The Devonshire Arms Hotel at Bolton Abbey

The Devonshire Arms Hotel at Bolton Abbey is lovely, and we had a generally pleasant stay there over multiple nights while hiking in the area. The accommodations in the old section of the house were comfortable, and the hotel offers numerous cosy areas to sit and relax. The grounds and trails are superbly maintained. The hotel spa is excellent, and a visit to the sauna, steam room, and pool after a long day of hiking was a real treat. The staff, for the most part, were pleasant, accommodating, and responsive to our requests. Overall, we enjoyed our stay with a few caveats: While the beds were comfortable, the pillows were not. At this price range, I expect a choice of pillows, ideally of high quality and designed for maximum comfort. Most hotels in this category will provide feather/down pillows in a range of sizes, at least on request, if not as standard. However, we did not find feather or down pillows available anywhere in the hotel. The pillows provided seemed to be polyester fill, designed for firmness and loft rather than comfort. When we asked for alternatives, we received a slightly flatter option of the same type. The hotel offers two dining options: the Brasserie and the Garden Room. We ate at both. Our dinner at the Brasserie was very tasty and the service excellent. The atmosphere, however, was quite lively and leaned more toward a pub-like setting than the quieter dining experience one might expect at a luxury hotel. While we enjoyed the meal, it was not the most suitable venue for a relaxing or intimate dinner. We also had several meals (tea, dinner, and breakfast) in the Garden Room. Our experiences there were mixed. The Garden Room menu is limited and doesn’t seem especially well-suited for evening dining. Overall, we found the food at the Garden Room not quite on par with that of the Brasserie, which was surprising since the dishes presumably come from the same kitchen. On our first visit, we had been referred by the front staff for a slightly late tea around 4 p.m. We sat in an empty room for quite some time before the maître d’ arrived, looking at a schedule and remarking that he wasn’t aware of any dinner bookings at that time. Once we clarified that we were there for tea, he seemed a bit flustered, which left us feeling like we had inconvenienced the staff. While the menu listed a choice of teas, we were not asked for a preference and simply given a pot of tea. That said, the scones were delicious. Breakfast is also served in the Garden Room. Regardless of whether you order something light, like yogurt, or a full English breakfast, the flat price is £20 per person. This felt a little steep, particularly for guests who prefer a lighter start to the day. A sliding scale or alternative pricing could make breakfast feel more in line with the value provided. Lastly, we found the coffee throughout the hotel underwhelming in both quality and flavour. The pod coffee in the rooms was bitter and thin, with a taste reminiscent of

As a regular visitor to the Yorkshire Dales staying at this hotel for many years we went on a guided tour of the Dales. Our tour guide, Jane Clarke was excellent, she organised an off road vehicle to enable my daughter with mobility problems to enjoy areas where she would be unable to walk. We had a wonderful experience finding out about lots of local history around the Bolton Abbey Estate. We enjoyed the experience so much that we hope to repeat it again on a future trip.

We booked a stay at The Devonshire Arms Hotel for the weekend of our wedding, and from the moment we arrived the staff were welcoming and went above and beyond to make our stay special. The hotel is set in a beautiful location and breakfast is delicious. We really appreciate everything the staff did for us, thank you! We hope to return for special anniversaries in the future!