Good food, decent rooms and great location for day trips

The George is an old coaching inn with a lot of character facing the moated 14th century ruin of Nunney Castle and surrounded by pretty cottages. The hotel recently changed hands and is now a friendly, family-run hotel with a 3-star VisitBritain rating for rooms and a well-deserved 4-star rating for food. The new management has iniated a refurbishment, which has made the bar, lounge and restaurant areas light and airy. The bar has a large open fire place and is popular with locals without getting in the way of diners. My wife and I stayed at the hotel to attend a wedding. Staff were welcoming and efficient. We stayed in the four-poster Trafalgar Suite, which faces Nunney Castle. We enjoyed an excellent dinner with mainly locally sourced, seasonal ingredients and a decent wine list. The gastro-pub menu includes dishes such as homemade beef and ale pies, game terrine, pork with sage and apple, local lamb, traditional puddings and a generous selection of local cheeses. Service was courteous and efficient. We had a big, hearty breakfast the next morning by the fireplace, all very Somerset. The hotel has parking reserved for guests at the front and back of the hotel. Nunney is a good central location for visiting Bath, Wells, Longleat, Babington House, Stourhead, Glastonbury and the rest of the West Country. The George's garden is apparently scheduled to reopen this summer after a major makeover. The hotel is recommended for romantic breaks, theatre visits (Bath, Iford Manor opera festival), shopping and sightseeing trips. My wife and I would definitely go back and it will be interesting to see what the other rooms will be like when redecorated. The George is dog-friendly, but check if you're planning to bring children under 14 along. Tourist information is available at the hotel and from nearby Frome Tourist Information Centre.

Peter Phillips - 24/02/2009 | report this review