Name: The Royal Oak Exmoor
Address: Halse Lane, Minehead, Minehead, Minehead, TA24 7JE, United Kingdom
Rating: 9

Smoke-free property

Heating

Newspapers

Garden

All Spaces Non-Smoking (public and private)

Reception desk

General

Flat-screen TV

Shower/Bathtub

Rooms

Accessibility features

Wheelchair Accessible

Wheelchair access to restaurant

Accessibility

Luggage storage

Telephone

Services and amenities

Restaurant

Packed Lunches

Meals

Free Wi-Fi

Internet

Free parking

Parking

Conference Hall

Business

Pets allowed

Pets

Temperature control for staff

Personal protection equipment for staff

Extra decontamination measures

Personal protection equipment for guests

Additional measures against COVID-19

Health and Safety Measures

Location

At the guest house

Room amenities

Cardiff Airport

Exeter International Airport

The Royal Oak Exmoor

Minehead

We received a very warm welcome from our hosts. We were staying in the cottage next door for the weekend so it was a very convenient location to go for a drink or for a meal. We had dinner on the Friday night which was lovely with plenty of choice. They kept the kitchen open as we were late arriving for which we were very grateful. We also had Sunday lunch which was amongst the best I’ve ever eaten. It’s a lovely pub and also has rooms so would be very happy to stay there next time

Great pub! Welcoming, cosy and great food and drink.

After a lovely day out on Exmoor, we googled pubs that were on the way back to East Devon. This one came up and there was only one availability left for a Saturday night. We arrived very early so sat with our dogs and had a drink. 
The hospitality was amazing! Nothing was too much trouble despite the fact that there was an event happening at the village hall so what seemed like the entire village had booked dinner at the pub beforehand.
The food was delicious. 
The atmosphere was wonderful. Plus the dogs were so welcome.
We had to rush off to get home, but we will be back! We both highly recommend!

A wonderful meal to end a fantastic day!

Each year a group of 22 of us get together for a reunion, we started this in 1991 and continue to this day. I have to say we all agreed that /the Royal Oak is one of the very best hotels we have visited. The team led so well by Jayne went out of their way to make our stay of three nights areal pleasure. The quality of the food was excellent really hearty food with generous portions. The room were very comfortable and spacious. The breakfast was plentiful and cooked to order. The area is very rural and has the centre for great walks both long and short. I look forward to returning very soon.

Reunion with friends

First off, I would like to say that I did send the hotel an email describing my stay with them but received no response. 

Upon arriving, I have to admit that I was disappointed to be shown a room outside of the main building - in fact, a stone cottage in the parking lot without any insulation. From their site, their vintage thatched pub appeared very cozy and I don’t recall seeing any mention of the possibility of a room outside the main building. I made my reservation directly on their site well over seven months ago. I would be very curious as to how they choose rooms for guests. I saw others being checked in, so I wasn’t the last to arrive. I can’t believe that others in the same room rate as myself, who were staying in the main building didn’t reserve after me. 

When I was shown my room, the lady who checked me in apologized for the poor view but told me that if I wanted ambiance, I could go into the main building. She explained that since Exmoor is so damp, a dehumidifier was needed. It didn’t work. I could barely breathe in the morning because of the musty smell. I wanted to say something then, but was very tired from my journey, and thought that cheerier thoughts would prevail after a rest.

Once I got looking around, I knew that this wasn’t going to work. The first thing was that the room had obviously not been cleaned. There was dried toothpaste and hair in the bathroom sink, hair on the back behind the seat of the toilet, and what looked to be paw prints and hair in the shower. There were also pet hairs on the rug in the bedroom and dead flower petals on the floor. Surely a few pence could be spared for a toilet roll holder, a trash in the loo, and some kind of rug to cover the stone floor in the bathroom?

After about ten minutes, I tried to leave to request another room, but the door lock got jammed. I tried to call the front desk, but noticed that there wasn’t a phone in the room for emergencies! A first for me! I tried to connect to their website to find their phone number as there wasn't any written information in the room, but it wasn’t working. I had to leave from the window, otherwise, I would have been stuck. Once outside, I asked the man at the desk to come check the door, and using a key from the outside, it worked. I told him I didn’t feel comfortable in this room, I was not happy and could I be switched to another room but was told that they were fully booked. I said the Wi-Fi kept dropping or was non-existent, but he said that was impossible because the chef lives out by where I was and he has excellent service. I was happy for the chef (as the food was good) but that was my experience. I had been traveling for several weeks in the UK, and hadn't had any issues with Wi-Fi in other hotels. 

Since it seemed that I was stuck there, I asked if some heat could be put on in the room as I was freezing and the heater didn’t appear to be working. He told me that the boiler wasn’t turned on. I slept in socks, my coat, and a pair of gloves with a towel and robe on top of me. Finally, at around 11:30 pm, I noticed that it had heated up, but it only lasted a short time and the room never got warm. There is a little heater in the bathroom but when you pulled the string, nothing happened. 

In the morning at breakfast, I told the same woman that I would like to speak with someone about my stay and who would that be? She said, “That would be me”. Then she turned around and continued serving breakfast to other guests. I was stunned! Customer service is clearly not a priority. I would have been happy with an “I’m sorry to hear that. I have to continue serving breakfast, but can we talk in half an hour?” It took about fifteen minutes to finish breakfast, and I tried to get her attention, but clearly she was not interested in engaging with me further. I was so fed up with the entire place and had to get to another destination, so I left the breakfast room.

When I tried to leave my room to load up my car, the door lock got jammed again. It was fortunate that I was petite enough to be able to keep leaving out the window. I couldn't get the key to work from the outside like before and now the key wouldn't come out. I went to see if there was someone who could help me at the desk but no one was around. I finally lifted my luggage out the window and left them a note telling them where they could find their key. 

I would be very interested to hear their views on this, their idea of customer service and if they would be satisfied with paying almost $200 for this room. Do they truly feel that they are giving their guests “superior guest rooms” as they claim on their website? 



Not even close to my expectations and I worry for other guests

We have stayed at many hotels and inns in our travels but Cannot fault anything about this place we stayed in room 8 very spacious and the bed was very comfortable everything was spotless .we stayed for three nights and decided that the food was so good we ate there each evening breakfast was excellent 
The host and other staff were so friendly and helpful everything a hotel or inn should be to make a great stay
I hope the owner succeeds in everything she plans 
The complainers must have being staying at another place!!
Already planning another stay 


Great place and wonderful staff

Stayed in a courtyard room for three nights with our dog.  We were welcomed by the owner Jane and made to feel at home and the hotel is very dog friendly.   We had dinner and breakfast at the hotel everyday and all the food was of an excellent standard and there was a varied and interesting menu.

Great welcome, excellent food.

What a wonderful place to spend the evening and night. 

Recently taken over by a new owner who is clearly making a concerted effort to make this a wonderful destination. All of our rooms were very large, comfortable beds and happily with very new modern bathrooms in a very old inn. I wish I had their water pressure at my home!

Evening meal was excellent. I had venison which was cooked nice and pink and was really tasty. Others had the lamb and equally happy. 

Nice bar, friendly staff and locals and was a pleasant place to finish the evening.

I can't recommend this place highly enough for a visit anytime of the year, but as a place to overnight for a sporting event, it is significantly better (and better value) than  most of the more well known hotels.

A real find

We stayed for 1 night and what can I say what a lovely welcoming place.  We arrived quite late in the evening and were welcomed by friendly helpful staff who went above and beyond to make sure our stay was comfortable. 
On arrival in our room the owner came up to check we were happy with our room and ordered our drinks at the bar before dinner . How could we not be happy with the room, so much space ,a beautiful four poster bed with lovely cosy bedding. Our room also had a seperate dressing room which was an absolute bonus. 
We had dinner there and the food was amazing as was breakfast.  
The amazing scenery surrounding this place and the fabulous walks make this place an absolute gem.

Beautiful place in beautiful surroundings.

The staff were all extremely helpful and friendly at this beautiful pub/ hotel. The food here was delicious and the bed was very comfy. So pleased we chose to stay here, would definitely recommend it!

Friendly and welcoming

Booked in here for 2 nights.  Where do I start…. We had a courtyard room which overlooks the garden. Beautiful. Plenty of room, very comfortable bed and chairs. Bottled water as well as tea, coffee and biscuits.. The bar area is great. Loads of local beers and ciders as well as the normal sort if people don’t want something a bit different. We had a meal both nights. Only main meals but wow. The meals where fantastic. The portions huge. A massive shout out to the locals who made us feel welcome in the bar and the new owner Jane. All the staff where chatty and friendly too.

The Royal Oak Exmoor

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