Cavens Country House Hotel

Apr 11th, 2023

Feb 3rd, 2023

Oct 1st, 2022

If you're sick of 'cookie cutter' hotel rooms (you know that 'am I in New York or Timbuktu?' feeling?), a visit to Cavens is a refreshing change. Think traditional British country house break as guests of the family rather than generic decor and food. The owners, Angus and Jane, couldn't be more welcoming, and went above and beyond to accommodate our additional needs around mobility and breakfast. They have a small staff team of local young people who were all absolutely lovely and very professional. Despite its large size, the house feels cosy and friendly. There's a huge, bright lounge with big squishy chairs and sofas, a sideboard lined with every drink imaginable, and an area with some toys plus a selection of jigsaws and board games. Walk through a door at one end of the lounge and you're in the library, another spacious room with comfy seating. Decorated in darker colours, it's full of hundreds of books covering every topic imaginable. (We chose ornithology and looked up the birds we'd spotted in the grounds.) Through an archway at the other end of the lounge is the large dining room, with tables placed a welcome distance apart. You never feel rushed or crushed at Cavens. Our room on the ground floor was beautifully decorated and spotlessly clean, with French doors looking out across the lawn and beyond. We watched rabbits, squirrels and lots of different birds. Even the gentle hum of the robotic lawnmowers was relaxing! The food is beautiful. You don't get to choose from a massive menu (you're staying with friends, remember?), but everything is freshly made using good ingredients cooked to perfection. All in all, Cavens House is an absolute gem.
Feb 3rd, 2023

Only one star because we never actually got to stay in the end! Having found this as one of Alister Sawday's recommended dog-friendly hotels we called to enquire about bringing a couple of small, well-behaved dogs with us while making an on-line booking. Apparently dog's cant be left unattended in the room, which is fair enough, but neither are they allowed in any of the public areas, and there is nowhere to be able to dine with them - they would need to be put out in the car while we ate. Additionally we were told they can only be exercised on the driveway outside the hotel and not in the grounds. Oh, and by the way, none of the supposedly 'dog friendly' rooms are located on the ground floor. We decided on balance that this was not quite as dog friendly as we were hoping or looking for and decided to book alternative accommodation, which again quite sensibly doesn't want people leaving dogs unattended in the dog friendly room (which are on the ground floor) so does cater for people to dine separately with them, allows them into certain areas such as the bar and conservatory, and to be exercised in the grounds.
Sep 23rd, 2022