Manor House Hotel Holy Island

Overall was a good one night stay. But £140 for a double room with a bed you could feel the springs and small very dated room and tiny bathroom I feel was overpriced but I guess it’s the area. The friendliness of the staff made up for the disappointment in the room. Good breakfast.

I booked a nights stay here as a birthday treat for my fiancé. Let’s start on a positive note, it could be the comfiest bed I’ve ever slept in. However, things go down hill from there. We stayed in room 3, I specifically wanted a room with a bath tub. The cleanliness of the bathroom was questionable, lots of dust, dead spiders and debris. I had to rinse the tub before using it. The room was above the kitchen, from check in to check out it smelled of cooking, it was like we were in the kitchen. We found the staff to be rude at times, especially the bar staff. At breakfast there was only one person working, service was slow and we had time wait for basics to be topped up, glasses, bread, juice etc. If you’re looking for value for money or a first class experience this isn’t the hotel for either.

Stayed in the 4 person family room which was fine for us (double bed and 2 singles). Power shower (over bath) was great. Tea, coffee and biscuits in room. Gorgeous view of the castle. Beds ok but lumpy and hard pillows. Very quiet room on top floor (no lift!!!); decor a little dated. Had chips from the bar the first night which were just soggy and horrible, but the breakfasts were fabulous (husband had Northumberland breakfast with haggis, black pudding; kids had surprisingly good veggie options) and plentiful. We had one evening meal in the restaurant which was tasty, but mains were £20+ so not inexpensive. Staff very friendly and helpful. The hotel had a small car park which means you can park right in the middle of the village. Hotel is right next to priory ruins, and 5 min walk to harbour and look-out tower. We liked it and would return.

Holy Island is one of the most beautiful, tranquil locations and myself and my family have been going for over 25 years. Every other year we’ve been in a cottage, but this time we decided to go for the weekend and stay in a hotel. The island itself never disappoints and is beautiful in all weathers. The hotel room was spacious for us, but my Mum’s room was a little small. Both rooms were clean. However, my Mum’s room had bubbling wallpaper, an old patch on the ceiling where water had got through and a faulty shower. The rooms are well supplied with tea and coffee. The bar staff in the evening were quite rude and made the evening very uncomfortable. We sat at the table and were given about 2 minutes to decide what we wanted to eat. One man came to see us three times, another young girl came again and then another blonde lady came over. There was about 60 seconds between each visit which felt very pressured. We’re not sure what the rush was as there was only us and another couple sat in the bar. The staff team has one star and that was the man who served us for breakfast. He was very polite, talkative and told us his story of how he came to stay on the island which was very nice. He saved the stay for us and our experience with the staff. The food is very pricey in the bar and there is nowhere else to eat with lower prices as the owners of this hotel also owns two others on the island. We had a wonderful break on the island, but we wish the bar staff were politer and had good customer service skills. The lady working behind the bar gave me a gin and tonic when I asked for a gin and lemonade. She did replace it but did so by making the smallest glass and was not apologetic for the mistake. I had to ask for the glass to be filled up with lemonade as the wine glass had roughly a 3cm gap between the liquid and the top of the glass. I would suggest if you were to stay on Holy Island, you should hire a cottage for the week to get the best experience.

Didn't stay here because we were booked in to the Lindisfarne but we did try the food. It fills a hole but nothing special as regards quality. It’s a shame they can't raise their game a bit. Heard similar from other people but once the tide is out you are stuck for choice. In general the food is nothing to write home about around here. I can recommend Audela in Berwick which serves up a nice plate. However what the food lacked was more than compensated by Esme and Jon who continued the fab service they deliver at the Lindisfarne round the corner where we stayed.

We visited by day on a boat trip, attractive looking pub, had a drink sat on the garden, perfect until the food arrived, crab was off, didn’t resemble a crab cake, just glad we returned the food for a refund, lots of blue bottle flies everywhere in the pub, toilets not the cleanest, staff were slow but pleasant.