The Ancient Gatehouse Hotel

United Kingdom , Wells
Wells, 20 Sadler Street
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75 reviews shown

10/10

Exceptional

08 Mar 2026

Helen

Beautiful. Perfectly placed in the centre of wells. Staff are helpful and friendly. Our room (no 2) had a beautiful four poster, a lovely shower (but not really suitable for a larger person) as the door only opened a very small way. The pin opposite did play loud music on the Fri and sat night until gone midnight but it didn’t bother us too much

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

15 Feb 2026

Alison

The staff were great and were extremely helpful.
Great location

Friends_and_family Friends

10/10

Exceptional

11 Feb 2026

judith

The room was fantastic - it had literally just been refurbished (had an amazing four poster bed that was very comfortable).
The food in the restaurant was delicious and all of the staff were so kind and helpful, special shout out to the lovely lady that prepared our breakfast - she was excellent!

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

08 Feb 2026

Charlotte

The staff were helpful, friendly and welcoming.

Leisure

10/10

Exceptional

08 Feb 2026

Rachel

Easy check in, friendly and attentive staff and rooms that are spotlessly clean, oh, and a great breakfast! What more could you want 🙂

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

24 Jan 2026

Gary Work

it was spotless, had everything we needed and the staff were super friendly. have already recommended to friends

Partner

8/10

Excellent

12 Jan 2026

Carey Peter

Nice staff good location the room was comfortable

10/10

Exceptional

03 Jan 2026

Joely

This hotel was an excellent place to stay in Wells - super convenient location in town with great cathedral view. Room was comfortable with nice touches. Staff was very kind. The breakfast was also a highlight that I would recommend, the breakfast chef does an excellent job and it is a great spread!

Leisure Family

8/10

Excellent

26 Dec 2025

Thomas

Historically layered building attached to Brown's Gatehouse (I'm not sure if one of the rooms is literally IN the gatehouse?) and overlooking the cathedral. Rooms located above an Italian restaurant, they're pleasant but very much Inn or B&B type, so you hear every creaky footstep, especially if on the first floor. Ear plugs recommended. Sometimes when you stay at a hotel with a restaurant you might be offered a free drink or discount — given in this case you can hear the restaurant until around 11pm, and you're dodging waiters as you go in and out the building, it might be a nice touch to offer something extra to paying guests? (along with those ear plugs…)

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

22 Dec 2025

Tony

What stood out??? Well, for one, it was the staff. They welcomed me and gave me a lovely room. I had a table booked for 10 of my family, and the food was excellent. The wine was superb too, and I asked for a favour, which they delivered. This is one of my favourite hotels in the UK and will be my go-to whenever I go to Somerset to see my family. The only downside is the parking, but that is minuscule compared to the service I received from The Ancient Gatehouse. Well done all.

Self

10/10

Exceptional

14 Dec 2025

Chris

Fantastic friendly helpful staff...real Italians! Oh, and great breakfast lady from Ulster. The room was very clean with nice touches such as still & sparkling water. The view over the cathedral was stunning when enjoying coffee & a hot cooked breakfast. Just great to stay in a real family run establishment.

Friends_and_family Friends

10/10

Exceptional

13 Dec 2025

Una

View from bedroom over Wells Cathedral. Greatvlocation

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

18 Nov 2025

Marc t D

Lovely old building. Great old style bed

10/10

Exceptional

18 Nov 2025

roger

Great location, some really friendly staff.

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

17 Nov 2025

Karen

I had a lovely stay here and the breakfast was delicious. Thank you

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

12 Nov 2025

Alison

Yes , it was very clean.
The staff were very helpful and attentive and managed to get us a dinner table at short notice.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

09 Nov 2025

Sonja

fantastic hotel beautifully decorated room. Wells is an amazing city to visit.

Leisure Partner

8/10

Excellent

30 Oct 2025

Christopher

The room was very clean and the staff helpful.

Leisure Family

10/10

Exceptional

10 Oct 2025

Diane

Very central, parking easy on road cross to cathedral. Fab view of cathedral from breakfast, ate dinner in the Italian in the ground floor - very nice.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

30 Sep 2025

David

Nice, plus the Italian restaurant

Parking was as advised, it is Salisbury you have to contend with that. Thank you.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

25 Sep 2025

Abdul

Great location. Everywhere is very walkable. Wide range of shops and restaurants. The Gatehouse is unique and charming. The hotel staff are very nice and accommodating. Great value for money.

Beds comfortable. Room very clean. Overall a great experience and the city of Wells is a must-see

Leisure Friends

8/10

Excellent

16 Sep 2025

Megan

Great service, good overall

A charming hotel in a lovely area. Staff were attentive and friendly. Restaurant had incredible food and ambience.

I booked a single room which was fine. It was quite dusty in the room, notably on the top of the wide picture rail going around the bed. I only noticed when settling down to bed, I’m sure staff would have cleaned otherwise. The corner the bed was in was also a little dark and dingy and pillows were naff. Can hear other guests quite clearly particularly when they are coming up the stairs. Steep stairs up to the rooms. Beautiful view out the room window and good shower and bathroom. Would stay again but in a different room.

Worth noting as well that hotel is unmanned overnight. Staff leave the restaurant in the late evening and there is no staff in until 8am ish. There are emergency numbers but worth knowing for safety and security.

Self

10/10

Exceptional

10 Sep 2025

Dawn

Brilliant overnight stay

Stayed here for one night, staff were all very friendly and helpful, nothing was too much trouble. We stayed in room 2 which was at the front. Lovely big room with 4 poster bed. Very comfortable and clean. There are lots of hotels in Wells but I’m glad we chose this one.

Partner

8/10

Excellent

01 Sep 2025

Edward

NO PARKIING
Despite not being able to reach the hotel because of a road block, not being able to speak to anyone when we phoned (and we tried several times), being offered parking options that were not available or impractical as a stop from our check-in to check-out, meaning we had to carry our luggage through town from Waitrose long-stay car park, no reception staff for most of our stay and not being able to get breakfast in the hotel, we actually liked the place.

The location is ideal for visiting the cathedral and also for excellent restaurants and coffee shops. The passage to our room felt a little like a worm hole; it goes in all directions at rather curious angles.

The room offered a view across the green to the cathedral. The clock chimes every quarter; you’ll hear it if you’re awake but it didn’t keep us awake.

WiFi in our room was only 6mbps down at best – but even if there a WAP on our floor, the thickness of the walls meant it would have struggled.

The bathroom has a bath and a hose with a shower head but no shower. Hot water supply is good. The room had a nice feel about it.

The building is definitely old and the hotel has an eccentric charm. We’d stay there again, if we were not driving.

Leisure Partner

6/10

Pleasant

27 Aug 2025

Tony

Hotel facilities only open Monday left to our own devices Tuesday and Wednesday. No breakfast available.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

22 Aug 2025

Peter

Lovely old hotel in magical location

Excellent small historic hotel facing Weeks Cathedral. The view of the Cathedral from my bedroom was magical. Nice breakfast and very friendly staff

Self

10/10

Exceptional

16 Jul 2025

Elsa

Very characterful, great restaurant, really good food. Doggy friendly.

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

14 Jul 2025

Catherine

Charming visit!

We loved our stay at the Ancient Gatehouse. It is just that, ancient and charming. The room was lovely and had a nice clean bathroom. We were fortunate to have a room that looked out over the green and had a view of the cathedral. There is no air conditioning. Very few places in the UK or Europe have AC, these are old buildings. There was a fan and large windows which suited us perfectly. The hotel has an excellent Italian restaurant where we ate dinner. We stayed only one night, but we will definitely return in the future.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

23 Jun 2025

Gill

Wonderful location

Lovely room in an interesting building in the heart of Wells. Friendly staff.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

19 Jun 2025

Patrick

Friendly and welcoming - we enjoyed our visit to Wells itself very much indeed. It was our second visit to this hotel and we would certainly choose it again!

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

18 Jun 2025

John

Excellent location in a charming city

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

10 Jun 2025

Scott

An old character building which has a very modern feel to it. Excellent

Leisure Partner

8/10

Excellent

12 May 2025

michael

Cleanliness and laid back feel about the place.Very good value for money

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

12 May 2025

Mark

Ancient building, lovely hosts, great restaurant

Ancient building, lovely hosts, excellent Italian restaurant. Room was clean and tidy in this 400 year old building. Breakfast room looks onto Cathedral green.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

07 May 2025

Jerry

All went fine

8/10

Excellent

14 Apr 2025

Sarah

Lovely stay with an excellent welcome from very attentive hotel and restaurant staff. Room and bathroom was a bit smaller than I expected, and could do with a bit more modernising, TV was very small and floors quite uneven and creaky. But that kind of added to the atmosphere of an ancient gatehouse. Next time I would request a room with a view of the cathedral as I think these must be more spacious.

Leisure Partner

6/10

Pleasant

13 Apr 2025

Amanda

Room was in need of updating, carpet was dirty. Staff were pleasant, but failed to tell us that they were not open on the day we left so no breakfast would be served. We just left our key at the closed desk. The restaurant looked very nice, but didn’t get a chance to try it.

Leisure

10/10

Exceptional

07 Apr 2025

Fran

All the staff at the hotel were so friendly and helpful. The room was beautiful, clean, comfortable, excellent facilities.

6/10

Pleasant

03 Apr 2025

William

Beautiful Hotel, Amazing Breakfast, Awful Bed

The outside of this hotel is absolutely beautiful, with the historic Gatehouse plus connecting building and the location is complete perfection. I can’t imagine there is a better placed hotel in the whole of Wells.

The staff were extremely welcoming and could not do enough for us. The breakfast is one of the best breakfast’s I have ever had in a hotel - no exaggeration! All made to order, with plenty of Hot Drinks and juices.

Pretty much the only thing that let down our stay was the bed. The bed was so uncomfortable that at around 2am of not being able to sleep I actually decided to sleep on the floor! I did over head the staff talking about how the rooms and furniture were getting a refurb soon - which is promising. So although 3 stars feels harsh… I think it is fair as the bed was so bad that we could not properly sleep here.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

27 Mar 2025

Ian

Fantastic location directly opposite the cathedral. As it's the old gatehouse, the stairs to the rooms take a bit of effort as there is no lift but you do get a real feeling of originality.

We ate in the hotel and the food was excellent, as was the breakfast. The staff were all very friendly and helpful.

Leisure Pet

10/10

Exceptional

23 Mar 2025

Tracey

Possibly the most beautiful hotel I’ve ever stayed in and the most friendly staff possible!

Business Self

10/10

Exceptional

21 Mar 2025

Dominic

Loved everything about it, the staff were amazing and can’t praise the Chef enough… the restaurant is top notch.

10/10

Exceptional

18 Mar 2025

Janet

Just as it is described on the Expedia website. We loved it. Sadly only a one night stopover but we will definitely return. It was a stunning view (Wells Cathedral) in such a comfortable room. Wonderful!

Leisure Partner

8/10

Excellent

11 Mar 2025

Richard

Cathedral visit.

We had never visited Wells and was interested in going to the Cathedral and Bishops Palace. Hotel looked well placed for this. Overall a good hotel with a good restaurant. Room a bit snug and absence of shower not great for visitors of a certain age. Bath looked like too much of a slip hazard.

Friends_and_family Family

10/10

Exceptional

28 Feb 2025

Dayna

Views of the Cathedral. Excellent location. Delicious Italian restaurant on-site with many options all around. Andy (manager) and the entire staff so friendly and helpful. Highly recommended for the price - 2 star at 4 star service.

Parking not that convenient, but that is expected.

Leisure Partner

8/10

Excellent

04 Feb 2025

Philip

Nice place, great staff

Can't fault the service, the breakfast was great, the staff friendly and they even did us pizza as we was running very late and missed dinner. The room was okay, only negative was the bed was small and you couldn't stand to shower, had to sit in the bath and hold the shower head, but it was fine.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

19 Jan 2025

Neil Porter

Room3

Room a bit tired in places but clean and comfortable bed with top view.

10/10

Exceptional

17 Nov 2024

Miranda

Great location

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

17 Oct 2024

Jacqui

Great nights stay

We had a wonderful nights stay. The location is perfect for visiting Wells and backs onto the Cathedral green. The bed was very comfortable, a bit high maybe but such a good nights sleep. Can’t comment on the food as the restaurant was not open the night of our visit.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

08 Oct 2024

georgiana

The staff was very very helpful and friendly. My traveling companion developed a medical emergency and they facilitated everything. My complaint is with Expedia it is very unusable in the UK I had to call home to get family to cancel reservations etc. etc. I would highly suggest you make The ability to contact you more more easily

10/10

Exceptional

04 Oct 2024

Tiffany M

The property is beautiful, the staff great and the restaurant amazing. Can’t wait to come back!

Leisure Family

10/10

Exceptional

25 Sep 2024

Bethany

Great stay! The restaurant was great and such an interesting building.

Leisure Partner

6/10

Pleasant

24 Sep 2024

Sharon

The rooms were tired looking but bathrooms renovated and nice. Afternoon and evening staff were great but morning staff rude. restaurant on site fabulous No parking and off site parking very hard to find and long walk with cases. I would not recommend staying there

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

23 Sep 2024

Sarah

Wonderfully located in this historic city

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

22 Sep 2024

Nicky

A little gem of a hotel. Narrow and steep staircases so probably not ideal for people with mobility issues but it really is beautiful. I stayed in room 4, small and pretty with the most amazing view of the cathedral. Central location, comfortable and clean and excellent value for money.

Leisure Self

10/10

Exceptional

23 Aug 2024

Janet

I heart Italy

Pretty pink room; stunning four poster; fab bedding; comfy bed; decent bathroom; super central location; quiet enough at night; cool decor. Only suggestions: glad for extra throw but it showed use by a dog and edges of room and around furniture bottoms needs cleaning. Otherwise very clean. FAB FOOD/RESTAURANT!!

Partner

8/10

Excellent

18 Aug 2024

John

Centrally located Hotel

Small but very smart and well furnished ensuit single room with excellent views across the Green to the Cathedral.
Very centrally situated.

Self

10/10

Exceptional

05 Jul 2024

George

Wonderfully friendly staff. Great location just steps away from the cathedral.

Self

10/10

Exceptional

02 Jul 2024

adam

Opted for a double room and shower but decided to go for a bath and was shown a beautiful room in the tower and took it ! Staff were very helpful and the food was delicious and beautifully presented

Partner

8/10

Excellent

26 Jun 2024

Ancient Gatehouse Hotel

We stayed in Wells to visit friends, the room was comfortable but small due to the age of the property that is understandable. The view from the room was superb

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

12 Jun 2024

Valerie

Character property

Character property, loved the antique 4 poster bed. So comfy. En-suite very clean with good products. We dined in the restaurant in the evening and meal was excellent and so was breakfast. Staff really friendly and helpful.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

29 May 2024

Sarah

What an absolute stunning property, Unique and Ancient, Clean and quiet great position for all Wells has to offer

Leisure Partner

8/10

Excellent

20 May 2024

Robert

Room with a View

Fantastic location with our room having a clear view of the wonderful Wells cathedral.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

18 Apr 2024

Graeme

When I went to check in the person behind the counter told me I did not have a reservation. This then began a series of events that caused significant stress. My phone was out of power as was my lap top. I took my lap top to a neighboring hotel where I was able to see I DID have a reservation. That person was not there when I returned but check in was fine. When I eventually saw the person in question he said I must have made the reservation that day with no apology

Leisure Self

10/10

Exceptional

18 Mar 2024

Verified traveler

Lovely old building with a fantastic view of the cathedral. Handy over night parking by the green. Staff were very friendly.

Self

8/10

Excellent

15 Mar 2024

Julian

Very nice one night stay in the beautiful little city of Wells. The Ancient Gatehouse is lovely and quirky as it's such an old building. Amazing views across the green to the Cathedral. Staff very helpful and welcoming. There's an Italian restaurant on the ground floor, but there was no noise drifting up to our room.

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

24 Feb 2024

Frances

A lovely stay...too brief

Beautiful, characterful hotel: Tastefully decorated; comfortable; amazing view of the cathedral, ( was there for memorial to a dear friend); fantastic, thoughtful, helpful service, especially from Nicky in reception! wish I could have stayed , much longer...

Self

10/10

Exceptional

05 Jan 2024

robin

Perfect small central place to stay

I rarely do reviews but what a gem of a place.

Self

10/10

Exceptional

11 Dec 2023

Kristian

Great staff, great breakfast! The only comment I would make is to recommend where to park in Wells on the website, as I couldn't see a recommendation for this. We will be staying again!

Leisure Family

10/10

Exceptional

21 Oct 2023

Trevor

This is a wonderful spot to enjoy Wells. The cathedral is across the green space in front of the hotel. The food in the restaurant excellent. The stairs to the room may be steep but worth it.

10/10

Exceptional

25 Sep 2023

Jessica

Great location overlooking the Cathedral. Very friendly and helpful staff. Our large room had an antique 4 post bed with beautiful wood carvings. We chose to dine at the hotel’s restaurant and we’re not disappointed. Great Italian food and great service, again overlooking the cathedral.

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

14 Sep 2023

carol

Absolutely stunning views of the cathedral. Food and service was incredible

Leisure Family

8/10

Excellent

16 Aug 2023

Patrick

Quaint hotel in town!

Great location - right in the center of town! Also has a restaurant, but it was full and I could not have dinner there - must be good! Had view of the cathedral from my room, which was a 3min walk - glorious! Very quiet as facing the back. Room was single, not big but plenty for one; bathroom was large. Access to the room was up 2 flights of stairs, first one OK, second one \"treacherously steep and narrow!\" - good if you are in good shape! Breakfast was very good.

Self

8/10

Excellent

02 Aug 2023

Sue

Clean room, with en-suite. Our room was Located at front of hotel above noisy street - not ideal, woken up very early by the traffic. Photos of hotel show only rooms with views over Cathedral so assumed we would be located in one of these rather than at the front of the hotel so we were disappointed.

Partner

6/10

Pleasant

31 Jul 2023

Christine

Perfect location to explore Wells. The building is historical, therefore full of character with an amazing view of the cathedral. A better mattress on the ancient bed would improve sleep. Breakfast was lovely in spite of a communication lapse between the afternoon desk staff and the lovely lady multi tasking everything single handedly the following morning.

Leisure Partner