Bringing Dogs

We welcome a maximum of two dogs per room in five specified Best Garden rooms, provided they don’t run amok, bite or bark. We ask owners to make sure the hose and doggie towels are used where needed, as well as the poop bags and bin and the blanket that protects the bed linen. We also provide a welcoming bag of hand-baked organic biscuits. Dogs are charged at £6 per night, per dog.

There are numerous joyful walks to be had in the locality, and the castle grounds are close enough for a late night ‘comfort break’.

We also have a special doggie table (30) where owners can bring their dog while they eat. It is sited between the bar and the main restaurant and is very popular, so reserving this table when booking a room is recommended. (NB not available during two weeks of Christmas when the reindeer are in situ.)

Cancellation Policy

We require a valid credit card to secure bookings and reserve the right to charge the card for cancellations falling outside the permitted time scales, as detailed below. By giving us your credit card details to secure your booking you are agreeing to our terms and conditions and cancellation policy and authorising us to make the relevant charges to the credit card without any additional consent being required.

1 Your reservation is made with David & Ruth Watson trading as the The Crown and Castle and represents a legally binding contract between you and the hotel.

2 We always endeavour to re-sell cancelled rooms and, if successful, will reimburse you pro rata (with exceptions as described below).
Testimonial: “thank you for letting us know that you have been able to re-let the room we had hoped to occupy tonight. Happy to report [our old dog] is getting stronger every day.” E Gordon

3 We strongly advise that holiday insurance is taken out for festive packages or bookings of two rooms or more and/or stays of three nights or longer.

Bookings made within 7 days of arrival

Full payment is charged to the credit card given at the time of booking. Any amendment to the booking will be treated as a cancellation and no refund will be given.

Weekend bookings (i.e. Friday and Saturday nights)

Bookings of 1 room for a Friday and Saturday night stay
If 7 days’ notice of cancellation or part-cancellation or any change to the date(s) of the original booking is not received before the confirmed arrival date, the cost of 2 nights will be charged at the standard bed and breakfast rate as shown on our published tariff. In the case of a single Friday or a single Saturday night, the cost of 1 night will be charged at the standard bed and breakfast rate as shown on our published tariff.

Bookings of 2 or more rooms for a weekend (i.e. Friday and Saturday night stay)
If 21 days’ notice of cancellation or part-cancellation or any changes to the date(s) of the original booking is not received before the confirmed arrival date, the cost of 2 nights for each room affected will be charged at the standard bed and breakfast rate as shown on our published tariff.

Midweek bookings (i.e. Sunday – Thursday nights)

Bookings of 1 room for a 1 or 2 night stay
If 7 days’ notice of cancellation or part-cancellation or any changes to the date(s) of the original booking is not received before the confirmed arrival date, the cost of 1 or 2 nights will be charged at the standard bed and breakfast rate as shown on our published tariff.

Bookings of 1 room for a 3-night or longer stay
If 7 days’ notice of cancellation or part-cancellation or any changes to the date(s) of the original booking is not received before the confirmed arrival date, the cost of the first 3 nights will be charged at the standard bed and breakfast rate as shown on our published tariff.

Bookings of 2 or more rooms for a 1 or 2 night stay
If 21 days’ notice of cancellation or part-cancellation or any changes to the date(s) is not received before the confirmed arrival date, the cost of 1 or 2 nights for each room affected will be charged at the standard bed and breakfast rate as shown on our published tariff.

Bookings of 2 or more rooms for a stay of 3 nights or longer
If 21 days’ notice of cancellation or part-cancellation or any change to the date(s) of the original booking is not received before the confirmed arrival date, the cost of the first 3 nights’ stay for each room affected will be charged at the standard bed and breakfast rate as shown on our published tariff.

Festive Bookings & Packages (e.g. Christmas, Easter, New Year, etc.)

Deposits given at the time of booking are non-refundable. At the point where full payment has been taken, the entire cost of the package is non-refundable unless the package can be re-sold in full, in which case we will reimburse less the non-refundable deposit.

Extra Booking Details

Service charge:  all food and beverage items, except for breakfast, are subject to a 10% discretionary service charge (which means you are free to opt out). We have done this in order to comply better with HMRC guidelines.

Local wedding parties: we regret that we cannot accommodate guests attending local weddings, who merely want a place to stay. Experience has shown that wedding guests’ needs are not compatible with our regular guests who value the hotel for its good food and peaceful ambience. We know this decision does not go down well but are prepared to take the flak in order to protect those who support us year in, year out.

Special offers: all “late” bookings (i.e. those made within 7 days of arrival) are subject to pre-payment, with no refund available for cancellation.

Festive packages: St. Valentine’s, Easter, summer Bank Holiday, Christmas and New Year are all subject to special booking and cancellation terms. These will be notified at the time of booking and can also be obtained in writing on request.

Group bookings: the maximum number of rooms that can be booked for any one night by a party of guests is five . We require 21 days’ notice of cancellation or part-cancellation or any change to the date(s) of the original booking or appropriate penalty charges will be applied, i.e. 1 night’s standard bed & breakfast rate per room affected, per night affected.). The booking must either be guaranteed with credit card details supplied by each room’s occupant(s) or the organiser will be required to guarantee all the rooms on his/her credit card. For lunch or dinner reservations,our private dining room, the Parlour, will be used.

Smoking: the entire hotel site, apart from the main public terrace, is non-smoking. If a bedroom has to be taken off to allow for deep-cleaning and airing before another guest can occupy it, we will charge an extra night’s stay – at the prevailing B&B rate – to the credit card given to secure the booking.

No single Friday or Saturday nights: we normally require a minimum 2-night stay at the weekend. However, if a midweek stay has extended into the Friday, we will always sell the Saturday night on its own so it’s worth an ask. If we happen to have rooms unsold for a weekend just approaching it is also worth an ask for either a single Friday or Saturday night. In both cases, the room will always be sold on a dinner, bed and breakfast basis. If you are worried about arriving in time for Friday dinner it can be changed to a 3-course Sunday lunch.

Single occupancy: Our Good House and Best Garden rooms are available for single occupancy. Please speak to reservations for availability and precise terms.

Bringing own wine: should guests wish to bring their own wine to consume in the restaurant, it may only be by prior consultation with Tim Sunderland – a corkage charge will be made. Guests are welcome to bring their own wine or champagne to consume in their rooms but if ice buckets, glasses, etc., are requested then a service charge of £10 will be added to the final account.

Parking: we have enough parking on site for nearly every room but, when we are full, guests may occasionally have to use the (free) parking in the village square. Please always come to reception first anyway so we can help with bags.