Dunster Castle Hotel

This is our third visit to Dunster and we are already planning our return. Dunster is a charming village dotted with wonderful little boutique shops selling unique artisanal goodies, and some fantastic hotels and cafes to boot. The Dunster Castle Hotel wholly encapsulates both the charm and the quirkiness of the village. Owners John and Lisa are very warm and welcoming and the lovely sitting and breakfast areas are filled with their eye-catching artworks and antiques. The back garden is a peaceful flower-filled oasis. Our bedroom was gorgeously decorated; a high-ceilinged, light-filled haven and we had the best night's sleep of our whole trip to Somerset. The breakfast room is also rather special, as is the breakfast offering. It was outstanding. Every single mouthful was delicious and we really can't wait to return.

Just returns from a 4 night stay at this excellent hotel. Best single thing about this establishment is the couple that run it, John and Lisa, along with their small team. Simply could not do enough for us throughout our stay with them. Dinner only available on Sunday and Monday. Ate out at another hotel in Dunster on Tuesday but not a patch on this one! Had a takeaway on our last night for which was provided a table, plates, drinks from the bar and use of the hotel's microwave. This hotel reserves to do well!

Disappointing on arrival as expecting a pretty hotel with hanging baskets of flowers. The hotel looked very tired & dull. Parking was good, yes the entrance is narrow but take it slow & it’s fine. Check in was quick & the gentleman was friendly. We booked a superior room including breakfast. Room was large & ok for a night but also looked tired, windows would not open & was very stuffy with poor lighting. Wardrobe door kept springing open in front of exit door. Toiletries not as advertised. Netflix did not work. No fridge in room had to use a communal fridge in a different one. Breakfast was just ok, coffee was good. Lisa was very friendly & gave us some local information which was helpful. Would we stay again or recommend - no as felt very overpriced & probably living off previous great reviews. Hotel appears to be up for sale so this may explain why sadly things have slipped. A real shame as a lovely old grade II listed building.

Beautiful friendly hotel in a stunning village.

We were upgraded to the conyger room, wow it is gorgeous! Look on their website to see pictures. The other front facing rooms are lovely too if the conyger is out of reach. We stayed before in one of those rooms. John and Lisa were lovely hosts, nice genuine people . Our experience was Hosts who will really try to look after you. The public areas were also very stylish and comfortable. They offer a service where you can bring in your own food and drink and eat in the bar area. What a brilliant idea if you want to save some money or you’re just feeling like being cosy and staying in. We ate out but would take advantage of this if we were staying longer. Dunster was quiet as was the hotel surprisingly. Sure it will start to pick up now Spring is here. Hope so John and Lisa have this lovely place to share! Special mention of the breakfast one of our best yet. Shout out to the chef ( think his name was Simon) excellent.

It’s such a shame to see how far the Dunster Castle Hotel has fallen. This used to be a smart, welcoming place, the previous owners made a real asset to the high street. Now, the current owners close it up in the winter and jet off to the canaries, come the spring and summer it’s opening hours are beyond sporadic. The once-elegant frontage now looks tired and uninviting, which is a stark contrast to what it used to be. Dead window boxes are the only thing this place is able to exceed at. Step inside, and unfortunately, things don’t improve. The interior, rather than feeling warm and characterful, it's brash and unrefined. Any charm the place once had has been lost, replaced with a style that feels out of place in such a historic village. The bar was removed some time ago and replaced with a Blackpool style gin bar, it's vulgar and garish. It no longer has the atmosphere that made it such a pleasant spot to visit. It used to be packed but sadly the owners clearly don't want the place to be a place to meet and eat. Their social media was last updated Nov 2022, that just about sums it up. It’s hardly surprising that the property is still on the market. What was once a lovely and well-kept venue is now a blot on the high street, in desperate need of a new lease of life. Hopefully, someone with the right vision can bring it back to what it once was.