Restaurant at Summer Lodge in West Dorset

We came for afternoon tea and are reviewing only this, not the hotel or rooms.We loved our afternoon tea. We had ordered vegan in advance and the chef did us proud. It was delicious and served by attentive, but not intrusive staff in the very pretty garden.Recommended.

My daughter treated me to afternoon tea. She emailed a week or so beforehand to state it was a special birthday and that we are both vegetarians. We were offered a hot drink each and chose coffee and the waiter asked if we would like water too. We, wrongly, assumed this would be a table jug of tap water. Our bill showed £6.50 for the bottle of water!! We chose one Jubilee and one savoury afternoon tea. We stated that we had requested vegetarian in an email. The waiter had to check if this was possible. It was! However the chicken was taken out of the wrap and all we had was a smear of something…no delicious filling in the wrap. The fish was substituted for a small triangle of goats cheese. There was ONE cucumber finger sandwich. One small savoury tart and a small lettuce leaf with some dill cream on it. The savoury tea had two spring rolls added on and some blue cheese. The plates looks embarrassingly sparse for £40 a head. The sweet selection was average and nothing very delicious for the price. Our bill came to £86.50 which in my humble opinion was a rip off. I’ve read other reviews that suggest a top up of food and tea was offered. We had no such offer. No mention of the birthday which is usual for special hotels when they are given the nod. It all adds to making a guest feel special, but this was not the case. When the bill came there was an added £15 for fizz!!! We did not have fizz! The waiter disappeared and came back with a revised bill.Overall we were both very disappointed and I felt sad for my daughter who had tried to organise a very special occasion for me and it was anything but special.

We didn't stay here but had afternoon tea. We had the Jubilee version.... very sweet, maybe too sweet. Never had an afternoon tea with only one finger sandwich before. Yes there were other savouries but not really enough.Was very disappointed to hear other people being asked if they wanted more savouries but we were not asked.

A beautifully run, very comfortable hotel that we have stayed at twice and have booked for a third time.

Had an afternoon tea here today. Amazing. Attentive service but never felt rushed. The mini Caesar Salad was devine. We finished all of it!

Gifted an afternoon tea, absolutely wonderful experience with the highest quality of service and food, just as expected, sat outside in glorious grounds and sunshine, would happily do this more regularly.

Absolutely beautiful grounds, wonderfully quaint rooms, but the best thing about this hotel is the staff. They were attentive without being overbearing, were always happy and smiling, and their synchronised table service added an extra level of sophistication to dinner. If you are looking for a hotel that treats you like royalty, I would recommend at a stay at Summer Lodge.

Outstanding food and food service. Beautiful fresh food, cooked to perfection, amazing fusion of flavours and served as art on a plate. Every mouthful was delicious and award worthy. Thoroughly recommend dining at this lovely hotel.Outstanding team of super friendly, professional people throughout the hotel. The best service.Our room was excellent in terms of comfort, attention to detail and cleanliness.Beautiful pool with a lovely relaxation area, loungers, complimentary infused water and fruit.Only negative would be the location of the treatment rooms, on a corridor next door to the changing room, it can be noisy and not suitable for a relaxing massage or facial treatment. Personally I felt the service at the spa did not match that of the service at the hotel, but good to have something to improve.100% recommend the hotel without any hesitation, so worth going for dinner, (breakfast was superb too) would love to return and overall such a treat. Thank you chefs, reception, waiting, house keeping, and gardeners too, what an excellent job you all do!

Lovely spa experience. Staff were all so friendly, helpful and nice. Bit concerned that the combination locker I used in the gents changing room was fully locked when I left but unlocked on my return. But all in all a wonderful and relaxing afternoon was had by us all. Thank you

Superb in every way. We were welcomed by the nicest, most attentive staff I’ve come across in hotels and we were looked after truly well throughout our stay. I was sorry to leave, it felt like leaving a family visit.The grounds are beautiful, everything within easy reach and the rooms had a touch of old-fashioned luxury, were well appointed and very clean. Our dogs were welcomed as guests in their own right which made all the difference to us as pet guardians.The only criticism would be the cost of accommodation and dinner which was a little on the pricey side but having said that, the meals were delicious creations to delight the palate and the Chef paid special attention to our tastes which made us feel important.If you want a modern hotel with clinical decor then this won’t be for you but, if you like a historical setting and cosy. luxurious break you will love Summer Lodge.All in all a stunning hotel with delightful food and staff, I can’t wait to return. Thank you all.