Based on 63 opinions finded in 1 websites
Based on 63 opinions finded in 1 websites
Opinions
Last weekend my old school friends and I enjoyed a reunion at 281. The owners and staff were helpful, friendly and could not have done more to make our event a success. Some stayed overnight in the refurbished bedrooms and said they had comfortable, clean rooms and also enjoyed a good breakfast! I have booked another reunion of work ex-work friends for April next year and have no doubts that having this also at 281 will be as good! Thank you 281 😊
Karen B . 2024-10-20
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What a lovely welcome from this place as soon as we went in stayed for 2 nights me and the husband, the room was a double and it was lovely and clean plenty of space for us two. Towels and tea and coffee making all there. Breakfast was perfect full English or cereal toast etc available hot and cold drinks included in price and I think was well worth it. This hotel as fantastic staff very friendly and welcoming if I was in the area again I would definitely go back and would recommend.
Nikki H . 2024-08-26
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I do not reccomend this hotel to anyone. It does not meet the basic standard of hygiene and cleanliness. I called the hotel to complain. The gentleman who took my call wasnt helpful at all and his response was " what do you want me to do ". I have also sent an email of complaint and had no reponse. Please do not waste your money booking into this "establishment". You would be better booking yourself into a hostel, it would definetly be cleaner.
Arlene M . 2024-07-11
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Booked this hotel on a budget, But please let me tell you the restaurant is amazing! They really need to market the restaurant and hotel second! Because people need to visit the restaurant Locals get down there.
Louise M . 2024-03-16
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Stayed here overnight to visit relatives as previously heard good reports. I couldn’t have been more disappointed when I first walked through the front door and things didn’t improve. The whole hotel extremely dated. Old furniture, worn carpets shabby bathrooms peeling wallpaper dirty divans. The hotel is cheap for a reason although it cost more to book direct than it would have on booking.com Worst thing of all was the dirty hand towel in the bathroom. See pic Breakfast was edible but no frills which we didn’t expect but the orange juice was definitely not juice more like squash. Needless to say I won’t be booking again and wouldn’t recommend.
Suzy B . 2024-02-04
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Stayed here midweek. Great location, very handy for the commute to Nottingham. Extremely helpful staff.
Compass26642885708 . 2023-08-09
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Recommend 100%. Owner and staff went above and beyond, very friendly and incredibly helpful , plus hotel was clean, tidy, efficient and great breakfast.
OnAir776830 . 2023-07-09
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Initial booking on the website was easy and straight forward to manage. DISGUSTED with this Hotel. I have just called 5 minutes ago to inform them I will be checking in earlier than expected written on the initial booking. Buy I was greeted by “if you call then f**king talk, you are wasting your time, your taking the f**king piss now” and other vulgar language was used on a second phone call “F**CKING TALK THEN” I booked an overnight stay for me and my family after my wife had sadly died this morning at Kings Mill Hospital after a battle with lung cancer. THIS IS A DISGRACE. At this point I have tried to cancel my booking on the website and unable to!! WE WILL NOT BE STAYING IN THIS ESTABLISHMENT AFTER THE WOMAN SPOKE SO FREELY ON THE PHONE IN THIS WAY!!!! AVOID AT ALL COSTS IF THEY ALLOW STAFF TO SPEAK ON THE PHONE LIKE THIS IT IS NOT ACCEPTABLE!!!!
frankieg873 . 2023-02-20
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Duck spring rolls to start and fish & chips for main - thought I was playing it safe as I hadn't eaten here before. Food was "supermarket" food, whacked in the oven. Literally what I'd give my kids on a rushed weeknight. Disappointing. Covid not an excuse! Staff lovely and helpful, nice surroundings.
Wanderer825616 . 2020-10-09
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Stayed at 281 while visiting family and although the room we had was very clean it was outdated and tired looking .Old fashioned furniture and nothing matched at all .Towels in the bathroom were old and again did not match in colour and the toiletries were in bottles with no labels so unable to tell what was in them . The bed was very uncomfortable and both my husband and I suffered with bad backs in the morning . The taps on the bathroom sink were both labelled as hot .The cost of one night here was £90 and for that money I would expect a much better room . Breakfast was ok ,not brilliant but the staff member was very attentive and polite .Would not stay here again .
Carole P . 2019-09-29
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I’ve already reviewed 281 as this is a base for any visits to Mansfield (close friends nearby) and again they didn’t disappoint. Dinner in the bar on Friday night was delicious and the staff are all just lovely, nothing is any trouble. The full English is great, not too much and quality sausage and bacon. If you want a reasonably priced, no frills but comfortable place to stay in Mansfield you can’t go wrong here.
JuliaH961 . 2019-04-07
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I visit here for the quiz every month (which I highly recommend!) We ordered 2 meals and were given bar snack menu but other menu was available (we found out after). We were told vegie option was sold old so ordered a chip cob but they got it wrong so just swapped the other order for vegie cob without asking us. Veggelie burger wasn't brilliant and the menu only had 1 veggie option. Waitress apologised and said she just swapped the other meal. We ordered puddings which are better apart from the watery custard. Very disappointing as we love the quiz... We will be back for the quiz!
Jcw90 . 2019-02-14
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We visited 281 this afternoon and were VERY disappointed in the lack of quality and small amount of food served to us for the £28 charged. We were 25 minutes early and said we were in no hurry as we did not wish to put them out at all. The restaurant was absolutely empty and no other customers arrived during our time there. We were served quite soon with 2 very , VERY, small crustless fingers of plain white bread and 2 tiny rolls, containing ,tasteless wafer thin ham, a very unripe slice of tomato thereon, along with very dry grated cheese and a scrape of a chutney and finally a teaspoon of reasonable tasting egg mayonnaise. Next tier up of the cake stand contained a thimble size piece of a Victoria sponge cake, a tiny triangle of a brownie, the 2nd one was even smaller and finally 2 wet and ice cold squares of a sponge which was in our opinion, pretending to be a lemon drizzle. Our guess was it was a plain sponge tray bake with some lemon juice poured over to serve, as the cake showed recent piercings, certainly no usual frosty lemony glaze.Finally 2 very dry, barely iced small fingers of carrot cake, worst I’ve ever tasted. We have no doubts that none of the cakes were home made. Top tier contained 2 very warm, but oldish scones, again bought in, was our educated guess from the skin on top which we peeled off, classic of a supermarket packet scone. No apologies when we say 281 but that tea you served today was so very plain and very poor for such a high price too. Such a disappointing experience when you can easily see the efforts proper tea rooms go to, to delight their customers and urge them back. Many a photo on line will show how it’s done . Coupled with waiting for someone to return to the empty restaurant so that we could ask for milk for the tea , going cold on the table and then for a cup for the coffee, it was all in all a dismal experience
HLHLovetravelling . 2019-02-01
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Buono il rapporto prezzo qualità. molto caratteristico il locale e le camere comunque confortevoli, Molto gentili i gestori che ci hanno atteso fino a tardi a causa del ritardo del volo. Consigliatissimo.
atitto56 . 2019-01-16
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The food was good and well cooked and the staff were quick and efficient and the food was hot when arriving at table. There was a good choice on the menu with the hotel sourcing the food locally.
William H . 2018-12-02
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I had dinner here only 3 times. The rump steak, the ribs rack and the ribeye steak were good and the sides included are plentiful. Very nice and tasty onion rings.
Giallo41 . 2018-11-09
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281 Restaurant with Rooms is a very welcoming and intimate dining experience with regular live music (tasteful). The venue is immaculately clean and the food is lovely with a well stocked bar also.
davidholland4 . 2018-10-09
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It was just ok. Pleasant service but very slow. Not many in the restaurant so we were a little surprised at this. Put us on a table right next to kitchen door, which was not ideal as lots of activity in and out whilst you were eating. Think it needs a little TLC now to bring it back up to how we remembered from our last visit. Hope our next experience is better.
TB2267 . 2018-06-17
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I travelled from Dorset to attend a family funeral and as the reception afterwards was being held at 281 Restaurant I booked in for the night. I requested an early check in so I could change prior to the event and this was agreed to without hesitation. My room was clean and the bed was very comfy. I did not eat in the hotel restaurant but the afternoon tea served after the funeral was excellent as were the staff who looked after us. The bar also stocked a nice selection of wine. Breakfast the next morning was very good with a large choice of both hot and cold food. I have stayed elsewhere when I visit family in Mansfield, but on future visits I shall not hesitate to stay at 281. So from me, thank you for arranging for my room to be serviced quickly for an early check at 0930 am, and from my family, thank you for looking after us so well after the funeral.
fionanelly . 2018-04-25
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This is a pub with function rooms that would not interest the young or `loud` set. They seem to focus on the relatively quiet middle age market who are not too demanding but are looking to be treated well. The food was not great but it was priced well, the function rooms are more than adequate and the decor appropriate without going over the top. I liked but then I represent the target market---virtually an `old codger`
martin5520 . 2018-01-22
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This very nice reasonably priced small hotel is a great location to meet friends and enjoy good food. We chose the a la carte menu and had plenty of choice, good freshly prepared food and great value. Highly recommended. We will be back next year.
14MikeM . 2017-09-30
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281 is my first choice to meet clients. Its central to Mansfield, the staff are always very helpful, and there is plenty of parking. Great for breakfast meetings and quick business meetings over a good coffee.
ExChadman . 2017-05-24
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My wife and I visited between Christmas and New Year and it was very nice, the Staff Karen, Zoe and Phil the night porter were all very good our room had been recently renovated to a very high standard, the bar area was very well presented, breakfast was poached eggs as requested and again were perfectly presented along with a warm plate and great service.
Sarin22 . 2017-01-04
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Mi madre organizó un baby shower sorpresa para mí hoy aquí y fue genial! La habitación estaba muy bien establecido y el té de la tarde era preciosa - sándwiches, tortas y scones, y muchas de ellas. En verdad, sólo vimos una camarera y señorita de recepción pero ambas eran muy amables y serviciales. Gracias por hacer que hoy maravilloso para mí y mi familia!
Samantha K . 2016-12-03
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Personal amable y agradable bar y restaurante. Por desgracia, la comida tenía un "groupon" aunque no nos en una oferta. Anunciaron un paquete, pero sacó en la llegada con una extraña lógica. Las habitaciones un poco viejas y texturadas, pero siendo una reforma entiendo. Podría ser fantástico con un poco de trabajo. Sin embargo, tuvimos una noche maravillosa y el equipo eran preciosas.
Claire S . 2016-11-21
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Me he alojado aquí unas cuantas veces ya por motivos de negocios. El personal siempre es amable y las habitaciones siempre han estado bien. Hay un pequeño restaurante con un menú limitado, pero la calidad de la comida es muy buena, al igual que el servicio. Me pareció un hotel muy limpio y cómodo.
David O . 2016-08-23
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Nos alojamos por dos noches en el tour de petanca (sí, de verdad!) y llegamos a una excelente cena el sábado por la noche. La comida era absolutamente deliciosa y realmente quería poder comer más, simplemente porque era muy bueno. La carta de vinos no era lujoso, pero ofrecieron una selección perfectamente aceptable que complementaba la comida muy bien.
Melanie W . 2016-08-19
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Easy to get to and park at, nice restaurant never too busy and great food well prepared. We always eat here once a week with friends and it's superb.
Liveonelife . 2016-08-11
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Hemos estado en 281 y en su anterior encarnación como el Pine Lodge, un número de veces. Cada vez que hemos ido la comida y al frente de la casa se han quedado impresionados. La escena de la comida en Mansfield ha mejorado inmensurablemente en...
cliveanixon . 2016-07-16
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Śniadania są uatrakcyjnione, po za tzw. Szweckim stołem można samemu zamówić śniadanie które jest w karcie według własnych kulinarnych preferencji oczywiście z tego co jest w karcie.
Krzysiek-Bydgoszcz . 2016-07-14
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Yet another excellent meal at 281. This time a perfectly cooked medium rare steak for me, beautifully cooked chicken for the wife and a pair of perfect puddings. Good service, very busy, very satisfied...
pavjohn . 2016-07-07
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We meet up here before heading off to the next place, the service is good and food is above average, The place has a pleasant atmosphere and is not too big.
Colin C . 2016-05-18
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Breakfast very filling, full english, cereals, juices, toast etc on offer. Food very nice, coffee was a little cold but I am quite sure if I had mentioned this to staff then it would have been looked in to.
Monique S . 2016-04-07
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we use 281 on a weekly basis through our business. We have held a number of large private dining functions and smaller events at this venue. Each time we have been very impressed by both the service and food. The setting is very tasteful and stylish. A real gem in Mansfield.
ginnymb1973 . 2016-03-14
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It seems that the food here is better than the accommodation. The function we attended was buffet style food and seemed very good. Breakfast the following morning was good quality served very quickly and was piping hot. Nice touch is that the serving staff wear gloves. The young man serving in the bar is particularly worth mentioning, very efficient and very pleasant and polite. Not so impressed with the accommodation which was tired and dated and really in need of refreshing at least but preferably refurbishing to the standard and style of the public rooms.
Selebian2014 . 2016-02-29
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a group of nine attended booked on a Thursday. a few drinkers were at the bar.We were given the day's menu of straightforward items but the a la carte was not available for groups due to fresh on the day cooking.Warmed mackerel with salad for a starter and beautifully cooked slow roast blade of beef with well prepared vegetables made for a neatly presented meal with out fuss. We were the only people there to eat.This place used to be the Pine Lodge Hotel but it re branding and refurbishment hasn't inspired me on entry or on sitting down to eat.
edward c . 2016-02-19
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The restaurant does great food in a lovely restaurant. We go there a lot now.Nothing bad to say about the place.
Traveller3333333 . 2015-12-25
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I have dined at 281 with friends on a Saturday evening, with a 'voucher' and enjoyed the food and venue, certainly different to most places in Mansfield. I recently attended a friends birthday party and a Group Event there. Both were excellent. The tables are beautifully laid, the staff serve wearing gloves, the food is tasty, well cooked and presented. Drinks prices are not hiked so high they become rediculous.
arlene232014 . 2015-12-09
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Booked in for family birthday on Xmas Menu. Met by miserable woman on reception, then went downhill after that. Starter: game terrible, sorry game terrine - wife had salmon/prawn cocktail - bland. Main course: slow cooked beef = slow microwaved packet sliced beef, wife had turkey - dry, overcooked and bland. Desert: Eton mess - missing meringue and kirsch cherries, just a mush of squirty cream with a few rasberries and 1/4 strawberries. Very, very disappointing,but the company made up for it.
tlvegas . 2015-11-27
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Bought a voucher from Amazon and were amazed at the quality of the food. Partner goes past every day but had never noticed the restaurant before and had heard nothing about it however we decided to give it a try. The staff were friendly and polite, food was wonderful. We would certainly go back for another great quality meal as restaurants of this high standard are hard to find in the mansfield area.
SueUK21 . 2015-06-15
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We visited after purchasing an Amazon voucher. We had heard/read mixed reviews. However we were pleasantly surprised, staff very helpful and friendly,knowledgeable with reference to the dishes on offer.My scallops cooked to perfection! Starter of mushrooms tasted wonderful too. Restaurant nicely set out and presented.Water already in a jug on the table ,that doesn't happen often,we liked that. Though we had a two course meal on the voucher,we were having a great time , so had dessert, then sat back in the bar area for coffees and liquors, prices seemed very reasonable.We will be visiting again
JooWoo . 2015-06-13
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We used a voucher and used it for a meal for the husband's birthday. The food was lovely and the service was friendly.We had a lovely evening and the food was gorgeous.
Emma R . 2015-06-04
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Had dinner with friends, food was nothing special but the prices sure were. My partner had the risotto and said the £2.00 risotto and mushrooms from ASDA was better. I had Salmon that was over cooked and about 3 bites with 4 green beans on top sitting on 4-5 over roasted potatoes.
Lesley H . 2015-05-23
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Lovely venue, great food, friendly, helpful staff. What more could you want? Restaurant dinging or meals in the bar are available. Wine was sensibly priced and good quality. The dining room was spacious and comfortable.
Sheila R . 2015-05-01
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Driven past here a few times and wasn't sure about the quality of food at restaurants with rooms, but this did not disappoint. The welcome was fabulous and friendly, the bar area very inviting with free tasters of fresh cakes and nibbles. Very nice touch.Our order was taken in the bar where we had our pre dinner drinks and we were lead into the restaurant when our starters were ready, this was around 25 minutes later which shows that everything is freshly prepared.The sea-scallops were divine and my daughter had the mushroom special which she said was delicious.We both ordered fillet steak and I can say it was probably one of the best fillets I have ever eaten. It was butter soft and extremely tasty and cooked to perfection (medium rare)The house red by the glass was full bodied and it was a match made in heaven.My daughter had the sticky toffee pudding and she said it was incredible.Everything was perfect with the meal, service and staff.Will definitely be back. faultless
Zazacaspar . 2015-05-01
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Lovely restaurant with friendly staff and lovely food. Four of us had three courses and everything we ordered was cooked and presented beautifully. My ribeye was one of the best steaks I've had in years! We had an amazon voucher which made it very good value. Without a voucher it would be a bit expensive, best saved for a treat. Music turned up a notch would cover the silence and create a more relaxed atmosphere :)
Ellan88 . 2015-04-28
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Friendly staff. Nice atmosphere. Recommend fresh cooked tasty Something different on the menu. Well worth a visit. Amazon local deal - great. Glass prosecco too
Denisem186356 . 2015-04-07
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Six of us went here for a meal that we bought from Amazon local.. Having never dined here before we thought it would be a good way to try it.We were very impressed. The service was very good ,even though there were only two waiting on they coped very well with a full restaurant,and it was a Saturday night. The food was lovely and we all had empty plates. We thought the wine was a bit pricey but after tasting it we all agreed you get what you pay for.We have all said we will definitely return.
harleygirl247 . 2015-04-01
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Four of us had a beautiful meal at this restaurant. Could not fault the food, the service or any aspect of the visit. It was just lovely.
Patricia W . 2015-03-22
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Had a lovely meal to celebrate my Husbands Birthday. .Food was really good.Surroundings very nice and tables not to close together.Staff very friendly .My only criticism is they could have been a little more attentive.We had to ask for the wine menu and to order coffee.But that said I will certainly go again.
Pat B . 2015-02-22
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I stayed here for two nights as part of a wedding party. the hotel is situated on the outskirts of Mansfield - a short walk to a local shop and a few bars but a bit far to probably walk into the bustling central metropolis of Mansfield main town centre. I'm not overly familiar with Mansfield but from what I saw I would sum it up as "grey" and fairly non descript - with no main highlights or features.The hotel bar is very nice, well stocked with friendly and efficient staff. it has an outside area for summertime and ample parking for guests.The hotel is part of a restaurant and the food we ate was prepared by the hotel kitchen and was all delicious - the sausages for breakfast are a real highlight (some kind of local handmade affair - and better than your black tray high end supermarket sausages), and every egg I had was runny and perfect.The hotel rooms - some have been renovated and some are being done this year (I was advised by the in room hotel book guide thingy)... Our room was awaiting its refurb and this is probably a little overdue. Everything works but the decor is eighties in style which is kinda retro chic as the look has kinda become so dated now it is kinda cool - in a travel back in time and nostalgia kinda way... The shower works (and works well - above being merely functional and bordering on enjoyable) and the beds are comfortable. The tv has all the freeview channels and it was all clean and pleasant. The only negatives I can share are that in the morning for breakfast coffee was in short supply - which is sooo not great after a night on the razzle... The first breakfast the coffee pot was empty and took a while to refill - then when they have refilled its one of those percolating type ones that takes a further 10 minutes to produce your coffee... Oh and the toast in the first day was requested for a second time and so was not exactly forthcoming. However as these are the only faults I can find let's be fair here, overall this is a lovely place to stay with good facilities, nice staff and will probably suit your purposes just fine and feed and drink you well... Also the breakfast on the second day had no problems with toast and although the coffee (pots - plural now - were still empty) once prompted they refilled and even made and brought me an actual coffee in a mug from somewhere in the kitchen out back - without prompting - so they are problem solution kinda guys... So to sum up - I do recommend this establishment and would not hesitate to advise people to stay here.Andy
Chibbsy . 2015-02-15
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Absolutely fabulous. can not think of any negatives about this hotel and staff. A wonderful day and evening for the wedding of my sister and husband. clean, tidy hotel and rooms. staff kind, helpful and accommodating. a big thank you everyone.
Jan B . 2015-02-08
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Attended a private function here following a funeral. The buffet they provided was very good but I obviously comment on cost. Staff in the function room immaculately turned out and pleasant. Venue warm and comfortable. Only criticism was that at the bar there was only one person on to serve when there was a lot of people so the wait was considerable to be served on the bar side. They would have known how many attending because of Buffett numbers. The actual venue is very smart but parking a bit tight to manovere at the back. Would go on another occasion also.
Yvonne R . 2015-01-24
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13 of us had Christmas Dinner which was nice but not as good as we had had 2years ago , not a nice taste to the roast potatoes and a lack of veg (my wife and 2other friend,s did'nt get any sprouts) as it was Christmas Day and only really young people serving we did,nt like to say anything. A nice venue and we will probably go again
David H . 2015-01-16
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I took my Grandma to this restaurant as a late Christmas present. I had a voucher for a 2 course meal with prosecco. The service was fantastic, a gentleman I think his name was Michael waited on us and made us feel so looked after he is a credit to the place. We had a drink then when our starters were ready we were shown to our table. The food was delicious we has feta and olives to start and I had baked cod and my Grandma had lamb shank. The food was really cooked to perfection. I cannot fault any part of my visit. A truly excellent restaurant!
KellyH29 . 2015-01-04
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Having been recommended to this restaurant, my wife and I decided to try it out. Whilst the food was a little above average, the service was almost non-existent. Arriving at 6.30 to dine early and get away, we were served our starter at 7pm and main course at 7.45 ! For eating early and going out for the evening, this is clearly not the place to go.
colinallum . 2014-07-31
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My husband and I booked a night here. It was a beautiful room, wonderful meals and relaxing atmosphere. A close family friend treated us to a fantastic dinner here and we were so enchanted with them that we booked a night. I can't give them enough stars!
Mrs H . 2014-07-03
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i have been here on a couple of occasions now and each time its been a lovely meal and experience both with the meal itself and the staff the young girls who we came into contact with couldn't of been any more helpful last occasion we tried the steak and wasn't disappointed and this time was with a groupon offer and had the fish-pie which my partner thoroughly enjoyed as did i with my choice of salmon fillet the starters and dessert was all a nice accompaniment to the mains if you are thinking of trying this little gem you wont be disappointed I'm sure,It is nice food served by nice staff at a reasonable price you would pay for more down the road at il Rosso give this little gem the business it deserves
lenn760 . 2014-05-07
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Having never tried 281 before and a groupon offer available we decided to give it a try. First impressions the bar area is tastefully decorated and staff very pleasant and helpful. Once in the restaurant it is similar to a wedding breakfast style setting, white linen, chair covers and matching sashes, very nicely decorated but would probably be just as nice with wooden tables and chairs and a candle for a but of ambience. The groupon deal was 2 x 2 course meals for £20. If we had paid full price then we would have been disappointed, the food was beautifully presented but lacked any wow factor and flavour. For a restaurant that is off the beaten track the food needs to be something that people rave about and recommend to others sadly this is not the case. The food could be so much better and would then have returning customers. Sorry for a negative review but the 281 is lovely but not somewhere we shall be returning to.
julesedwards . 2014-04-12
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Together with friends , I used to eat at this restaurant once a month over many years. Pine Lodge as it was called, changed hands a couple of years ago. Sadly the quality of food and service deteriorated and after attending a couple of functions there I decided not to go back due to poor food quality and poor service.I heard from others that matters had improved, so decided to give 281, as it is now named, one more try. We were not disappointed. Clearly the new owners have made great efforts to get the place back on its feet. The bar was buzzing and busy, service in the bar was quick, efficient and polite. We orders our meals and were called to our table within a few minutes. The dining room was clean, bright and welcoming and the table was nicely prepared.Our meals came quite quickly, plates were warm. Food nicely presented and the waiting on staff polite and efficient. All four in my party enjoyed the meals and said they would be very happy to return in the future. The rib eye steak was to die for, cooked to perfection!Previous poor experiences were not repeated and we were all of the view that 281 could become one of our regular dining spots again!
Gwilym G . 2014-03-22
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Robert burns night, January 2014. Scottish themed night with haggis, whiskey, bagpipes, kilts and all things Scottish. Beautifully cooked food served efficiently by pleasant helpful staff. A true gem in Mansfield and reasonably priced too, £20.00 per person for a well cooked 3 course meal with a full evenings entertainment. Clean dining/function room and bar areas, tastefully decorated, comfortable and welcoming. Well worth a visit for a romantic night out or as a group for one of the theme nights.Did not stay overnight so can't comment on the hotel facilities.
Dave B . 2014-02-01
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We held our wedding reception here. The staff were incredibly helpful prior to the day, efficient, friendly and helpful when I changed the colour scheme of my wedding a few weeks before the big day. Upon arrival, despite being a little early, we were welcomed by smiling staff offering us congratulations. The restaurant looked lovely. Dinner was served at the appointed hour by friendly staff. The soup was lovely and hot. Plates cleared away with no fuss. Main was roast beef, potatoes and veg. Plenty for everyone. Hot. Tasty. Extra gravy brought out. Plates cleared. Again staff remained professional. If we wanted drinks, they were fetched. Nothing was too much bother. Pudding was delicious. The children wanted ice cream which was provided quickly and efficiently in spite of us not ordering any beforehand.Taxis were ordered for our party guests. We had a completely hassle free day. The meal went smoothly. The room was just the right size for our party. The room looked lovely. The staff were friendly and efficient. All in all, it was perfect. Thank you 281.
mrsmartinloves . 2013-06-25
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Booked in here for a father's day treat for my dad and husband but wish I hadn't.Upon arriving it took some time for us to be greeted for our reservation and we were given menu's but no indication of options for our young daughter. We had to ask what she could have which was smaller portions of the main menu, which is fair enough but it would have been nice to have been told this.Our orders were taken and then we had to wait 30 minutes in the bar before being taken through to the renovated restaurant. We were surprised at this long wait considering that there were only 5 other tables, two of which were at the end of their dessert course.At no point were we asked if we would like to see a wine menu and so we asked and ordered a bottle, but when it came it was just plonked on the table with 4 wet wine glasses and the bottle top wasn't even taken off.The starter menu descriptions were not exactly what we were give and perhaps further knowledge is needed as to meaning of words because a duck terrine is not a smooth pate.The worst course was the main, and even for that we had to wait a further 30 minutes. Again, this was surprising considering there were only 3 tables left in the restaurant. Thankfully we had a endless assortment of activities for our little girl but there was even no sense in bringing out hers before ours so that we could placate her. When hers did come, with ours, the plate was incredibly hot which is not appropriate for a 3 year old so we had to ask for it to be put on another, safer temperature plate. The vegetables were very over cooked, the yorkshire puddings were burnt, the roast potatoes were rather solid, the beef was very tough and the gravy was incredibly thick, and none of this is exaggeration. It was as if all of the food had been cooked some time before and left to stay warm, and over cook. The only saving grace was the really lovely surroundings.Dessert took a further 15 minutes for simple ice cream, cheese and biscuits and cake but these were probably the nicest of all the courses. We didn't bother staying for coffee thinking that would have been a further long wait.I have never had to write such a disappointing review but it was a very poor experience and wish I hadn't have bothered considering it was £20 per person fr the meal, plus drinks on top. The serving staff appeared to be young teenage girls who had not been given any decent training which is again a shame.I won't be returning although we had had very high hopes as it looks a lovely setting and in walking distance from us. I really hope 281 greatly improve as they have a potential gem at their finger tips and not much competition in Mansfield, but they have a long long way to go to become competition for some of the great restaurant in the locality.
ljb80 . 2013-06-17
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The reviews online lead me here as we were running an event down the road and wanted to be close to the venue.We arrived just after 9.00pm, however called ahead to see if they would still be serving food that late, only to be told that the restaurant was closed on Sundays. Hmm, a 'restaurant with rooms' and the restaurant was closed! Anyway it turns out no where local serves food after 9.00pm, so we ended up getting a few bits from Tescos.On arrival at 281, Phil the Night Porter was on reception, checked us in and could not have been nicer. He made us a pot of tea and some toast, we sat in the bar and chatted away with Phil who gave us the low down on the area.The rooms, were extremely comfortable, nicely appointed and decorated, with perfectly working FREE, WiFi.We had an early start. 5.45am and again Phil offered us cereals and a cup of tea if we wanted it.After initially thinking this could have been a dodgy decision to book here, I'm glad I did. I would book again. Phil the Night Porter is an asset to the property.
NormanFriendly . 2013-06-14
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Visited on a Friday night in March. The restaurant itself was not busy but there was a lively bithday party with live music in the Bar. The building has obviously been tastefully refurbished recently and everywhere is very bright and clean.We were late and hungry so were grateful to be shown straight to our table in the restaurant after being greeted by the friendly receptionist. However there was a slight problem as the waitress did not know what drinks were available or what the prices were and there was no drinks menu. She was kind enough to bring my husband bottles of the real ale they had for him to make a choice. My husband asked the waitress what was in the Game Pie but she didnt know and when she returned there wasn't any left anyway!We chose the halibut in a vermouth sauce which came promptly and was delicous and the veg were well cooked and plentiful. I had a dessert,apple crumble with custard which was OK, again a decent portion and we enjoyed a nice relaxed meal together.We shall cetainly be back as my husband is keen to try the Game pie (with both deer and venison in it apparently!) The only other comment to be made is that they appear to have a problem with their card machine where one of the numbers gets stuck in and we struggled to pay at first!
Fanfloui . 2013-03-19
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1756 Opinions
Hands down one of the best roast dinners I’ve ever had. Absolutely faultless from the quality of the food to the epic portions! I’m never disappointed and the staff are so efficient and friendly. It’s worth the drive to come here!
959 Opinions
Recently I’m new to the area and am trying out new pubs to go to with part of my rugby team. Came here for a couple drinks after one of my games and was pleasantly surprised. Service was great and quick from the 2 lovely bartenders and was relatively cheap. Would recommend to the rest of the team to come again.
3214 Opinions
On this visit we were served by “Jessie” , we were treated to the same great service on another busy Sunday. Fab Niamh was amazing as our server, she was fast polite and throughout the busy lunchtime service there wasn’t a moment that she stood still.