September 2025 by Robert Carpenter
I give it three for the location because if you're there for Highclere it's a good spot, if not, it's a bust. Service is terrible. Non existent. Rooms were okay can't complain so much on the rooms but the food was not great, the service was not great, ants in the sugar at morning coffee, hair in the salmon royale, parking is good but it's gravel and we came out to a cracked windshield from a rock chip. My wife tried to buy Bramleys which would've been more revenue but they gave us the runaround on where it was, if they had, they'd check and get back and never did. With Highclere doing the volume they do in guests year round pretty much, This place has the potential to be booming most of the year yet it's not and now we know why. This is our third time to Highclere, we're members there but first time to Carnarvan and if I was Highclere and Lord Carnarvan I'd ask that the name be changed because it actually is a drain on Highclere living off credibility from the name only and the location being next door. Not a big proponent of downing a business especially not a small business but also not big wasting money or seing people waste money so do what you will with the review but I wasted around £500 here which equates to probably $600-700 right now. That's unfortunate because it could absolutely kill it with the right staff and management
August 2025 by Amber Carpenter
My husband, and our children visited Highclere while on a family holiday,and decided to spend the rest of the day,as well as the evening at the Carnarvon Arms.
Our initial experience was at lunch,as we weren?t able to check in until 3.
It was almost 2,so after cajoling (even though there looked to be zero bookings and the young staff wasn?t doing anything but standing around the bar) we were given a table. Two of the three orders were incorrect,when brought to our table,but we could never track a server or worker down to fix them. I had to go to the bar and wait until someone came around to pay for our food.
Since we were a party of four,we had to book two rooms. The room my daughter and I shared was,to put it plainly,not clean. There was coarse black dog hair everywhere,on the bed/blankets/sheets/towels/floor. It hadn?t seen a good scrubbing in God knows how long. Now,this wouldn?t be the end of the world if my daughter wasn?t highly allergic to animals,an allergy that warrants us carrying an EpiPen.
I looked for someone at reception, no one was ever present!?not for the entire evening.
We had nowhere else to dine,so we tried the dinner menu this time. I ordered a gin and tonic,only for the glass to arrive to me with RED LIPSTICK all over the rim. I had to track down the server,and stay at the bar until she gave me another glass. No apology,no excuses as to why I was given what was obviously a used glass to drink from.
We moved forward,and tried to enjoy the meal. After dinner I walked to reception once again,as I love Bramley products and was told this inn is a retailer. I was told by the server that passed by the bathrooms that she would check and see if they had any more in inventory as there were only two items at the reception desk. I told her I would buy everything that they had because I needed gifts and some products for myself. She assured me that she would Call my room or come by and let me know what they had by way of inventory and the price list. She did neither of those things. I attempted a purchase two additional times, both the morning at breakfast and right before we left, and was never given a clear answer as to what was available for purchase or what the products cost. Needless to say they missed out on a large sale because I cannot buy these things where I live and was very interested in grabbing up whatever they had on hand.
I mentioned breakfast, and I can?t say that it was any better than the other meals we had. We were told that two of the things we ordered on the menu were not available because they didn?t have hollandaise sauce,and when we went to get a cup of tea, there were ants in the sugar bowl.
What I ordered was smoked salmon, and when it arrived lo and behold, if there wasn?t another dog hair in my salmon on the plate. We left highly disappointed after what was our initial stay at this beautiful inn. It?s such a shame really, because the staff is driving this beautiful place downhill, and I can honestly say I was appalled at the conditions, especially given what we paid for two rooms? stay and dining. I can?t imagine why there was nothing more than a very disinterested skeleton crew when it is such a high-end looking establishment. The cleanliness of the entire building left a lot to be desired, but hair and bugs in the food is definitely where I draw the line.
August 2025 by chris heritage
Great service and excellent food!
Handy location just off A34 too
August 2025 by Celiberion
Absolutely brilliant! Really tasty food, chef made amazing work. Girls on the bar are very friendly and helpful. I enjoyed every minute here, highly recommend!
August 2025 by sandy skipper
Great for a Sunday lunch after we visited Highclere Castle.
August 2025 by ashley clark
Fantastic little pub. We stopped here on the way to Bournemouth from Milton Keynes and the reviews are spot on. Every single element of all the dishes were cooked to perfection! Hats off to the chef and the staff for a lovely welcome and great service. If you live near by or are travelling past. Make sure you stop by. I'm a massive foodie and I'm really fussy when it comes to pub food. The quality of the food and the price are so well matched. Keep doing what your doing guys
August 2025 by B Urquhart
It was lovely to revisit Carnarvon arms. We stayed here for more than a month 9 years ago. We have been well looked after and my fur baby enjoyed playing ball in beer garden. So many years passed and still the warm friendly service and delicious food.
August 2025 by William Pitt
Visited on a Thursday... online menu is not update, which is fine, but then we were initially given one that was out of date too (and that was different from the online one too)... just 3 pieces of foccacia bread, which seems a little mean... the scallops were nicely cooked and tasty... my wife didn't think her fish was particularly fresh but it did have a good cyder batter on it... my steak was well cooked, however the £3 additional peppercorn sauce had all the hallmarks of a packet sauce rather than being freshly prepared (it was very dark rather than light brown in colour)... plus the sauce was very salty... given the food was pretty average for a pub, we didn't have a pudding... we are unlikely to go back for another meal... also they had the usual trick of putting loads of ice into my soft drink (and it was a mild evening)... service was average
July 2025 by Daniel Brett
Very accomodating to our extra requests. Phoned us in advance to remind us when kitchen was closing. Fantastically presented Hotel and Pub.
July 2025 by john hinton
We arranged a visit to Highclere Castle and decided to stay overnight at The Carnavon Hotel because of its proximity to the Castle which is just a few minutes drive away.
An excellent choice as the pub part of the hotel was originally a coaching inn and the bedrooms were all renovated recently offering modern facilities and comfortable furnishing.
Both dinner and breakfast served were top quality and reasonably priced and I have to say such pleasant professional staff throughout our stay. Highly recommended,
June 2025 by Sarah Richardson
Gem of a hotel. Stunning location and super easy to access. Food and service was first class and ample parking with EV charging. Would highly recommend.
June 2025 by Brigitte Hunt
Perfect base to visit family and to explore.The rooms have been refurbished and are very comfortable. The staff were friendly and welcoming. Our meal ( family of 5) was delicious. Excellent service from Ruben, Marianna & Nick.
June 2025 by Ruben Ordonez
Brilliant service. Chelsie served us great fish and chips! Our rooms were perfect with comfy bed. Thank you very much!
June 2025 by Emma Hawkins
It was the perfect venue for a catch up with my besties after a visit to Highclere. Really friendly staff & food was good value.
May 2025 by Michael Krogmann
Lovely pub.
