November 2023 by John Jeal
Had a superb lunch with very friendly and welcoming staff. Beautiful setting overlooking the estuary.
October 2023 by Paul Roper
We visited with relatives for lunch. It was pleasant, with friendly staff and good quality food.
October 2023 by Amy Adderley
This hotel is a gem. Beautiful location. The family who owns the hotel makes you feel right at home. Delicious food. I will be back for sure.
September 2023 by TheAndrewNatt
Went for Sunday lunch with the Wife and Mother in Law. Excellent table service - no queuing, no self service, no sloppy over cooked food. It was just perfect to sit there with the view of the estuary and relax. Thank you.
September 2023 by louisehertfordshire
This is our third stay at The Commodore, and it was as charming as ever. You feel very relaxed and welcome from the moment you arrive. The hotel has wonderful views across the estuary. The bedrooms are large. The bathroom is small.but it's spotless. Breakfast choices are perfect, and you feel well cared for. There were a lot of returning guests, which speaks for itself. .
September 2023 by Passport35015670797
We loved our stay at The Commodore Hotel - the staff are all very professional but extremely friendly. We could see that the dining room, bar and guest lounge had perhaps been re-vamped fairly recently - the decor was perfectly fitting for a hotel by the sea and of a high quality - all of these rooms were a pleasure to be in - the views over the bay to Appledore are amazing from every window. We had a Cosy Double Room which was much larger than I thought it would be - the bathroom had a separate shower which was great. I don't think it had been re-vamped recently but there were little touches that had been changed like new zinc switches and plugs, a lovely big picture and oak framed mirrors. One thing that I always like is that there were wooden matching hangers in the wardrobe - just one of my things! The breakfast was absolutely perfect - cooked to perfection and extremely well presented. I think that, once the reception area etc and a few of the bedrooms have been re-vamped, this Hotel most certainly is deserving of Four Stars at least. Tips - check out when the ferry is running to go over to Appledore - pop over for a wander round or lunch or an evening meal. Johns' Deli has the most amazing food and choice - well worth a visit. We at at the Instow Arms - the food was very good but the portions were far too large for us. We would most definitely stay at The Commodore Hotel again and would also recommend it.
September 2023 by GrahamS191
We spent a week at The Commodore and thoroughly enjoyed every minute. The experience started when we were greeted at our car by a manager who swiftly took our luggage to our room and then went away to make up a welcoming pot of tea whilst we were checking in. The next thing that hit us was the calmness and serenity of the hotel reception areas. That is worth something. The check in was fine and from then onwards all staff dealt with us with efficiency, politeness and friendliness. We stayed in a sea facing marine room with terrace and that is highly recommended. This was a large room with plenty of wardrobe and drawers space. The private terrace was great to sit on when we returned from each site seeing day. 2 plastic chairs and 2 loungers with padding are provided on the terrace from where we could view the river and various comings and going along the river frontage. It would have been better for us if there had been a separate shower, but some may prefer a bath. At least the shower in the bath did not result in water across the floor as is the case in some other hotels. The quality of the food was exceptional. We had dinner on 4 of 7 nights, because e wanted to sample some of the other local restaurants plus we knew that they do not serve a cooked dinner on Sunday evenings. The choices for breakfast remained the same throughout, but with a choice of 3 different cooked meals (many people chose parts of some of these) plus cereal/croissant/several different juices and a real fruit-yoghurt, this was sufficient. The dinner choses tended to be similar each night but always at least one dish was new. However every single morsel was cooked and prepared perfectly, with quality ingredients obviously being used. We chose The Commodore to stay having previously had very good lunches there but the unfailing high quality was more than we expected. At one point we were saying how looking out of the window from the Strandfield Grill (their main restaurant where you have breakfast and dinner), makes yo think that you could be on a caribbean island. The couple near to us said that they were thinking the same. Brilliant. A big thank you to the whole team at The Commodore.
September 2023 by jonathanmX2638NP
My Mother always loved the way the Commodore staff looked after her ex-WRNS coffee group and we got exactly the same level of care and attention. I could have sat looking out at the view across the beach to Appledore all day
September 2023 by coltonsheep48
Everything about staying here is pure pleasure. From the welcome, to the fabulous rooms with their stunning views, to the delicious food and the lovely friendly staff that look after your every need. Thank you
September 2023 by 642wildaf
Lovely comfortable bed. Shower was easy to use, not like some hotels I have stayed in. Everyone very friendly and helpful. A view to die for, especially at sunset and early in the morning. . Food delicious. All in all, a glorious experience
September 2023 by Alan Mock
Doesn?t feel like a hotel, more a restaurant with rooms. Breakfast choice is limited and evening meals are repetitive. Hotel bar is closed evenings so drinks are only served in the residents lounge, which has zero atmosphere and is usually empty. Could be much better. Wonderful position. Ample free parking.
September 2023 by Claudia Slinn
Stayed two nights, we all wished it should have been three. Highly recommend location and thoughtfully service with excellent responses to several requests we made. Loved the extra touches on arrival.Have already recommended the hotel and destination as do able by train with good bus connection to Bideford, barnstaple and Appledore....for a car free short break.Noteworthy details: Very good food at the hotel spacious comfortable rooms, lots to do including ferry, lovely beach and options to eat or drink close by.
September 2023 by David Tutton
Excellent stay. Staff very helpful. Good breakfast. Evening meal only once but very good.
September 2023 by K1462RBpeterh
We have stayed here before; we found that all aspects of our two days were amply satisfied - food, hygiene, camaraderie - all wrapped in comfort and a relaxing atmosphere. We were delighted to receive a complimentary upgrade to our room.
August 2023 by CyprusST
This hotel seems to base itself on its amazing views. Unfortunately, in my and my Mum?s experience, anything nice ends there. This was a special holiday for Mum?s birthday and I was so disappointed with the whole experience. Emphasis was so obviously focused on repeat guests with any hint of good service reserved for them. I struggled in and out of the hotel to almost the furthest marine view room with two large suitcases, a small suitcase, several additional bags, Mum?s zimmer frame and Mum in a transit wheelchair without one single offer of help. I witnessed repeat guests being helped and fawned over which was embarrassing and really upset me. We were booked in for six nights but checked out after five nights as we had had enough, in fact we couldn?t wait to get away. There is no atmosphere or personality in the hotel at all. It?s dead once you?ve eaten in the evening and everyone just goes to their room. It feels like you?re staying in a small care home (even the smell) with a strange undercurrent of tension around the place that I couldn?t quite fathom, a bit of a Waiting for God feel which really had us both on edge throughout our stay. Some fellow guests sitting near us talked to us on our last evening and agin at breakfast today and I actually thanked them for doing so as they were the first people who had spoken to us in five days and that includes the hotel staff, it was so nice to have a conversation. There is no interest from the staff, who look miserable, in how far you?ve travelled or if you?ve had a nice day, nothing at all. The male waiter is bolshy and rude. The residents lounge is virtually unused and the bar is closed in the evening so you can only order drinks at table. The meals are well cooked but repetitive with limited choice, too rich, too much quantity and at £40 per head extortionate for three courses. There is no option to reduce this price if you only want two courses which is all we wanted. We didn?t eat anything at all on the Sunday evening as a cold unimpressive cold buffet (still charged at £40) is all that is offered and it looked awful. Breakfast was adequate but there was little to no choice on starters, not even any fresh fruit. You feel as if you have to tiptoe around the place and we hardly dare speak not even in the privacy of our own bedroom as the walls are paper thin and you hear everything. Me and Mum have stayed in quieter places that have far more atmosphere and personality and most importantly with much better service. When I checked out and settled our eye watering bill (including drinks on it that weren?t ours) the receptionist never asked if we?d enjoyed our stay and never made eye contact, which is totally ignorant. We most definitely will not be back unless there is a change of ownership and a complete shake up of this tired, boring hotel. Ignore the impressive drone footage on the website, the sweeping statements and the empty promises and do think carefully if this hotel is actually for you, it?s certainly not for us.
