Fortescue Arms Reviews Summary

Staff and Service

Pros:

• "The staff are really helpful and 'go the extra mile' to please."
• "The wait staff were friendly enough."
• "The staff were polite and friendly. The premises were clean and covid safe."
• "Made very welcome by staff, food was delicious and the service was great."
• "The staff behind the bar were friendly and made us feel welcome."
• "The staff were warm, friendly and welcoming."
• "All the staff was so nice all smiling and they come over and talk to you."

Cons:

• "Awful service. Staff moaning very loudly about how busy it was when there were no more than 15 customers."
• "No one came over to ask if the food was OK."
• "Approached restaurant at 9.05am to be told breakfast closed, no apology just rude staff almost laughing as a family of 5 had missed breakfast."
• "All the staff we engaged with were miserable, seemed uninterested in our needs."
• "Service however was bad. We sat with empty glasses wanting to order drinks and puddings for 20 minutes without any service."
• "Once finally served he was very rude to most of the group."
• "The main staff are horrendously rude, the younger staff are over worked trying to make up for that."

Food Quality

Pros:

• "Food very tasty and filling."
• "The meal was fantastic, so much so that we went again on the Friday before we came home."
• "Evening meal delicious & breakfast was good."
• "Food was served promptly and was great."
• "Great choice of beer(Doombar and Atlantic to name some) and gin, food was excellent."
• "The food didn't look too great, but don't be put of by the looks. The meat was decent and the veg was quite tasty."
• "Food is excellent; great value for such generous portions, fresh and home made, fresh vegetables."

Cons:

• "The food itself was nice but on the cold side."
• "Rather expensive meal for the family too."
• "The meal itself was disappointing."
• "The food served was luke warm, dry, undercooked and overall, very poor."
• "The food was mediocre at best, Luke-warm potatoes & veg, undercooked carrots & poor choice of condiments."
• "Food not great I’m afraid. We both left half our plates as it was over cooked and burnt."
• "The chicken looked pale and was exceptionally dry!! The Ham looked was all dried up."

Accommodation

Pros:

• "Rooms were basic but clean and comfortable, breakfast included was lovely and fresh cooked to order."
• "Family room basic but a good size, clean, comfy beds & hot shower."
• "Our room was lovely and very clean."
• "Room was a good size and very clean with the beds and pillows comfortable."
• "Rooms upstairs were spacious clean well aired."
• "Affordable accommodation, budget but clean and comfortable room with clean en suite bathroom."
• "Room comfortable."

Cons:

• "The place was out-dated & tired looking inside, definitely in need of refurbishment, especially the carpets."
• "Rooms are a little dated, we had room 4 which is split into two rooms with 2 single beds and 2 sets of bunk beds so loads of space."
• "Comfy bed dodgy shower. Noisy room above bar noisy till 1am in the morning."
• "The major problem for us was the lack of a shower in the bathroom, with just a bath tub in place."
• "The rooms are very basic and tired-looking, breakfast was excellent and the hotel is reasonably priced."
• "Room and communal areas were very tired but seemed clean if extremely basic."
• "The walls were cracked and incorrectly filled, the ceiling had a large crack in, the TV remote in our room did not work etc."

Atmosphere and Decor

Pros:

• "From the outside it does look a little run down but you will be pleasantly surprised when you cross the threshold, lovely, clean and cosy feeling pub."
• "The outside of the building hides a beautifully maintained guest house and restaurant and bar area."
• "Nice local pub atmosphere and staff friendly."
• "The pub was clean tidy and welcoming."
• "Looked good from the outside."
• "Very dated décor but not scruffy and in a way kind of goes with the territory."
• "Friendly family based pub loads a space all round."

Cons:

• "Very dated and musty pub."
• "It looks a bit rough and old but do not let that put you off."
• "The place itself is really tired and just doesn’t feel clean."
• "Could use some investment in the presentation of the pub as it's quite dated."
• "The feel of the pub felt like that of a working men's club and was extremely dated with mismatched tables that needed revarnishing."
• "Stayed last night (14/07/23) and was a little surprised that the overall appearance of the Fortescue has dropped to a little tatty."
• "It's got so much potential but the old and battered unsafe wooden benches really let's it down."

Location and Accessibility

Pros:

• "The Fortescue Arms is approximately an 8 minute drive from Woolacombe bay, 15 minutes to Ilfracombe and not far from the town of Barnstable."
• "The pub is very dog friendly."
• "The location is just outside Woolacombe on the right hand side of the road (B3343) and is easily accessible from both directions."
• "Brilliant location for Woolacombe & has on site parking."
• "It's five minutes drive to the villages of Woolacombe or Mortehoe depending on whether you turn left or right at the carpark exit."
• "Ideal for accessing Woolacombe, 10 minute drive or a lovely 40min walk down to the town and seaside."
• "Decent location for an overnight stay at Woolacombe, just up the road from the famous beach."

Cons:

• "Me and my Family Came to The Fortescue Arms to have a meal, as we were staying at a local holiday park. This was one of our only local food options, as Woolacombe was a 30 minute walk on a dangerous road with no pathways."
• "Pub says dog friendly but only if you stay at the bar or car park next to the busy road with views of the ugly front of pub they are not allowed in the beer garden which does look nice but I will never know."
• "This hotel was out of town so if you're carrying everything it would add an extra few miles to your journey...we took transport up to the hotel....but this is Devon and the buses seem to have their own timetable!!"
• "The outside of the Fortescue Arms is a bit tired."
• "Carpets were worn, stained and threadbare in places, no air con so needed the window open and there can be a lot of traffic passing."
• "The website mentions soft play which was our sole reason for going... doesn't offer it."
• "The calvary server was very unkempt and it didn't look like he was in any condition to serve food in a restaurant!"