention is for Rykers Cafe, a popular local hangout for bikers (the nice sociable kind, not the big hairy kind) situated next to the hotel. If you're into motorcycles (we're not) this would be a bonus. If like us they just don't float your boat, apart from the odd roar of an engine, the cafe isn't a nuisance but instead an added benefit for a junk food fix.

My husband and I stayed at the Burford Bridge following our wedding reception in Oct 2001. Nothing was too much trouble. The staff were friendly, the service was fantastic and the food was amazing! 5 years on, we celebrated our 5th wedding anniversary by returning. We were not disappointed. We had the most fantastic evening. Once again, the staff were fantastic, especially the restaurant manager who could not do enough for us. The live music in the restaurant was wonderful and the food, well, superb! They made our special night that extra bit special.

Good location, within easy reach of the motorway and surrounded National Trust forest, ideal for people who loved to ramble. Now for the hotel, as I said in the title the room was lovely, newly renovated with a contemporary fell, all mod cons, bathroom was tiny but that was a minor niggle.

The problem with this nice hotel is the staff. They were appalling bad at customer service. Firstly, when I booked the room, I requested foam pillows for our room. When we arrived in our room, they were not there, so I called reception and was told if they had any left they would send them up. I got the impression they didnt really care about there clients wishes. Secondly, we went for a meal come back to the hotel at about 10.45pm. We fancied at night cap at the bar. The barman, didnt want to serve us because he was cashing up, even though the bar closes at 11.00pm. Lastly, breakfast. I pre paid for a full english breakfast. You had to ask for a menu, which there was none on any table. We had to ask 3 times before anyone would take our order, we must have waited 20 minutes to order breakfast. When it finally arrived, the plate had hardly any food on it. One sausage, a slice of bacon, a table spoon of egg and beans. That was it for £15 per person. I've had better breakfast's at little chef for £4.95. I would not recommend this hotel especially at £200 per night. I've stayed in better travel lodges for a 3rd of the price!!!

I only stayed there for one night but would happily have extended! The hotels rather ugly exterior hides a gem of a hotel. Once inside the hotel has been renovated to a really high standard and whilst it is an historic building (Nelson and Lady Hamilton stayed there!), the bedrooms and public areas are really modern.

A wedding was being held in the hotel when we arrived, having made sure we weren't wedding guests - the receptionist ensured we were given a room where we wouldn't be disturbed. Both breakfast and our evening meals were excellent.

The hotel’s location is really lovely, its at the base of Box Hill and has its own gardens and outside swimming pool. My only gripe is that the maps on the website aren’t very clear and the directions are almost non-existant. However having found it I didn’t regret booking it – its just a shame I don’t live nearer!!!