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4.5
#1 of 1 guest house in Fordingbridge
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Tripadvisor gives a Travellers’ Choice award to accommodations, attractions and restaurants that consistently earn great reviews from travellers and are ranked within the top 10% of properties on Tripadvisor.
The Railway Hotel is a boutique hotel, restaurant and bar located in the town of Fordingbridge, in the New Forest, Hampshire. The Railway Hotel re-opened in October 2020 having been lovingly restored to its elegant Victorian form celebrating the golden age of the railway. We have five distinctive en-suite rooms and a self-contained two-bedroom cottage set around a characterful courtyard that still features the original livery stables. Guests and visitors can enjoy contemporary British cuisine in the Pullman restaurant where our chefs use fresh, seasonal produce supplied by local farmers and growers.
Star ratings are intended to indicate the general level of features, amenities, and services to expect. This property is classified according to Giata.
HOTEL STYLE
Romantic
Languages Spoken
Spanish, Afrikaans, Hungarian
Location
116 Station Road, New Forest National Park Hampshire, Fordingbridge SP6 1DG England
The Railway Hotel
124 reviews
Getting there
Car recommended
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The Railway Hotel stands out for its unique railway theme, which guests have called out as both inviting and charming. Staff at this hotel have earned high praise for their friendly and attentive service, often going above and beyond to ensure a memorable stay. Visitors appreciate the spotless rooms and immaculate bathrooms, reinforcing the hotel's commitment to cleanliness.
Although some guests find the rooms on the smaller side, the comfort and detailed decor consistently receive positive remarks. Additionally, the value for money, including meal options and suites, is often cited as reasonable by many travelers.
Atmosphere
Charming
Rooms
Tasteful
Value
Reasonable
Cleanliness
Immaculate
Service
Attentive
Amenities
Well-appointed
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My family and I went for our first visit to The Railway Hotel since its transformation. The building certainly has a wow factor, having been lovingly and expertly restored to its original Victorian elegance with the railway theme throughout.
It is certainly Covid safe and we were greeted at the door and out details were taken before being shown our table, there is plenty of sanitising stations around so if you have to touch something like a door handle on route to and from the toilets you can clean your hands.
The food is fantastic and catered for all our tastes, the Thai Prawn Dumplings we had for a starter was perfect. My wife had the Roast Pork which was very generous and came with a side of seasonal vegetables and extra gravy. My sons had the Fish and Chips and I had the best Steak Ale Pie I have ever eaten, the meat tender and the Horseradish Mash in the pie was a first for me, it really made it. The Desserts are also delicious. We look forward to returning and anyone staying n the Hotel is in for a real treat.
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Date of stay: October 2020
Value
Rooms
Service
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Emma Goddard, Marketing at The Railway Hotel
Responded 10 Nov 2020
Dear Steve We're really pleased you enjoyed your first visit to the Railway Hotel since it's restoration. Thanks for letting us know that you felt safe due to all the additional Covid related precautions we've taken and that you loved the food. We hope to see you again when we re-open after #lockdown2 The Railway Hotel, Fordingbridge
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
My partner and I stayed recently for 5 nights and it was a lovely experience. I am disabled so we booked their disabled room, "The Pullman", which was extremely well appointed, very high spec and comfortable. Much thought had been put into ensuring complete accessibility for a disabled person - I use a wheelchair and a walker - and it was perfect. The bed was comfortable, the towels warm, white and fluffy and the tea and coffee making facilities included still and sparkling water, replenished every day. The breakfast menu was wonderful! Full English including vegetarian, cured trout, continental, kippers (rare these days), toast, jam and marmalade with proper butter -just magnificent. The Hotel itself used to be a railway station from the days of steam and a railway theme runs throughout, very well done with splendid seating and pictures recalling days of opulent travel. The staff could nor have been more helpful and friendly, in particular Diana, Gareth and Cheryl who went out of their way. We would thoroughly recommend The Railway Hotel without reservation.
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Date of stay: October 2022Trip type: Travelled as a couple
Room Tip:Plenty of parking right next to the pub
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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We stayed at The Railway Hotel for one night on our way down the Dorset. We chose the Bournemouth Belle room and couldn’t have been more impressed. The commitment to the theme of the room, and the brand of the hotel, without being/feeling tacky was a hard balance to strike, and they managed it superbly.
Our room overlooked the courtyard and side of the hotel, with two windows, meaning we felt a lovely cross breeze as it was very warm. The room was extremely well appointed with tea and coffee making facilities, including local teas, biscuits, complimentary bottled water, and two sticks of rock! The bathroom had both a bath and stand alone shower. The room was impeccably clean and comfortable.
We had drinks in the pub garden in the afternoon before a walk into Fordingbridge to explore a little. This took us around 15mins to walk to. We had pre-booked a meal in the hotel restaurant for that evening, and although they were operating a more limited menu than usual, we found we had plenty to choose from. Being gluten free, I was a little worried I wouldn’t find a meal, however I had the best fish and chips and banana pudding for dessert. Simply delicious and all served in the mock-up train carriage dining room to the side of the restaurant. Breakfast the next morning was also very nice, however the bubble and squeak was a little underdone in the middle. Service in the restaurant on both visits was always with a smile and all the staff we encountered couldn’t have been more helpful.
If I was being really fussy, a full length mirror in the bedroom would have been a useful addition and a fan would have been a nice touch. However, we absolutely loved our stay at The Railway Hotel and we will certainly be staying again on our next trip to Dorset… there are four more themed rooms to discover!
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Date of stay: July 2022Trip type: Travelled as a couple
Room Tip:Plenty of parking. Lovely restaurant and pub garden.
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
My family and I visited the railway hotel as an early Christmas meal. As we arrived we were greeted with smiles and a welcoming attitude. The staff came over to take out drinks order and made us feel very welcome. When our food arrived it was amazingly presented on the plate and looked too good to eat. Every bite was mouthwatering. When each dish arrived we all thought we were sat in a Michelin star restaurant. Would highly recommend to anyone wanting a great evening out.
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Date of stay: December 2020Trip type: Travelled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Excellent food, with a good selection on the menu. We were given a specials menu a lunchtime snack menu and the full menu. We had crab and lobster croquets in a lobster and fennel sauce. The flavours were subtle, there wasn't any shell in the croquets, which always worries me with crab meat, and they weren't stuffed with a load of potato. They were meaty and had a great taste. We wanted a light lunch and although they were advertised as a starter we added some triple cooked chips and some polenta and parmesan chips and it made a filling lunch, we added a glass of white wine for a great lunchtime bite.
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Date of stay: August 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We lost our local pub for a very long time, and waited with baited breath for its reopening. At first - we could think only of the positives... they've refurbished to a very high standard, and created hotel rooms to admire it seems. The food is excellent quality, great service etc etc. Now though, we realise the pub we would eat at once or twice a week has become a place we will now visit once in a blue moon. Why? The incredibly limited menu. (Plus the very limited options on draught beers). Clearly the owners are unaware of the food revolution out there - many people are cutting down on meat, etc. We eat fish, but unless we wanted fish and chips, we had the choice of precicely one dish the last time we visited - roast salmon salad. As for vegetarians, they have the choice of one dish also. Even meat eaters only have the choice of four dishes. So how often will we go when with two visits we've already eaten everything we can on the menu? Not often. Shame.
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Date of stay: July 2021
Rooms
Location
Service
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We tend to have high expectations and then find we are disappointed but not at the Railway Hotel. This Hotel has undergone a total refurbishment and is now outstanding. The food was excellent as was the service, we could not fault it. Everywhere was spotless but warm and welcoming including the toilets in the bar area. Staff were very attentive without being intrusive. There is a cosy seating area in the bar with a log burner which gives a nice homely feel. We were staying for Christmas lunch and had a continental breakfast in order for it to leave room for the extravaganza that followed. Our bedroom was the Orient Express as the hotel is themed on Railways. The bedroom was comfortable with plenty of room and the bathroom was enormous. A decent shower and huge bath with nice touches provided, The Dining car themed restaurant was a comfortable way to enjoy our meal providing a covid safe eating environment. We would thoroughly recommend a stay in this lovely hotel
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Date of stay: December 2021
Value
Service
Sleep Quality
Room Tip:All Rooms are good
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We had wanted to visit The Railway Hotel for a little while given its intriguing railway theme and we were certainly not disappointed. From the moment we observed the exterior of the building, we could see that the building had been lovingly restored. Once inside, the replica vintage railway posters captured the eye and evoked a simpler yet glamorous time when travelling by train was the only way to travel!
The rooms are all railway themed and we stayed in the Bournemouth Belle. What a fun room, complete with views of the pier! The carpet replicated the shore line starting as a deep blue colour finishing as a golden yellow to represent the sandy beach at Bournemouth. You could imagine yourself sitting in a deckchair and dangling your feet into the water. The wardrobe was a beach hut and we were even provided with complimentary Bournemouth Belle sticks of rock.
The room (and the hotel in general) was spotless, with attention to detail evident at every turn; the finishings were of a high quality throughout.
A quality breakfast (whether cooked or continental) was served in the fabulous dining car, with tables set below carriage windows depicting views of London, Paris or Venice etc. Above the windows, were luggage racks containing period books and cases etc.
Rest assured - you would not need to be a rail enthusiast to enjoy a stay at The Railway Hotel, and in case you think that the railway theme might be somewhat tacky - it is not.
The whole experience certainly made us feel like first class passengers in the Golden Age of rail travel and I would certainly recommend The Railway Hotel in a heartbeat.
It's just a pity that you cannot arrive at Fordingbridge by train, but take a look at the Heritage Video on the Railway Hotel's website. Another amazing touch.
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Date of stay: January 2023
Rooms
Cleanliness
Service
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Our second visit to The Railway on our week away in the local area, and it has once again been a superb meal. Our landlady mentioned it was expensive, but it's turned out to not only be good value, but you're getting fine dining at a very reasonable cost. Fish and chips, and pie, may appear, but this is not your average pub grub! The staff have been great, not too overbearing, the menu is varied with some great specials, and the food has been sublime, paired with a small but high quality selection of wines, including a great desert wine. The coffee is also excellent, and an espresso served in a heavyweight cup is perfect. The decor is lovely, all train themed, and we've been lucky enough to sit outside both nights, amongst the various platform and station accoutrements. If we lived closer (sadly we don't!) we would be regulars for sure. Thanks very much for a lovely couple of evenings, we fully intend to be back.
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Date of stay: July 2021Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We really enjoyed our stay at this superb establishment. The standard of refurbishment is astounding and the attention to detail deserves the highest accolades. Food is simply scrumptious!! Great menu for evening meals with top quality fish and meat perfectly cooked and presented. Breakfast also was outstanding with fruit, yogurt, fish and meat on the menu, our eggs scrambled and poached were just perfect. Excellent bar serving a local bitter that was in tip top form and cocktails if your fancy takes you. Thank you to Tamas and the talented chefs for making our stay so enjoyable.
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Date of stay: October 2021Trip type: Travelled as a couple
Room Tip:Good parking and easy access
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
There are more places to choose from in the Fordingbridge area.
PRICE RANGE
£116 - £129 (Based on Average Rates for a Standard Room)
LOCATION
United KingdomEnglandHampshireNew Forest National Park HampshireFordingbridge
NUMBER OF ROOMS
6
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