Bells Hotel

great location, friendly and helpful staff, lovely big room, good food. overall great value for money

We stayed here in May this year and have just returned for our second golf trip.It will be the last. We have a friend who is a previous captain at the golf club and we stayed at Bells in May prior to the new management taking over and had a wonderful time. Unfortunately we will never be back again under the current management for the following reasons. I didn't appreciate being chased for full payment the day before our trip despite there being nothing in the terms and conditions requiring me to do so. It felt like you were just 'chancing it'. The bar refused to let us put a card behind the bar during Thursday evening, despite us being return customers. When ordering a bottle of white wine on Thursday night, to our shock, the waitress carried the bottle of wine along with the card machine over to our table to pay for it there and then rather than presenting us with a bill at the end of the meal. This was literally whilst I am trying to eat my dinner and had to put my knife and fork down. Rather than a customer, I almost felt like a criminal. It was completely disrespectful and embarrassing for all involved and stopped me ordering a second bottle out of principle. As a result we took our business elsewhere on Friday afternoon/night despite having already paid for our meal. That cost the club £250 in lost beverage sales. The prices in the bar are at least 50% more expensive than our last visit and seemed ridiculous for where they are in the country, as proven by the drink prices in Coleford. Finally, the quality of the golf experience was an absolute disgrace. As a club they have forgotten that they are supposed to provide players with a quality experience and are clearly only concerned with getting as many people around the course as they can. Our round on Thursday took 5.5 hours which for a par 69 course is ludicrous. On Saturday after it taking nearly 3 hours to get round the front 9, we walked off the course because we nearly got hit on the head numerous times. In short, we did nit enjoy our stay, the golf course wasn't safe and we felt completely disrespected in the bar/restaurant. I would encourage management to consider the quality and safety of their guests, as much as they do profit margins.

From the reception team who were fantastic to the cleaning staff. Our stay was amazing quality for the price. The club house is excellent food was top quality and the golf course was in good condition. The hotel itself is being renovated and the rooms that are completely are of a good standard for the price.

Firstly, I should like to say that I have noticed that there are no replies from this hotel to the reviews, good or bad, made on Tripadvisor, which shows a certain lack of interest on their part. We went here as part of a coach trip of elderly people. The hotel is out of town (not far, if you are mobile, but too far for us to walk) and looks tired. Our room was OK, our friends had a room with a bathroom that needed a make-over, to put it lightly. Pluses: the staff were all very friendly and helpful. The food was good and hot. Unfortunately, many more minuses than pluses: Apart from our group, I saw very few women here. It is like a rugby club. Some of the men got drunk, so much so that they were almost falling over. There were TVs on all the time with just football, boxing or other sport. The busy lounge was full of blokes watching said tvs and the language at times left a lot to be desired. There were a lot of uncouth, noisy, yobbish men, of an age who should have known how to behave better. On our first night, we were woken up at 2.45 a.m. by a group of men (who we learned from other guests had come in at 2 a.m.), who had gathered in one of the rooms, with the door open, talking at the top of their voices. I went to remonstrate with them and they said they would keep the noise down. 10 minutes after returning to my room (i.e. at 3 a.m.!), I phoned the night porter and, to be fair, he sorted it. There are notices on the internal doors asking people to keep the noise down at night, as others may be sleeping, so it's obviously an ongoing problem. I was not impressed with the separate, windowless, room our group was allocated for our meals and for one hour of "entertainment" each night (less said about that, the better - especially the lovely old lad who started or ended every single sentence with "ladies and gents"!!). There were 4 tables of 8 seats and it was like an old people's home. What really surprised me is that there is no servicing of rooms if you are staying for less than 4 days! I have known hotels to say there isn't automatic servicing, but you can request it, but this is the Bell hotel's policy - no servicing unless you are staying for more than 3 days. If you want clean towels, or tea/coffee sachets, you have to ask and collect from reception. So, you are away on a break and you have to clean your own room and make your own bed... what sort of a break is that?? The bottom line is that, unless you are a golfer wanting to have a bit of a lad break with your mates, don't go there. We have been to many tired hotels before and I don't have too much of a problem with that, but to be a few nights in basically what is an extended stag party is not for me.

Stayed at this hotel on a coach tour (CAB Travel). The staff were really lovely, attentive & friendly. The food was superb, plenty of choice with the evening meals. We dined in a lovely room overlooking the bowling green which was nice & airy. The beds were very comfortable, meaning we got a good night's sleep.

We went to their free 'Family Fun Day' and couldn't stay for long. Very few there, which was fine, but we found it impossible to enjoy because of having to shout at eachother over the live acts, which were so loud it was unbearable. Odd behaviour for what we hoped was going to be a relaxed day for all. It was anything but. Very disappointing.

I went here with my 2 adult sons , they were playing golf , and I walked the course . Package was 2 nights B&B and 3 rounds of golf . The course was lovely beautifully maintained and my sons thoroughly enjoyed playing it , the hotel was good , my single room was perfectly adequate with comfortable bed , nice shower and tea / coffee making available . Meals were in the clubhouse and the food although a little old fashioned was very good , breakfast was excellent , good choice of cooked , which was replenished regularly so that Nothing was left out too long . Prices were very reasonable and the staff were friendly and professional . Also had a bowling green which guests could use , bring your own bowls , my sons had never played but we spent 2 hours playing and had a great time . For what we paid this was a fantastic place to stay would certainly go back

We held our wedding evening party here and it was perfect. Jude did all the organising of the party and she did a marvellous job, everything was just how we wanted it and everyone had a great time. The food was very good and we had many compliments on how good it was. I would highly recommend this venue for parties, weddings etc. Thank you Jude and staff for a wonderful evening.

Stayed here for 2 nights and 2 rounds of golf. Didn't really know what to expect but were amazed with the whole set up. The facilities are 1st class with spacious rooms, a great bar area and top quality food. The course is a park course, not too long but with some tricky holes and testing greens. Not a difficult walk but never the less we had buggies at £35 per round - helped us get back to the bar quicker !! If you are a golfer with friends who would enjoy a relaxed few days and a couple of rounds in a fab hotel with a great atmosphere then this is the place to go. We will certainly be going back asap !! Dave