1838 Latimer Estate in Chiltern

We had dinner booked for Saturday evening. (18th) The restaurant did not enough staff to reflect the needs of the paying customers. Took far too long to take our drinks orders, too long to clear near by tables- left for over 30 minutes. Steak was very nice but not to order- cooked too much for a medium rare. Sticky toffee pudding arrived stone cold in the middle. This was sent back. Staff were very busy, running around. They were all pleasant and helpful- but run ragged. Not the vibe I would expect when we pay so much for the food. I wouldn’t recommend the restaurant for a dinner service. We paid £170 Breakfast in the morning was a pleasant experience. Lots of staff on hand and food was nice.

Incredible food in a beautiful setting! Went for Mothers Day and had a lovely afternoon - everyone was so impressed! 10/10!

Check in good, receptionist friendly. Booked Superior room with view. Room nice, but small. Bathroom tiny. Fan in bathroom incredibly noisy and very annoying. Had a bath by the light on the mirror for some peace, although the mirror light was only half working. Toilet roll cheap; thin and nasty. On the plus side. Plenty of hot water, shower also good. Complimentary toiletries very nice, fixed to the walls. Room freezing cold on arrival, however radiator warmed up very quickly once we turned it on. Sadly the bathroom only had heated towel rail so took ages to warm up. No instructions how to work it, so just kept pushing the boost button. No hairdryer in room, although available from reception apparently. Had a meal in the 1838 restaurant. Bit disappointing. Artisan breads were toasted, spoilt in my opinion. The local farm butter turned out to be Anchor sachets. Apparently they had run out of the posh stuff, but didn't tell us when we ordered, which I found annoying. Main courses; Pork Belly, very, very fatty. Husband left most of it. Haddock, slightly over cooked, swimming in cream sauce, which I found oily and tasteless. The 'bubble and squeak' with the fish was basically potato mash with course grain mustard in it. I left it. Not like the bubble and squeak I'm familiar with. Tried to eat the fish and leave the sauce, but impossible. Ordered a side of 'thick cut chips with sea salt'. No trace of the salt. Frozen chips, definitely not thick cut. All in all, did not enjoy the meal at all. Disappointing as we have stayed before and it was much better. We were asked if meal ok and I said, yes, it's just ok. No question followed as to why it wasn't great. Plus side; breakfast was really good. Plenty of the artisan bread we had paid £6 for the previous evening and had not been toasted! Really enjoyed breakfast. Then I needed help with a technical issue, so went to reception. The receptionist, who I think was called Jo, was incredibly helpful and friendly and basically needs praise for saving this hotel from a 2* review. The other plus side for this hotel is that it is about 30 minutes from Heathrow Airport, as we were flying out from there. The surrounding scenery is nice. The old part of the building is beautiful. Would we stay again? Yes, for the convenience, but please 1838, you need to up your game! It's the little things that need sorting. This place really could be great. Buy some decent toilet roll, put sauces in a jug, fix the things that don't work properly like our mirror light and fan, heat the room for guest arrival and put some information in the room about restaurant and breakfast opening hours. I had to use QR code and ask a chat bot. It's not rocket science.

We came here for Sunday lunch with 10 people. The two stars are for: the restaurant decor and the food flavour. The service was thoroughly disappointing, the staff were not attentive. We ordered beef, there was no offer of condiments. We got a cup of English breakfast tea and the waiters did not ask if we wanted milk or sugar. The wine was not poured for us. 2 drinks menus were given for 10 people. And only the Sunday lunch menu was laid down for us despite there being another menu to choose from (as another table had meals other than a roast dinner). There were only about 3 tables in the restaurant so this poor service is not justified. Our food was also cold! My pork belly was hot but potatoes, parsnips, carrots and veg were cold!! As a ‘gesture’ for the issues we had, they offered to deduct a pot a tea and x3 cauliflower cheeses and ‘our deposit’- which deducting our deposit from the bill is standard, it’s not a gesture. So in total we had about £15 off our bill?? It’s a shame because the place is stunning but the service was so poor and the food was let down by the heat of the food.

We ate at the restaurant whilst staying one night at the hotel to celebrate our 38th Wedding Anniversary. The food was excellent, but the service was slow. Also, when my wife asked for any type of non-alcoholic cocktail, we were told this was not possible, which was both disappointing and surprising for an establishment of this quality. However, at the end of the meal, when asked by the operations manager Seif to comment on the restaurant, I politely and gently shared my thoughts as above. Immediately, he apologised to my wife and arranged for a complementary virgin mohito to be made for her, which was beautifully made by Karina, who also produced a complimentary desert and a "hand-painted" chocolate sign wishing us a "Happy Anniversary". They also removed the cost of our desserts from the bill. Seif and Karina went beyond the call of duty to turn a slightly negative experience into a very positive one. Thank you.

We had dinner booked for both nights that we stayed at the hotel, we cannot fault the dinner service. A small menu choice, food cooked to order, nice choice of wine and attentive staff.

Food was ok but very limited, dishes plain, but extremely expensive for what was provided, it’s a conference facility not a luxury hotel!