We used to live in a nearby village and return every year to catch up with old friends and former neighbours. We almost always stay at the Kings Arms, The location is great in the heart of picturesque Montacute and it is a fine old building which must pose endless challenges but generally it is well maintained and a pleasure to enjoy its comfortable bar and lounge area. Breakfast always has plenty of choice and is served fast and efficiently by friendly staff. The rooms are comfortable with some occasional wear and tear (bedside lampshade in Room 3 for example). Dinner menu and food and service was excellent. Any minor irritations are insignificant if you just enjoy the lovely garden, the location in Montacute and the surrounding village and countryside. My favourite annual routine is to rise bright and early, walk the path immediately to the right of the hotel entrance with the church on your left, past the magnificent castle-like house and grounds, the pond and fields to left and right, turn left when you reach the road (Townsend), walk to the main road and garage for morning paper and return via the Borough. Magical in fine summer weather.

Minor irritations : toilet roll holder missing, BBC One TV reception not working, which we didn't report but should have. The hotel's database system must not be very sophisticated as it never seems to recognise us as previous guests.

Initially we booked a standard double room which we upgraded after 1 night's stay to a larger room and bigger bed. We personally found the double bed was too small in our first choice of bedroom. I'm nearly 6 ft and my husband's over 6 ft. Breakfast was amazing and the lady, sorry, I can't remember her name was so nice and bubbly she started the day off for us. The restsurant is amazing too. We ate there 2 nights and we would've eaten there a 3rd night if we hadn't had to go home a day early. The young man, again I can't remember his name who worked in the bar, restaurant and seemed to be there most of the time is such a credit to the Kings Arms.

There's not anything we disliked. We booked the wrong bedroom which was our mistake.

The location of the Kings Arms was perfect for visiting Montacute House. The breakfast was wonderful. Great ingredients and lovely presentation. It was easy to modify the options on the breakfast menu. Service from the staff was excellent, very friendly and efficient. Dinner at the hotel is outstanding! Don’t miss out on that.

The accommodation was a bit tired and in need of maintenance. The heated towel rail didn’t work, the light above the mirror didn’t work either. Our room only had one bath towel for 2 of us, but as soon as we asked another one was provided.

The staff were very friendly and helpful. The bed was comfortable and the hot water plentiful. The food was generally good.

The room was a bit on the small side and a wardrobe would have been helpful. Granted there were some hooks for hanging coats, but given the heavy rain,we needed to hang up wet coats which you don't want near clean/dry shirts and dresses. The hollandaise sauce liberally poured over the Eggs Benedict at breakfast was clearly out of a jar (and not the best). Breakfast was good, in a basic sort of way, but could be improved relatively easily. It certainly wasn't bad, but with a little bit more attention to detail, could be lifted to another level. The breakfast serving staff were very good and made our dog very welcome.

Easy check in, got into our room and went straight to dinner. Had a lovely meal (multiple vegetarian options) and some very nice local beers. We had been warned during booking there would be a part on in the evening, but we still had room to sit and enjoy the night and there were enough staff on for the busy bar. We also did not hear the pub or party happening from our room at all. Great breakfast with hot food, cereals and toast. We also paid a small amount for late check out which was great.

I chose The Kings Arms as it was the perfect place to stop on our journey from London to Cornwall, the fact that it looked so lovely was an added bonus. We stayed in an executive suite which was spacious and comfortable. The food at The Kings Arms is amazing, both the dinner and breakfast were superb, the chef also shared his recipe for the sesame tuilles served with the homemade ice creams and sorbets. Every member of staff that we met went the extra mile and were friendly and helpful.

Staff were absolutely lovely and the food was excellent and very good value. We had everything we needed for a comfortable stay. There was clearly a serious medical event affecting another resident whilst we were there and I have to say that the staff dealt with this really well... they were calm and remained really professional in a difficult situation.

Bedroom and bathroom were a little tired, locks were broken, toilet roll holder broken etc, not a big issue just needs some tlc.

The location, Montecute, is a quiet little village slightly off the main roads which is what we wanted.No traffic zooming by. Saturday night was very busy, a lovely cosy pub atmosphere, which says a lot. The food both the evening meal and breakfast were excellent. Our room was very clean and everything we needed was provided. The staff were very friendly, welcoming and attentive. The bed was very comfortable and we slept well, refreshed for our onward journey. Parking was not a problem. The view from our room was beautiful.

The room was a bit on the smaller side, no wardrobe, but fine for us as we were only there one night.

Due to unforeseen circumstances, very late in the day, the property was unable to provide the booked room, no alternative was available as they were fully booked, they immediately offered a full refund and moreover, very kindly helped me find alternative accommodation in the area just a few miles away; throughout, they were pleasant and very helpful. Even with initial disappointment, the staff at the King Arms recovered the situation, thank you.

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Multiple breakfast options including various cereals, toast and cooked items. All items were cooked to order and thoroughly recommended. Whilst the dinner menu was limited (compared to a pub chain) it was again all cooked to order. The fish and chips were excellent and served with various sauces. All the staff were helpful and appeared happy in their work which reflected in the pubs ambience. Plenty of tea and coffee in the room.

The room we were in was on the small side with limited storage space and the double glazed windows were coming to the end of their life creating a coldish room. But the radiator in the room was thermostatically controlled and could be turned on if required. Shower water wasn't overly hot but still acceptable. Great to see a working towel rail which added to the early morning comfort. Be aware the pub is next door to the church and as a result you will hear the clock bells (which strangely chime at 15 minutes past the hour only) but this has to be taken as part of the charm of the village and pubs location.