Bowl Inn

We have stayed a the Bowl Inn several times, we have also noted its recent decline since taken over by Butcombe Pubs and Inns. Prior to the takeover it was excellent, now it is looking very tired and shabby . Our room was adequate, however, the toilet seat was not attached to the actual toilet ( the screws were absent ). We did report this in the morning, so hopefully it will be fixed , but beware of this if you stay in room 15. We had a light dinner as we had been to Chepstow races, the cheeseboard was so disappointing, I once remarked several years ago that it was the best cheeseboard I had ever had ! Pate was tasteless , butter appeared to be rationed for both. Breakfast was average . In a nutshell we were very disappointed and will probably not stay here again ... such a shame as it used to be excellent.

7 of us came in for breakfast, very rude service, gave us dirty looks like we werent meant to be there, was sarcastic and was scowling at us the whole time. Ended up ordering one drink for the group and we asked if we could pay for the drinks and the bar staff said “thats kind of the point” Not really a very warm welcome like the sign says.

Stayed here with my partner Jane prior to flying off on holiday. Paid £195.00 for B&B in a premium room, which in my opinion was overpriced. Room was very small and dark, the bathroom was very narrow, with a shower cubicle that had a significant amount of black mould on the tile grout. I also joined the loyalty club prior to my stay but found that discounts didn't apply on this visit. ! Staff very friendly food & drink ok, but with a total bill of £337.35 we thought it wasn't really value for money

Pretty country pub in a little village. We opted for a signature plus room and stayed for 2 nights. Not the warmest welcome on arrival from the young gentleman who I felt gave no eye contact and was a little aloof but he did improve throughout our stay and was quite pleasant by the end. The room was as expected from a country pub, with a stone wall and low beamed ceiling. King size bed very comfy. Felt the big dusty artificial plant could’ve been replaced with another chair so we didn’t have to always sit on the bed. Slight lack of attention to detail with curtain rings missing and it was a bit dusty. Our room was at the front and we stayed mid week so it was relatively quiet but I can imagine on a weekend it could be quite noisy from the outside tables just under the window. Parking was free as long as you registered your car details on a small tablet inside the bar. The bathroom was adequate. The shower cubicle was a standard square size but felt restricted as folding door kept popping open limiting space even more. Toiletries were provided but had not been refilled so were half empty. Lovely big fluffy bath towels. Breakfast was very good with a varied choice and quick service.

Twenty years ago I used to stay in the Bowl Inn once a month with business colleagues so was intrigued how it would be now. Visiting Bristol to meet up with friends and then watch the football at Rovers, my partner and I decided to stay. We had room 15 (aka Bishop) and were very happy with the accommodation - much the same quality as it always was. We had dinner in the restaurant and the steak and ale pie was very tasty and the pasta was reported as “the best pasta dish I’ve ever had”. The breakfast was also very good. Well done for retaining the excellence that I used to enjoy and we will obviously stay again when next in the area.

This pub with rooms is falling well short of what it could achieve if it was better run. It seems to me like Butcombe Brewery originally made a substantial investment in this property because the fabrics, colours, and room furnishings are nice and of good quality, but since then everything has been poorly maintained. Here’s a brief list of issues: paint in corridors badly scuffed and chipped; no teaspoons in our room so had to ask for some; missing curtain hooks; flickering lights; incredibly noisy radiator in the bathroom due to a badly adjusted lockshield valve - thankfully I was able to improvise a spanner with my back door key so I could switch it off; faulty thermostatic radiator valves so you couldn’t set anything except max temperature. The single, accessible room is only really acceptable for wheelchair users and shouldn’t be generally offered because it really is not suitable for several reasons. The food in the evening was OK but at breakfast I had a hair under my scrambled egg on toast, and my daughter had a hair in her tea. Service was pretty average and I felt we overpaid for our one night stay. Butcombe should change the management because it could be a lovely place, but sadly it isn’t. Shame really.