The Apple Rooms - Houghton Lodge

I’ve just spent 3 nights in Arthur Turner and can honestly say it was incredibly comfortable. The room has everything you need starting with a very good bed and high quality bedding. The bathroom is very spacious and sparkling clean. I loved it and had 3 smoked trout and scrambled egg breakfasts in the tea room which overlooks the beautiful walled gardens. I really recommend the whole experience.

The Apple Rooms provide a wonderful setting to explore the delights of Hampshire. Rooms are clean spacious and well decorated. Next to the beautiful river Test and in very close proximity to Stockbridge. Would highly recommend for a weekend away.

I went with my wife for a wander around the gardens and a bite to eat. The wander around the gardens was dismissed as grossly over priced. £11.00 for what amounts to a cottage garden and big lawns. Had this been a large gardens where we could have spent 2-3hours admiring the collections, I would have gladly paid that fee. Compare with Leckford Water gardens, £10.00 or Hillier gardens, £15.00, The Vyne, £15.00, Hinton Ampner £16.00. I could go on. Houghton simply does not compare and that should reflect at the price point. £5.00 would be more accurate. And at this price, they are more likely to get repeat customers. The bite to eat turned out to be literally that. One bite! £8.00 for a small plate with a piece of, what was billed as Quiche and watercress salad. The Quiche was a grainy palid, flavourless, lump of what can only be loosely described as egg flan, with a wafer thin limp crust, accompanied by a small hand fall of watercress. No attempt at presentation at all. One bite was all I was prepared to take. The staff was friendly and polite and said that a lot of the food for the menu is brought in, not made on site. Do the staff actually eat the food, so as to be able to say exactly what it tastes like and offer their opinions to management on the quality. If not they should. Once again Rip off Britain rears its head. Over priced, poor quality food, with a strong whiff of profiteering. Plus ça change!