It's not easy writing this review. I was tempted to give it a two rating ("Okay, but some problems") but it is better than that. It could easily have achieved a four "Above Average" but unfortunately at the time we were there the service in the restaurant was not only bad but ignorant and thus I came away with not the best opinion of the hotel.
We booked at the Forest and Vale because my in-laws have stayed before and like the hotel and having never visited the North East coastline we went away as a family with my in-laws for a short break. I telephoned the hotel to book and explained we would like three rooms for two nights and asked if they did a Dinner/Bed/Breakfast break. I was told they only did three nights and if we wanted two nights we would could only book B&B. While I was on the phone I noticed on the hotel's own website that they were infact offering a two night inclusive stay, actually marketed as a Pure Indulgence Break in a Superior Room. I asked the hotel if I could book three rooms under this package and they said this was possible. The package included a bottle of champagne, strawberries and chocolates in your room on arrival for £348 per room for the two night stay including breakfast and dinner.
There are four grades of rooms at the hotel ranging from Standard, Executive, Superior (which we had) to Deluxe of which there is only one very contemporary room,
Upon arrival we were shown to our rooms. The champagne was in the rooms but no glasses. However when we called down for them they were delivered promptly - it did seem a bit odd though not to leave glasses in the room with the bottle of champagne.
The rooms were in the original building, We had rooms 1, 3 and 4. Room 1 was lovely with a big bathroom and a view of the garden, but the decor was a bit fussy. The carpet in room 3 screamed at the wallpaper. It overlooked the road, and room 4 which was very tastefully decorated but overlooked the main road and the roundabout so it was rather noisy. One of the windows didn't open so it made the room rather stuffy. The bathrooms have been refurbished but our shower head in Room 4 needed a good clean and oddly the taps had been replaced but the pop up plug on our sink was very worn. The bathrooms are quite small but these are in the old part of the building. All the rooms had flat screen plasma tv's but the one in Room 4 was situated on a very low chest so whoever was on the far side of the bed couldn't see the TV. They should place it on a higher cabinate.
All the rooms were well equipped, there is free WiFi access and the bathrooms had the usual (except shower caps which you had to ask for) toilettries in them. The showers were good with good pressure but the floors are very slippery even if a little bit wet so they should provide bigger bathmats. I was suprised that in rooms of this quality they did not provide bathrobes. Generally the rooms were good but I would advise speaking to the hotel first to find out what is available as the rooms vary considerably in size, style and location.
Dinner.
We ate in the restaurant both nights. You can eat in the bar and the food looked good. The bar was busy with diners both nights we were there. The lounge is tiny and this can be a problem.
The menu is imaginative with a seasonal menu and daily specials. I have to say the food was excellent both nights.
Breakfast
Again this was very good, Chef makes the most perfect scrambled eggs. My husband ordered the full english and like another reviewer found this disappointingly small, just one slice of bacon, one small sausage, half a tomato, mushroom and egg with fried break. An extra slice of bacon would have been appreciated and filled the plate out more. The smoked salmon and scrambled eggs were excellent. There is a buffet table of fruits and cereals and this was good except for the fact that you had to keep going to find someone to replemish everything. Both mornings we had to ask for glasses, cereal bowls, fruit and grapefruit. But that is down to service and not the chef.
Service in the restaurant
This was really pretty bad and mainly down to what seemed like the inexperience of one waitress. She was obliging but just didn't think on her feet. My in laws told us that they do have an older lady, who I think served us briefly on the first morning and she was excellent, checking the buffet table and casting an eye over the tables if people needed more toast etc. Alas if only she had been on duty all the time.
One the first night we had to go out to reception after our starters had been delivered to ask for black pepper - our waitress had disappeared and there were no staff in the dining room. This happened again at breakfast the next morning and I waited 5 minutes for her to find the black pepper mill. Dinner on the second night was the worst. We ordered a bottle of red wine and half a bottle of white. When we sat down we were told they did not have the half bottle of white so we chose another. Our starters arrived again we had to go and find someone to ask for the black pepper. My daughter went out to reception and found our waitress chatting to the receptionist. She bought the pepper over and just as she was doing so a very elderly couple who were staying in the hotel wallked into the dining room. (they were terribly frail and used walking sticks) The old man was having great difficulty breathing and asked our waitress if they could sit at the table nearest to where they had stopped for breath. The table they wanted was laid up with everything apart from wine glasses and the table next to this was laid up ready. To my horror I heard her say that this was not the old couples table and it had not been laid up. Theirs was the other end of the dining room and that was where they were to sit. I was about to say something (as discreatly as possible) when a waiter came over to say they did not have the other half bottle of wine I had chosen and they only had Chardonnay in halves. I declined explaining I did not like Chardonnay and ordered a glass of wine instead. By this time the old couple had just about managed to make their way across the dining room, with great difficulty but the old man was visibly weasing and breathless.
The meal was good but when my husband ordered cheese and buscuits the buscuits didn't arrive. Again we had to go to reception to get them to find the waitress. An older woman appeared with the buscuits and rather abruptly said "There you are - sorry about that"
The next day before breakfast I spoke to the receptionist about the elderly couple and pointed out that they should be sat as near to the entrance of their room as possible. She agreed. However I think this fell on deaf ears as when they arrived they again had to walk (struggle) across the dining room to their table.
The old lady balanced her walking stick whilst getting her husband juice and cereal, I offered to help her and she really was appreciative - where were the waiting staff do this for them though!
I have to say despite this, the service in the rest of the hotel was good. The ladies we met on the landing cleaning ( you couldn't really describe them as maids) were very jolly and polite and the girls on reception were efficient. The hotel has a lovely garden and the whole place is well maintained (if a little quirky in decor, either very fussy or very plain). I don't think I would make an effort to go back to the hotel and this is really because of the upsetting experience in the restaurant with the very elderely couple, however if we were to return to Pickering en-famile again we would probably stay here. The Forest and Vale could be a really lovely hotel, it is clean and very comfortable and the food is superb. The waiting staff need to be better trained and supervised and the dining room should always have a member of staff present rather than ones that deliver the food and disappear behind closed doors.
What to do
Pickering is a really pretty town, get the steam railway to Whitby and then an open top bus (they yellow one with the tour guide - she is really excellent). Stop off at the Church and Abbey. Then walk around both parts of the town, one is old cobbled street and the other kiss me quick arcades and rock shops. There is lots to do and see in Whitby we really enjoyed it.
Scarborough was good too - the walk along the front goes on for miles but if you only have a couple of days Whitby is much more interesting.