The Riverside

The location of this hotel was excellent for us. It was just a 10 min walk to the cathedral and about 15 mins into the centre. The hotel sits in its own grounds and is very peaceful. It has a large private carpark which was a real plus as no problems at all with parking. The hotel has very good sound proofing. Although there was an event happening during our stay , once in the room you couldn't hear a thing. Despite some hot weather the room could be kept cool with a fan and all the windows open. The room was comfortable although we found the twin beds way too soft but then that's a personal choice . The staff were generally very pleasant , helpful and welcoming.

When you first enter the hotel the location of reception is not immediately obvious. On arrival with suitcases we waited in the lobby area assuming someone would come to us. Two staff were chatting by a doorway in the lobby and completely ignored us. We set off with suitcases looking for reception and having found it down the hallway the receptionist there was very welcoming and helpful. During our stay we put all our wet dirty towels in a heap on the bathroom floor indicating we wanted them changed . Or so we thought. We returned to find the dirty towels had been picked up off the floor and hung up for us to re-use. We did get replacements having asked for them later. Despite these two issues we would definitely stay here again.

The contemporary manor house and grounds were well-presented and in an idyllic location. The building interior and room were also well presented, clean, and fresh, and offered lovely views of the River Avon and beyond to the Salisbury Cathedral tower and spire in the background. Mark's Bar was open at convenient times to be able to enjoy an afternoon/evening drink in front of one of the most tranquil views Salisbury City has to offer. The staff were friendly and helpful and our stay involved no complications. The manor house has been converted into a hotel without feeling like a commercial destination and really offers a tranquil place to stay, with ample parking place whether you are visiting for a week or a weekend.

Any criticism may suggest the sound insulation between rooms could improve - I was able to hear the person snoring in the room next door, although they must have also been a champion snorer for me to hear it that well! Without critiquing the old character of the building, the floorboards and joists beneath the carpeted floor were quite creaky, so you could hear movement on the floor above and it was difficult to restrict noise from your own walking around in the room, though I suppose this is difficult to avoid with an old building and really a first world problem. Additionally, it would be helpful to install some shelving in the bath/shower to hold accessories as we sort of just had to make do with placing things on the edge of the bath. We were in room 27, for reference.

We had the last Classic Double (No 1, Riverside) available and expected a much smaller, more basic room and were very pleasantly surprised (we've stayed in smaller less comfortable suites at other hotels). If this is The Riverside's "standard" room then their superior rooms must be amazing. Everything appeared new, fresh and spotlessly clean. Bathroom especially. Breakfast buffet was very good, plentiful and very rarely any gaps in what was on offer, with very friendly, helpful staff. Public rooms all very tastefully decorated, especially bar/lounge over a large terrace, with fabulous garden, river and cathedral views. Stunning. Lack of restaurant was no problem, as free shuttle into city centre was excellent with lovely, friendly lady driver. Excellent, one of the best hotels we've stayed at - we will return!

Frankly, nothing. The only nit-picking comment would be that breakfast coffee refills were sometimes a bit slow, but this was down to how busy they were, rather than lack of interest.

I’m going to start with something I don’t normally do until the middle or end which is to mention the staff. There are a dozen good hotels in Salisbury I’m sure but the staff here were better than any other hotels I’ve stayed at in the UK by a country mile. It almost seems they were trained to do their job…imagine that so thank you Team you were amazing. Room was clean and clinical. Loved the night light on the mirror which is a nice touch. Bath too narrow i thought (for me anyway) which made the shower experience more of a challenge but it was ok..guys my one recommendation would be hand rail as i struggled to get out. My mobility despite current back problem is ok but i still worry about slipping. Outside of the house was attractive and the garden view was really quite lovely. If the weather wasn’t so rubbish we would have spent the evenings in the garden area. The breakfast was terrific and exactly what was needed so despite being able to get cheaper breakfast in town frankly by the time you add tips and unlimited re-fills etc frankly why bother. The bar was very good (better than i thought) and sold nice pale ale for a change as well as a good pilsner and well stocked bar. The walk into Salisbury was about 15 minutes slow walk and no steep hills (mainly flat) and very pleasant. I liked the fact the hotel provided a shuttle to the town and back but we just walked other than one way on one of the days…the driver was delightful adding to the above comment that the staff for me made the stay.

Bath too narrow for me and needs handrail or support. Checking in was a little tedious and needs to be a little quicker. Watching someone sit down checking in makes me feel we’d be there a long time if there was a queue..

Reception in the hands of Nora was excellent. The room was good and the bed reasonably comfortable. The view was a little disappointing because of the outlook onto a flat roof with skylights. Otherwise the river and Cathedral were visible. Breakfast, under the guidance of Mandy, was good and service very good. The lack of restaurant for an evening meal was a surprise. However, the light complimentary passenger van service to Salisbury Market Square was useful. In particular Kevin was a pleasure to meet. Smartly presented, polite and friendly and most helpful. He provided an excellent service both to and from the hotel. The concept and quality of this facility will draw us back to The Riverside again. Thank you for a good stay. Roy Harper

Shower taps were tricky to adjust to get the right temperature of water. Tiny movements of the taps had the effect of making the water much too hot or too cold very quickly. I am tall (6ft 3") and found the shower space under the beams to be slightly limiting.

Nice well appointed room, with great view, at a hotel in a beautiful locale. Very friendly staff. Liked the shuttle that took us town and brought us home. Also parking is very convenient and terrace is lovely.

Breakfast lets down the Riverside. It is feels like an industrial breakfast, the quality does not seem great. Getting coffee is a real pain. On two stays now I have had to wait a long time to get a cup of filter coffee. There is no espresso. Also, everything is cashless so we could not get change to tip staff. They should keep a small amount of cash handy.

We were surprised how small our room was as when we have stayed here before it was refurbished the rooms were a good size, especially as I had booked the more expensive room. The bed itself was very comfortable. However, the hotel wasn't very busy but we were put in an attic room on the top floor. With the weather being as it was in June the room was very, very hot. There was a fan in the room but it didn't really help. Breakfast choice was good.

Being put on the top floor when we had paid for a more expensive room and the hotel wasn't very busy was a bit of a let down. The room was a lot smaller than ones we've stayed in before. We've always stayed on the first floor and the rooms were lovely.

Location on the river was lovely and we enjoyed a really nice walk into the city past the cathedral. The free shuttle is a great addition for those who don’t want to walk, though we didn’t use this. The staff were very friendly and we were given a free welcome drinks. The room was clean and comfortable and breakfast was great. I also like the fact that the hotel encourages guests to tell them what they could do better. Not enough places welcome feedback in order to improve.

There wasn’t much to criticise. Maybe just soundproofing between rooms. I could hear next door’s tv fairly loudly when ours was off but it didn’t bother us at unreasonable times.

It’s a lovely hotel with great views of the cathedral/river. All the staff were wonderful and nothing was too much trouble for them. The breakfast was probably one of the best we’ve had in a long time with a great choice. A complimentary drink token was given on arrival.

We picked one of the coldest weeks to visit and was very disappointed to find that there was no heating working. We were provided with a heated but that’s not the same. We’d been out all day in the cold and snow and had to come back to a cold room, although we were informed on departure that we should have left the heater switched on whilst we were out, not a great idea really. If we’d known beforehand that the boiler had broke then we wouldn’t have booked. The bathroom was too small and there was nowhere to put any of your toiletries.

Lovely lady met us at reception and was friendly and helpful. We were asked about a place to eat that evening and offered recommendations. The room was immaculate and we slept brilliantly. Amazing shower and the complimentary drink was a nice touch; we had our Prosecco out on the terrace at the back which has a lovely view of the river and the spire of Salisbury Cathedral in the distance. Although we didn’t use the shuttle service into the city, we thought it was another nice touch. If we’d have had a bit more stamina we might have stayed out and got the shuttle bus back to the hotel!