The Highfield House

We booked weeks in advance and paid a £10 deposit per person. We received a confirmatory email 48 hours before our booked date. We turned up after driving 30+ miles to be told that the restaurant was closed and the booking cancelled. No advance notice, no phone call or cancellation email. The only communication was an email 48 hours before our booking confirming the date and time (the staff claimed that we had been phoned four times but no message was left for us - nor did they use email except to confirm our booking)! The day after our abortive visit to the Highfield House, I received another email saying “Thank you for joining us, we hope that you really enjoyed your experience”. We complained and tried to reclaim our deposit. All we got was a rude response - and a phone voice message saying that the restaurant was closing down (before our booked date) - clearly a pre-recorded message. The Highfield had my email address but did not use it. Despite repeated phone calls to Highfield House - no deposit has been returned to us. If this represents Highfield House attitude to customers it is, perhaps, unsurprising that they seem to have operated the restaurant as a separate business which has closed down. According to an open letter on the Highfield Web Site the restaurant is reopening under a new name "The Mill and Vine" - same Head Chef, the letter does not say anything about the experience of customers in the last two months.

In December 2024 I booked a three night stay at the Highfield House for August 2025. The reviews were great, and I was looking forward to my stay. Unfortunately, at the end of May 2025 I was informed that due to a "reconstruction of opening hours" the hotel could no longer honour my full booking. I am attending an event on a specific date, so cannot move my booking. Since the event is now only two months away and it is in the summer holidays, many other local places are now fully booked. As a result, I have had to book a more expensive hotel in a much less convenient location. This is all extremely frustrating. Highfield House did not offer any compensation and while I did receive a full refund, since the hotel itself cancelled the booking, that is only what it is legally obligated to do! I appreciate that sometimes unavoidable problems arise, but given how early my booking was made, I would expect better service. I will not be booking again.

From the moment we arrived at Highfield House on May 30, we knew we were in for something special. Our stay in the Penthouse was nothing short of exceptional—spacious yet cosy, filled with character and warmth, creating the perfect retreat for a night of comfort and relaxation. The staff were incredibly attentive, ensuring every detail of our visit was seamless and enjoyable. Our dinner was a highlight in itself. showcasing not only culinary artistry but incredible flavor. Each bite was pure delight, making for an unforgettable meal that exceeded all expectations. Our time at Highfield House was simply wonderful, and we left feeling refreshed and truly taken care of. A perfect stay that we would highly recommend!