Hoops Inn, Bideford

...only 10 months old. The Hoops Inn, which we found in the Good Pub Guide, seemed to offer what we parents wanted. When I rang to enquire I specifically asked for a family room and clearly stated that we needed a quiet room. I was told that Room 4 was suitable for us.

The Location and Buildings:

Hoops is located on the A39 main road between Bideford and Bude. It is about 5 miles from the tourist trap of Clovelly and about ...
...and Mum carried our son! Hoops also have large areas of gardens at the rear but the weather wasn't favourable enough for us to explore them so I can't really comment on them.

Reception and arrival:

You enter the hotel at the rear of the old building and through a section of the newer annexe. The reception desk is located near the main bar where our first impression was of a nice looking olde worlde pub/restaurant. Unfortunately ... more

Introduction:

A very disappointing stay at this hotel, which did not deliver what it, promised on many levels. We travelled to it for a one-night stay as we fancied a quick trip away to a new part of the country. We looked for a hotel that offered good food in a nice location and could provide a good-sized family room for our travel cot, our son being only 10 months old. The Hoops Inn, which we found in the Good Pub Guide, seemed to offer what we parents wanted. When I rang to enquire I specifically asked for a family room and clearly stated that we needed a quiet room. I was told that Room 4 was suitable for us.

The Location and Buildings:

Hoops is located on the A39 main road between Bideford and Bude. It is about 5 miles from the tourist trap of Clovelly and about 20 miles from the surfing beaches of Bude or North Devon. It is a typical looking country inn from the front but on driving through to the rear car park the modern annexe becomes obvious. There is a large car park to the rear but it is some distance to carry your bags and the unloading point is very small, really only suitable for one small car at a time. Needless to say it was occupied when we arrived so Dad carried all the bags and Mum carried our son! Hoops also have large areas of gardens at the rear but the weather wasn't favourable enough for us to explore them so I can't really comment on them.

Reception and arrival:

You enter the hotel at the rear of the old building and through a section of the newer annexe. The reception desk is located near the main bar where our first impression was of a nice looking olde worlde pub/restaurant. Unfortunately our second impression was of a family complaining about poor service during their meal. Not a good omen, and so it turned out! We were given directions to our room and left to carry our bags up with no offer of assistance. I generally decline help anyway but it would have been nice to have been asked. The staircase was also very dangerous as it was a wide wooden stair that was completely unguarded having no hand rail at all. It would be very dangerous for children and the elderly. In this Health and Safety age I was actually really surprised to see the stairs as they were.
Our room was a very large size with a big four-poster bed and the bathroom being in a separate room off the main room. On first glance everything seemed impressive although the shortcomings of the room gradually became apparent. There was mould around the bathroom and the showerhead had come away from the wall leaving exposed rawlplugs protruding. The room was clean but needed a repaint and general refreshing. The TV only had 4 channels and was quite an old model with a temperamental remote control. There was no tea/coffee although two bottles of water were provided. I was left with the impression that this was a tourist trap of a hotel that didn't have to try too hard.

The food:

We had a nice table in an alcove that suited us perfectly. Our son was being at his most vocal and the stand out feature of this hotel was how brilliantly the staff responded to him. Despite the poor service generally this was a real plus point. I've given a star back for this. He was treated to lots of toys and books and this really kept him occupied. The food however was less impressive. It was expensive for the quality and my steak was very greasy. Not what you would expect from an AA rosette award holder and more like a 'two for a fiver' deal at the local pub. Considering Hoops has won lots of local and national awards I was very disappointed.

Our stay:

We went upstairs after our meal to put our son to bed and got him down by 7 as usual. The room was large so we could watch TV very quietly with a drink or two and not disturb him. Despite the closeness of the A39 the traffic noise was not an issue. However although we did not wake our son we discovered that our room was directly above a separate dining area from the main bar which was hosting a party that went on until 11pm.. We could hear every word and our son was kept awake by it. Not what you would expect from a family room!
When I mentioned this the next morning I was told that I should have booked a room in the rear annexe if we had children, although that was contrary to what I was told when I originally booked our room.

In case anyone reading this thinks we are really picky I would argue that this review is based on the reality of the hotel given the cost we paid. The area is lovely and very popular with tourists. The hotel gave the impression that they didn't have to try too hard and the money would come in whatever. We won't return and I doubt they get many return visitors. In short this was way below what we would expect for 140 pounds a night for bed and breakfast with our meals on top. 

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