The George in Rye

What a wonderful hotel!, rooms excellent, food delicious, and the most friendly, helpful and accommodating staff you could ask for 👍 would certainly recommend it 💯 % and what grate value 😀 Excellent

We had the best roast beef Sunday Lunch here ever - simply delicious - generous portions and completely scrummy. Our charismatic server was Ruyman from Gran Canaria - he kept us (and everyone else around) topped up and entertained with his cracking sense of humour and charm. All in all I can't recommend this place more highly - just superb!

This was my second visit and it was just as good as the first. Got a room upgrade (who doesn't like that!) and it was lovely. Best shower in a hotel I have had in a while! Fan in the room which was useful as it was warm. Quiet also. Room 35. Had a drink at the bar and out for dinner. Breakfast was excellent which is the usual combination of self service and table service. Excellent overall. Would happily go back.

A very disappointing visit to the Grill restaurant despite having eaten there on 2 previous occasions - best summed up by the grand finale of a bizarre dessert of Tapicoa with a Dulche de Leche sauce which arrived instead sprinkled with Rice Krispies and a rather flaccid chocolate sauce . To say this was underwhelming would be an understatement. When asked our server admitted that it was a "Work in Progress" and that the chef responsible had only been there for 3 days. I've heard some excuse in my time but this takes the biscuit or should I say dessert ? Whilst the sea bass main course was adequate - nothing special, the Bibimbap comprised a large amount of rice, a few vegetables and an undercooked egg which was unappealing to say the least - Lacked flavour and was returned, largely uneaten, by 3 of our party . I'd have thought this might have been queried by our server and when asked we were told that most diners failed to finish the dish . Couldn't help feeling that if this was the case then maybe the kitchen would ask questions about its lack of appeal. I had to request that the flaccid tapioca be removed from our bill. This should have been done without having to ask and at least a meagre apology offered but none was forthcoming.

We enjoyed our few days at the George. Its situation, in the centre of Rye, makes it an excellent base. The location also has some downsides, which I will come to later. The tasteful refurbishment has done as much as can be done with a historic listed building. The hotel had everything we required for a comfortable stay and our room (4) was simply fantastic. Again, there were a couple of small niggles but they were also the result of staying in a historic, listed building. For example, I would not have liked to have stayed in the room during the recent thirty degree plus hot spell (no aircon). The hotel did provide a fan that could be used but I suspect it would have been pretty ineffective. Something worthy of note was the breakfast. I have stayed in more hotels than I care to remember and getting a slice of toast in a hotel may seem simple - but nothing could be further from the truth. You are usually presented with a woefully inadequate domestic toaster, or one of those “conveyor-belt” machines that delivers your “toast” underdone - or if you do a double-pass - almost in flames. The George had a bank of Dualit toasters which delivered perfect toast every time. Plus there were individual pats of soft butter, in place of the rock-hard, catering portions of butter, every other hotel seems to have. This was all I needed (not being a big breakfast guy). My wife had a number of items from the extensive menu and said they were all first class. At this point I must mention the staff - all the staff. Everyone was friendly and helpful and dealt with minor mishaps (not of their making) in a thoroughly professional and informative manner. Now a couple of things you may not like (both of which are things the hotel can do nothing about). The hotel’s lack of a car park is a pain. It does as much as is possible to assist you but I’d recommend visiting the Rother District Council website (and the APCOA website for the station car park) for more detailed info. The last moan concerns the early morning wake-up call…from the local seagulls. A problem you will have, no matter where you stay in Rye. Every establishment (that had an outdoor dining area) warned how clever (and occasionally aggressive) these seabirds are. Eating outdoors at the George was helped by “hiding” your food with some strategic coverings. However, these are of no help at daybreak, when the gulls wake up and let everyone know (loudly) they are now awake - and you should be too. These minor gripes notwithstanding, we really did enjoy our stay at the George. I can recommend it thoroughly - especially if you arrive by train and remember some ear-plugs.

I recently visited The George Hotel Bar in Rye for drinks with my wife and was left thoroughly unimpressed. Despite five staff members behind the bar, we waited 5–10 minutes to be served, and were oddly instructed not to stand behind a pillar while waiting. We initially sat at a table to the right of the bar, which had a broken chair and was uncomfortably close to other guests. A dirty, wet floor sign was left beside it, adding to the poor impression. We moved to another table in front of the bar, only to find it wobbled noticeably. The table next to us remained dirty and unattended for the duration of our visit. Service was cold and disengaged—no smiles, no welcome. When my wife ordered a Porn Star Martini, she was told it wouldn’t include the passionfruit garnish unless she specifically requested someone to fetch it from upstairs, which felt unreasonable given the premium pricing. We’ve enjoyed previous visits here, but this time the service, cleanliness, and overall value were disappointing. Based on this experience, I wouldn’t recommend it.