Royal and Fortescue Hotel

Unfortunately The Briefest Of Stays (This Time)

After a day returning from the Continent which involved a missed train, my Eurostar breaking down just outside Paris and then a fatality at a railway station just out of Paddington which caused total chaos for the First Great Western network I resigned to having to stop overnight in Barnstaple.

A quick look at www.booking.com brought up the Royal and Fortescue at a reasonable rate complete with breakfast, WiFi AND a smoking room! No brainer for me!

It had been a long day, involving quite a few beers, and when my final train arrived in Barnstaple just after 10 pm all I wanted to do was get to the hotel, get checked in, pop out for a nightcap and get back for an earlyish night and a decent night's sleep.

The hotel's central location, at the bottom end of the High Street, made it an ideal location for me - a short walk from the railway station and just round the corner from the bus station (from which I would continue my journey the following morning). Reception was friendly and welcoming and check-in (having made my reservation through booking.com) a mere formality - in fact I wasn't even asked to provide my plastic for pre-authorisation, I was just handed my key and given the general info regarding the hotel bar and breakfast times.

My room exceeded my expectations - immaculately clean, stylishly modern, furnished to suit both leisure and business travellers, the plumply duveted bed more than inviting and the discreet ashtray on the bedside shelf completed my satisfaction checklist - 10 out of 10 all round.

Having popped out for a swift pint (well two actually) I returned about 11.30, checked my emails (WiFi was spot on), had a final cigarette and cup of tea and no sooner had I gotten into bed it was morning. That's perhaps my only complaint - the bed was far too comfortable! Not only was it morning but it was about 20 minutes before my bus was due to leave.

A quick splash and downstairs to check out. Once again no problems - a swipe of the card and I exchanged my key for my copy of the bill.

Yep, unfortunately all a bit rushed but I was impressed with what I caught of the hotel and will definitely have to make a point of staying here again but with a bit more time to appreciate it.

• Opinion of Price: more expensive than average
• Related to: Trains, Beer Tasting, Luxury Travel

Royal and Fortescue Hotel Photo: Elegant Georgian Hotel Frontage

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