The Crown At Abbots Bromley

The Duncombe Arms

➤ The Duncombe Arms Ashbourne, Derbyshire DE6 2GZ, East Staffordshire, United Kingdom

Pubs • Beer • Wine • British

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"Had a lovely stay. Food was fantastic and attentive staff for evening meal and breakfast. Only criticism on the stay was when arrived to check in. We were shown to our room by a young man working behind the bar. He didnt introduce himself so I didn’t get his name. His customer service style was laid back to say the least. Friendly but not professional. Shown into room and advised “ I won’t show you around as I’m sure you have stayed in a hotel room before”. Not what I would expect when people are paying nearly £200 pound a night. As a bar man he may not of been trained in welcoming guests. My wife and I have worked in the hospitality trade and know that first impressions count. Aside from that the rest of the stay was faultless. We will definitely be back for a meal as we live near and the food was amazing. We plan to stay over in the spring and bring our son with us. Thanks for the great stay."

The Secret Garden

➤ Farley Road, Stoke-on-Trent I-ST10 4DB, United Kingdom

British • Breakfast • Vegetarian • Gluten Free

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"It's a shame about the prices; they are quite steep when you think about it. The queues can be unbearable unless you’re willing to pay a premium for quicker access, which is frustrating. If you only bring your children and don’t visit often, it’s even worse. However, there are some positives. The castle is a stunning sight, and it's a bit scandalous that it hasn’t been restored yet. If it ever is, it would be absolutely magnificent. The gardens are an incredible oasis amid the chaos surrounding them. They feature charming paths that feel quiet and almost secretive. There are lovely spots to escape to everywhere. When you reach the Chinese temple by the lower sea, it feels like you've entered a different world. I spent hours wandering around while my children played nearby; it was so serene. The only downside was that, despite some security personnel present, there were still people smoking in areas they shouldn’t have been. The smell really detracted from the experience."

The Bulls Head Alton

➤ 2 High St, Alton, United Kingdom

Pizza • Coffee • British • Ice Cream

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"Such a lovely place to stay, the room is very modern and comfortable everything you’d need for a weekend stay in our case,we ate at the bulls head for our evening meal Aswell and it was lovely, would 100% recommend to stay here to anyone. Everyone was warm and welcoming. Will definitely be staying here again! The food was lovely I enjoyed my fish and chips and my partner had a local beef burger he also really enjoyed we did share a portion of hallumi as our starter aswell which was again really nice. Overall I would say the price of everything was really fair for what you get. The only thing I would say Is we did find there wasn’t much parking when we arrived, we did phone up and staff were very helpful and suggested to park down one of the side streets across the road which there was no issues with!"

The White Hart

➤ 18 High Street, ST10 4AQ, Staffordshire Moorlands, United Kingdom

Pub • Fish • Drinks • Burgers

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"So we were a visiting family of four, two teenagers and we were spending the weekend at Alton Towers. Having looked into staying on site as we had done when the kids were younger, we decided instead to stay local and travel in instead. Found this pub with a two bedroom apartment attached which was 1 1/2 miles from the Towers in a lovely little village next to a church. It proved to be an excellent choice and half the price compared to staying at the Towers. A roomy well presented apartment with everything a family would need for a short stay. You have to except you are staying above a busy pub and it was very busy each evening, so it did get a little noisy on occasion, but not enough to disturb our stay. Parking was also a little tight but as we were away most of the time anyway,we worked around this, no problem. The people were all very welcoming and the Wi-Fi was perfect. Although we didn’t get to eat in the pub (fully booked each night), the food did look lovely. The beers were great and we had a brilliant time. Very impressed, would happily stay again if in the area. It’s clear that as a community run pub they were doing their very best to support the village."

The Bull's Head Inn

➤ High Street, ST10 4AQ, Staffordshire Moorlands, United Kingdom

Full • Steak • Pizza • British

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"We were on vacation and the reviews for this restaurant looked great. When we arrived, we were seated promptly. Unfortunately, there was no pizza available that night, which was fine because we didn't want pizza anyway. We ordered nachos as a starter to share and it was delicious. However, our main courses arrived halfway through our starter. The staff offered to take them back, but we decided to keep them as they would have gotten cold. My husband had the lasagne, which looked and tasted delicious. I chose the steak kebab, which was also tasty, but everything was piled under a mountain of chips. The lady at the table next to me ordered the same dish and hers was beautifully presented with the chips in a separate container. While the food was good, I felt a bit rushed. It was only a Monday night and several people had called to say they were running late due to traffic. The staff assured them it was not a problem as they were not very busy. We had made a reservation in advance, so we were not walk-ins."