Best Western Shrubbery Hotel

10/10

Exceptional

03 Jul 2024

John

A great place to stay

Excellent room .no 7...staff very helpful and friendly..Food was excellent.... especially the sticky belly pork starters
Drinks very reasonably priced.
Nice gardens to have a drink in the sun

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

02 Jul 2024

Simon

Lovely hotel

Very nice hotel, quiet and comfortable. Lovely staff.

Business

2/10

Poor

01 Jun 2024

Tracy

AVOID - poor communication

I booked several rooms for friends all visiting Shindig festival. Due to personal circumstances within the space of a couple of months, i forgot to cancel some of the rooms for those who couldnt attend. When checking in the receptionist notified me of one room on a separate booking but NOT a further two under the same hotels.com booking reference which i had added in my friends name. The result was a hefty charge for both rooms for the whole three nights, which they made me pay! We stayed for 3 nights and at not one point was i notified. I am devastated. It was an extremely bad ending to what should have been a joyous time and a VERY costly error which could have been mitigated. I would avoid this hotel at all costs. Its obvious they didnt advise me so they could sting me with the full amount. Honestly, who can afford to pay for three hotel rooms for three nights but only need one!

Friends_and_family Friends

8/10

Excellent

27 May 2024

Michael Edward

No food available on a Sunday evening.

Leisure

8/10

Excellent

17 May 2024

Joyce

Convenient for attending family event nearby. The room was pleasant and well equipped except for shower which needed fixing. Continental breakfast options quite limited. The evening meal was good and staff helpful. But there was no custard for the crumble.

Leisure Family

6/10

Pleasant

28 Apr 2024

Verified traveler

Average and very loud

The hotel was fine, slightly dated but clean with a great shower. The bed was hard and not hugely comfortable. The worst part was that on the Saturday night the hotel had a huge function which was incredibly loud until past midnight. We were told on check in but that was useless as we had no other option by then! There were lots of drunk people blocking the entrance and smoking right outside so the entrance smelt bad and the outside tables were still covered with cigarette ends and empty bottles I the morning, also there was no parking reserved for hotel guests so we could not park when we got back. No staff were on hand to help either. Despite not being part of the event, no effort was made to put us in a room away from the event - in fact we were directly above the event room.

Friends_and_family Family

8/10

Excellent

20 Apr 2024

Matthew

No complaints, friendly staff plenty of parking, we didn’t eat so can’t comment on the food. Lovely oldy worldly building which oozes character. Would definitely stay again.

Leisure Partner

8/10

Excellent

08 Apr 2024

Amanda

Good little hotel lovely breakfast pleasant staff would stay again

10/10

Exceptional

02 Apr 2024

Jennifer

Our room was spacious and well equipped. Generous servings at breakfast. Plenty of parking.

Leisure Partner

8/10

Excellent

09 Mar 2024

Mary

Shrubbery Hotel

Nice hotel, very clean and wonderful breakfast

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

22 Feb 2024

Sally

Lovely well looked after old building, the staff were excellent and made me feel very welcome

Leisure Self

8/10

Excellent

15 Feb 2024

Michael

Clean and welcoming

Just a one night stay to break up a long drive. Very friendly and welcoming staff. Clean and presentable. Didn’t eat there but very happy, no complaints.

Friends_and_family Family

6/10

Pleasant

11 Feb 2024

Kit

Booked one of the superior rooms for 2 nights, was quiet as requested, although the room doors are heavy and slam easily. Room was nice, a bit dated but in keeping with the rest of the hotel. Housekeeping had not put on the heating so the room was very cold on arrival and it took a couple of hours to warm up. No bathrobes as mentioned in the guest directory and the room information has not been changed since COVID. Duvet too small for the size bed. But staff were very friendly and the full breakfast was good, even if a bit pricey. A good 3* hotel, would stay there again.

Business_and_leisure

8/10

Excellent

16 Jan 2024

claudio

The Historical building and the excellent conditions makes it your experience different than the standard hotel environment.
The dinner is exceptional, highly recommended.

10/10

Exceptional

25 Dec 2023

Haider

Spacious room

Good car park. Excellent room, spacious and comfortable. Main heater in room didn’t seem to be working properly but an additional plug in heater was also available in the room. Tried to call reception a couple of times with no answer (Christmas Eve).

Business

10/10

Exceptional

26 Nov 2023

Karen

Enjoyed our stay, friendly staff nothing too much trouble. Lovely room with an excellent bathroom. Would stay again.

Leisure Friends

10/10

Exceptional

23 Nov 2023

Anthony

Excellent stay. Short notice booking for a family bereavement.

10/10

Exceptional

16 Nov 2023

Marc

Great service

Excellent service
Exceeded expectation at cost
Chris deserves a mention for excellent cust service

Business

6/10

Pleasant

21 Oct 2023

RICHARD

They is no lift for disabled people also they don't clean your room unless you ask the to
The staff where very helpful

Leisure Self

10/10

Exceptional

15 Oct 2023

Diane

Totally enjoyable the bed very comfortable

Friends_and_family Friends

8/10

Excellent

09 Oct 2023

Tracy

This is a lovely place to stay, perfectly positioned in Ilminster, with a few shops and nice local pubs.
The breakfast and our evening meal in the restaurant was excellent.
All the staff were exceptionally nice and friendly.
Saying that, it felt like the hotel would benefit from bit of an update and TLC. But we would definitely stay there again.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

16 Sep 2023

Sandra

Great holiday stay

Lovely place to stay, it was busy but felt friendly. Restaurant food was fabulous.

Friends_and_family Family

8/10

Excellent

15 Sep 2023

William

comfortable and relaxed overnight break, hotel a little dated in areas but acceptable due yo helpful and efficient staff members

Leisure Friends

10/10

Exceptional

29 Aug 2023

Stanley

We thoroughly enjoyed our stay at the Best Western,The Shrubbery Hotel. We mainly used the hotel as a base to sleep at as we spent the majority of our days on the Jurassic Coast. The room was clean, the beds were very comfortable and we couldn’t believe how quiet the local area/surroundings were. One night there was a wedding party going on downstairs we were not disturbed by this meaning that each night we had a great nights sleep. The staff were helpful and attentive whenever we needed our room cleaning and made it easy for us to stay an extra night due to enjoying our stay so much. Our only minor point to add, would be that the carpets in the rooms could do with being updated as they looked a little faded and tired but apart from that we thoroughly enjoyed our stay and would consider returning again.

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

27 Aug 2023

Carmello

Friendly & Helpful staff lovely old building with Marvelous views from the window would definitely stay here again

Leisure Self

6/10

Pleasant

26 Aug 2023

Verified traveler

Okay but somewhat Underwhelmed

I got a \"chalet\" style room in what felt liked a converted garage, I somewhat underwhelmed. The main house looked pleasant.
The room was okay albeit like stepping back into the 80's (it had seen better days).

Business

4/10

Poor

23 Aug 2023

Paul

Whilst the staff are great, the hotel is very tired, needs an up lift

Leisure Partner

6/10

Pleasant

22 Aug 2023

Verified traveler

check in time was given on booking as 2pm but when arrived no staff were around at desk so we had to go to the bar and ask even after ringing the bell, when someone finally came we were informed we could not check in until 2.30, However a member of staff did not come to the desk until 2.45 and many customers by then had gathered to check in and we had to then queue to check in and after a 5 hour journey this was not great. We then had to carry our bags up and down numerous flights of stairs.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

21 Aug 2023

Verified traveler

Shrubbery - Review Thumbs Up!

Really helpful staff - uncomplicated check-in and out. Huge room with all the amenities I could need.

Self

8/10

Excellent

17 Aug 2023

Verified traveler

Stunning food

Food was amazing, really tasty and hot. We had dinner there on 2 nights and plus 2 breakfasts and they were all above average. Rooms are tired but clean unless you stay in the bridal suite which is modern and large.

Friends_and_family Family

10/10

Exceptional

12 Aug 2023

Paul

Great location

Leisure Partner

8/10

Excellent

05 Aug 2023

Pamela

Beautiful building although not in the best condition. Lovely garden and nice atmosphere.

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

04 Aug 2023

David jack

Staff went above and beyond very polite and venue excellent

Business

10/10

Exceptional

25 Jul 2023

Jo

Great value for money and helpful staff

Overall value for money excellent. I also really appreciate the staff and helpful man on reception who found our lost property in the room, and offered to post it back to us. I really appreciated this extra service.

Friends_and_family Family

10/10

Exceptional

08 Jul 2023

Barry

Good rooms, great staff and an interesting building.

Leisure Friends

6/10

Pleasant

04 Jul 2023

Paul

The property felt empty with areas around reception dark. There needs to be a re-think about whether the old lounge near reception is an open communal area and therefore screened from the seminar room beyond - and lit. Front bedrooms can be noisy because of daytime traffic along the road into Ilminster itself. Staff are friendly and efficient but multi-task which can lead to delays in service. Nevertheless it is a convenient stopping point along the A303

Leisure Partner

8/10

Excellent

01 Jul 2023

Glynn

Nice spacious hotel. The room i stayed in was large , clean & comfortable with good facilities.
Polite & friendly staff.

Leisure Self

10/10

Exceptional

25 Jun 2023

Tony

Good and friendly staff

Leisure

8/10

Excellent

13 Jun 2023

Brian

Charming Hotel...but

Pleasant hotel, well situated within the Town. Hotel was clean and the staff were friendly and helpful. The only thing I would say is that the rooms aren't serviced after check-in, I assume this is a throwback to when COVID restrictions were eased and some hotels adopted this policy to protect staff and guests - most hotels have now gone back to daily servicing, going to reception to ask for more loo paper really isn't on now that the pandemic is over.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

08 Apr 2023

Caroline

Excellent

Excellent last minute very late check-in. Dog friendly, clean and lovely breakfast.

Friends_and_family Family

10/10

Exceptional

15 Mar 2023

Terry

Clean and friendly very good

Leisure Partner

8/10

Excellent

22 Nov 2022

Jackie

Good

Friends_and_family Family

8/10

Excellent

28 Oct 2022

Karen

Enjoyable break.

We enjoyed our 4 night stay. Good central location. We were impressed with the hotels business policy for zero waste,clean towels and room cleaning only on request, meals pre-ordered etc.
Breakfast delicious.
Staff very helpful

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

20 Oct 2022

Verified traveler

Excellent value. Good food and very comfortable.

Self

8/10

Excellent

16 Oct 2022

Lisa

We had a lovely room, beautiful hotel and fab breakfast. We just thought the rooms bathroom could of benefited from a facelift. We were in room 2 and couldn’t have a shower as half the water came out of the shower head and the other half out of the tap. Bath did run very quickly though.
Would definitely stay there again, we had a lovely time

Leisure Partner

4/10

Poor

29 Sep 2022

Stephen

Minimalistic service

The hotel is run on a shoestring. Reception staff double up as bar staff, the rooms are not serviced unless you ask for them to be, the buffet breakfast only consists of fruit juice, fresh fruit (only replenished if asked), cereals (needed to ask for) and hot drinks. Room 6 where we were did not have an electric razor point. At over £100 per night, not value for money. Cleanliness left something to be desired.

Partner

8/10

Excellent

27 Sep 2022

Christopher

Pleasant stay

Noisy evening bar but room clean and comfortable
Breakfast top class

Friends_and_family Friends

6/10

Pleasant

19 Sep 2022

Brian

Brian

Only stayed 1 night room only

Friends_and_family Family

4/10

Poor

15 Sep 2022

Nadya

Disappointed

We checked in with no problem, however, our room was precarious to get to - through a couple of meeting rooms and up some stairs. This wasn't the problem, however, as we later discovered the room may not have been cleaned or tended to for quite some time as there was a huge spider in the corner that had spun a large web that came from the corner all the way to the headboard (attached to the headboard and back). It would have taken quite some time to create such a web. We asked to be moved to another room, but there was nothing available. The front desk person was very nice and prompt to come with a vacuum cleaner to remove the huge spider and web around the headboard of the bed. Needless to say, I was uneasy about sleeping in the room - checked the bed and around for more spiders and webs. Not a comfortable night stay, sadly. Maybe the other rooms are better - tended to more often?

Partner

6/10

Pleasant

06 Sep 2022

Angela

Could be better

When we arrived we were told the restaurant was closed. Would have been nice to have been told this beforehand as we had to go back out to eat after a very long drive.
Beer in the bar was awful. Tasted really off and another guest also noticed this.
Hot water stopped after one shower although was sorted by a member of staff.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

02 Sep 2022

Susan

Lovely building. We had a garden room which was great, although curtains need rehanging properly and radiators repainting.
Evening dinner and breakfast very good. Lovely staff but breakfast waitress just needs a little guidance. Would definitely stay again.

Leisure Family

8/10

Excellent

21 Aug 2022

Mark

We had a comfortable stay, staff were excellent and helpful, the facilities are tired and need freshening.
The restaurant was acceptable but same menu both days.

8/10

Excellent

20 Aug 2022

Neil

Very comfortable. Staff were excellent. Breakfast was a little expensive but overall, a great stay.

Leisure Family

6/10

Pleasant

06 Aug 2022

Clare

I felt disappointed as soon as I arrived and was given our room. This hotel advertises as dog friendly however, the room we were given was in a separate part of the building. I have been to many dog friendly hotels and the rooms are always very clean and never smell of dog. Unfortunately, this was not the case in the room we were in. There was clear evidence - due to the smell and general condition of the room that dogs had been present and even though a £10 extra charge has been taken for the dog(s) stay the room had not been appropriately cleaned to ensure the smell was no longer present. There was also a safety worry in this room as the door lock was at the top of the door and when pushed the bottom of the door opened - this was concerning. The door also had been previously forced (there was clear evidence of this) - all of these left me with concerns.
However, the staff were friendly and my dog was welcomed into most areas of the hotel - they even offered the dog to be with us at breakfast in a certain area of the hotel - this was a lovely service especially if you has a dog that does not like being left. The breakfast was good quality but it was a shame we were required to order this the night before when you have no idea what you would fancy in the morning. This could be a lovely hotel a few tweaks and extra cleaning and security would be a definate benefit.

Leisure Pet

8/10

Excellent

26 Jul 2022

Martyn

As one would expect with Best Western branding, my room was nicely furnished and a good size. Though, the hotel externals and public areas were in much need of some TLC and renovation. Nonetheless, it is a good choice for people touring as the hotel has a large carpark and it is close to main roads such as A303 and M5. So, I would happily recommend the hotel for a one or two night stay when touring the West country.

Leisure Self

10/10

Exceptional

25 Jun 2022

Maxine

We used this hotel as a stop over on our way to cornwall. Everything about the hotel was spot on. Food, staff and also the added benefit that we could take our dog. Will definitely use this hotel again.

Leisure Pet

8/10

Excellent

16 Jun 2022

Noel

nice but a few niggles

Room was clean, spacious and decor was in good condition. The bathroom floor had a big stain on it several feet long which i later discovered was due to a shower leak which i reported to the front desk.
breakfast was £14-odd and imo that is waayyyyy too expensive and put me off. I don't like leaving to get food elsewhere but I draw the line at more than £10 for breakfast!
bed was comfortable and I slept solidly. opening windows over the road outside was a bit noisy so the room was warmer than i would like but it was manageable.

Business

8/10

Excellent

14 Jun 2022

Peter

Nice country hotel

Lovely, quiet, spacious room.

Arrived on a Sunday night and struggled to find somewhere to eat (ended up having to drive to a M&S at a petrol station).
The hotel had already said food would not be available but there was nothing open in Ilminster that appeared to be serving food

Business

10/10

Exceptional

13 Jun 2022

Verified traveler

Great location, clean and staff outstanding

Just off the A303, which was handy for us. Party event was on but in no way affected our enjoyment of the place. The staff were extremely pleasant and helpful - nothing too much trouble. The room was large, with a powerful shower, over the bath. It also had a lovely view. The beds and bedding top-class and the overall cleansiness of the whole place was excellence. Would have no hesitation in recommending or staying again.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

13 Jun 2022

Bridget

Lovely stay

Well all I can say that we had a lovely stay.
Stayed in. room 21 massive wet room, fantastic shower.
Fabulous comfy king size bed with quality pillows and bedding.
Lots of sockets and charging points for phones etc.
We opted for room only as £14.50 each for a pre ordered breakfast is a bit steep! Only other thing the TV remote would not work properly apart from that it was great.
Will definitely make a return visit in the autumn.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

02 Jun 2022

Ian

Good stay no problems I would use again

Leisure Family

8/10

Excellent

22 May 2022

David

Underrated Hotel

Great stay, great staff and the dinner was amazing. Beds were to hard but other then that very good

Partner

8/10

Excellent

17 Apr 2022

Doug

Second floor room. No lift. My fault I didn’t check beforehand. I would advise anyone with mobility issues to ensure ground floor accommodation. However hotel beautiful and room superb

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

10 Apr 2022

Graham

Would stay again, yes

Very good. Reception was clean and welcoming.
Concerned at first because there was a wedding reception in full swing, quite loud. From my room I could not hear a thing.
Room was the nicest and comfiest I've stayed in for a long time. Amazing large room, very beautiful, very comfy.
Only disappointment was that the shower didn't work properly.

Business

10/10

Exceptional

03 Apr 2022

Paul

Breakfast brilliant,staff very friendly

Leisure Partner

6/10

Pleasant

20 Mar 2022

Nigel

Needs improvement

Hotel is friendly, staff very helpful. But the rooms and communal areas are definitely in need of refurbishment. The room was a little shabby and the bathroom barely adequate. Good breakfast.

Friends_and_family Family

6/10

Pleasant

10 Mar 2022

Richard

Average hotel - needs more investment and improved

Not many staff - service was slow.
Good location - hotel needs more attention.

Business

10/10

Exceptional

12 Jan 2022

Verified traveler

Excelled hotel , clean good food and breakfast

Business Self

10/10

Exceptional

11 Oct 2021

Sylvia

Brilliant stay for humans and dogs

We had a fabulous staycation. There was nothing to complain about at all. Clean, comfortable, well situated for all our needs. Only two things to moan about no signage easily seen, and lol no fridge in the room. Ending on a high note Florence the dog loved your gardens.

Friends_and_family Friends

10/10

Exceptional

01 Oct 2021

Olivia

Spacious room , which was spotless . Staff are very friendly , helpful and polite . Always enjoy my stay at Best Western .

Leisure

8/10

Excellent

21 Sep 2021

Steve

A good sized room and en suite. Twin beds were very comfortable. But quite a lot of stairs and corridors. Also no on-site evening meals on a Sunday.