Dovecliff Hall Terrace in East Staffordshire

A Birthday Sunday lunch, many years since we visited The Dovecliffe, we weren’t disappointed, the staff were very polite and attentive without being overbearing, the food was delicious and couldn’t fault any of it, and we wil definitely be going back .

Having visited the restaurant on multiple occasions over the last year and a half and experienced nothing but superb quality restaurant dishes (for which I have given 5 stars)our last visit in early March was a big disappointment. Having arrived at around 8pm we were some of the last diners to arrive. There was only 1 steak left, which I ordered. My wife ordered something, I'm afraid I've forgotten what it was bit it was unmemorable at best. Perhaps we should have mentioned something at the time but it seemed that the usual chef was not present and our side vegetables seemed to have been microwaved. Just chatting to a neighbour of ours who had been to afternoon tea, she said no actual cakes seemed to have been offered and it appeared that what was on offer was restaurant dessert leftovers. Also, there was no Darjeeling tea available. Compared to what we have experienced in the past, what seems to be on offer at Dovecliffat the moment is rather under par, for what are quite expensive prices. There also seems to be a problem with waiting staff who are always very young and inexperienced (although always pleasant and polite). Really needs to do better when a good meal for 2 with a bottle of wine and drinks costs us at least £130 on a special occasion. Unfortunately, we don't have a good memory of our last celebratory meal there. The experience only merits two stars but having previously given 5, I have given 3. Won't be returning until I hear better feedback by word of mouth.

Beautiful place we have visited 2x now. Afternoon tea was lush and a 3 course meal with a live tribute band. We all had a wonderful evening. Staff couldn't do enough to help you. Only downside was the portion sizes we could have eaten slightly more, husband was still hungry after his meal. But we would definitely go again 😍

Superb location. The staff are so helpful, delicious food, what more can you ask for.

Beautiful hotel .set in the countryside but within commuting distance to local town , ten minutes to Burton-upon-Trent Town centre. Twenty minutes to derby give or take . Perfect, very comfortable clean rooms Very friendly, polite staff , the food was excellent, very fresh and perfectly cooked We love this Hotel and the ambience so much we have booked for Christmas 2024 😁.

I've just had my 60th birthday here last night, it was fabulous and although I didn't arrange it my family said how amazingly helpful the staff were....the food was amazing and everyone had a great time. Thank you Dovecliff Hall. Xxx

Fabulous Sunday lunch!!! With a great bottle of Merlot.

We had our wedding at dovecliff on 26th January and could not recommend the venue enough! The stunning landscape and decor just made it the perfect fit for us and everything we wanted from a venue. The day went so smoothly, without any hiccups and this was due to the amazing staff at dovecliff hall. As a bride and groom it can be a very nerve wracking day but the staff made us so relaxed and really made it the best day of our lives. All of our guests have commented on what a beautiful venue, beautiful food and amazing staff dovecliff has to offer. We cannot thank Bianca and the whole team enough and we cannot wait to come back and relive those amazing memories for many years to come.

Had Sunday lunch at the dovecliff yesterday and as usual the food and service were absolutely spot on.Ethan and the team are always cheerful ,nothing is too much trouble no matter how busy the restaurant gets. Compliments to the chef for constantly providing excellent food. We were seated in the beautiful conservatory which overlooks the lovely landscaped gardens and could hear the pianist playing at the grand piano in the lounge bar adjacent to the restaurant. We finished the afternoon sitting on the terrace in the sun, enjoying the view and a glass of wine. Thank you to the manager and all the staff for a very pleasant afternoon.🥂🍾❤️

An evening meal taken during our stay and it did not disappoint. everything cooked and presented to perfection to round off a long day traveling.

Champagne breakfast was lovely. Fantastic building and lovely to eat a lazy breakfast in the conservatory - would recommend

Lovely food in a beautiful setting. The waitress was really friendly and attentive. Would definitely recommend for a special occasion.

Our family celebrated our 50th wedding anniversary yesterday (2 April) at Dovecliff Hall. The staff could not have done any more to make the occasion special. All the serving staff were very pleasant and helpful in serving a large party with a full menu. The food itself was excellent and everyone enjoyed the meal and the setting, both the spacious room and the garden view. Although we didn’t have a private room, we felt quite comfortable enjoying the occasion among ourselves. Thank you all very much. The Barber family.

What a fabulous day we had for Sunday lunch friendly greeting pianist playing, gorgeous food, stunning setting just perfect thank you very much 👍😁

We booked the drawing room for a special birthday for sunday lunch and a private dining experience . The staff were very attentive .

This is a lovely hotel with fantastic staff. During our stay, nothing was too much trouble and all they wanted to do was make sure that we were happy. The food was good too, both in the evening and for breakfast. I would highly recommend this hotel.

Lovely ambience and great service.

Thoroughly enjoyable NYE night. Excellent food and terrific service. Thank you to everyone on the night for making our visit so special.

Staff are welcoming, food is delicious and the property is in a great location. Clare and I thoroughly enjoyed our 2 night stay

Loved this place had the greatest sleep and breakfast was great too. Odd bit it bathroom could have done with a touch up.

Lovely afternoon at the Dovecliff hall, having festive lunch. Lovely food and excellent service. The Christmas decorations are stunning. Would highly recommend.

Great evening with lovely food

Fantastic 3 night stay at Dovecliff Hall, we stayed for a wedding and a 80th birthday dinner. The room was very comfortable and looked after very well by Sarah the housekeeper. Food was delicious during the stay, and the celebrations we attended were both excellent. Luke and all the team go out of their way to make everything perfect.

Our family had an excellent Sunday lunch .very good service from friendly staff

Lovely meal, great service in the bar ans and restaurant.

Nice welcoming atmosphere, good food. The grounds are lovely to walk round , I believe there is a small track down to the river , not in a suit and a smart shoes though.

Amazing hotel. Amazing staff and beautiful grounds

We had our wedding here yesterday and it was absolutely perfect 🥰 from the hotel itself, the stunning surroundings and the rooms through to the organisation and attentive staff we couldn't have asked for more and all our guests agree, it was stunning. Thank you ❤

Superb hotel in a countryside setting with brilliant staff, great food will definitely return

Enjoyed Sunday Lunch - fantastic food, excellent service & beautiful surroundings. Hoping to return soon.

We held our daughters wedding here on 4th September and it was fabulous. The food throughout was amazing and the drinks flowed freely. Staff were attentive without being obtrusive. The Hall and grounds were just beautiful and made a perfect backdrop to the wedding. Thanks to everyone for making it such a special day.

Just spent 2 nights at the hotel for our Wedding Anniversary. What a stay🙂. Everything about our stay was fab. Our room was lovely and spacious with a nice size bathroom. The food was delicious and the staff were really lovely, nothing was too much trouble for them.Would highly recommended a visit and will be definitely be going back.

It's the best service and food and stay

Afternoon tea in beautiful tranquil setting. Excellent tea and staff attentive to needs.

Went to a wedding, very organised manager. All ran smoothly. Lovely location surrounded by countryside. Relaxed friendly feel. Food was lovely. Staff were very young but directed well.

Had a lovely afternoon tea for my 70th birthday, couldn't fault it, value for money, the staff were attentive without being intrusive, will go back.

Great afternoon tea. More than enough and they were happy for us to pack it up to bring home!

Staff here are wonderful, from reception to waiter/waitresses.

Always a pleasure to go here. Food is superb and service and surroundings/ambiance brilliant. Would recommend to everyone.

We had the amazing experience of going back to dovecliffe to celebrate our wedding anniversary. The staff are very friendly. The rooms are so clean with beautiful views. Food was delicious. We are looking forward to our next visit. I would like to give more than 5 stars. Many thanks to all the staff for such a amazing weekend.

British Cuisine & Wine Evening 25th June 2021 : fantastic vfm event Discovered that the Dovecliff hotel were doing a British Cuisine & Wine Evening. It was £55 a head, inclusive of wine with each course, but for the quality of food and wine it was incredible value for money. The standard of cuisine was exceptional, and presentation/service was excellent. A welcome reception drink and canapes followed by 4 courses paired with British wines. Not your £4.99 supermarket plonk but quality British wines. The host was very good and the owner visited each table. Well organised and a thoroughly enjoyable evening. We have already booked for other events. Well done, Dovecliff. No real ales at the Dovecliff but you can’t have everything!

Beautiful place for weddings and to stay

Have been visiting this place at least once a year for a meal over the last 30 years and will keep on going back. The place and location is beautiful and the food is lovely but I have to say that after the original owner left, it lost that finesse and noone has captured that special feel since. When you used to arrive there was a pianist playing and you were met at the door, your coats taken from you and you were then seated in one of the Drawing Rooms where a Waiter took your drinks order. Another Waiter would then bring the Menu to choose from and come back later to take your order. Horderves would be brought with your drinks. The Waiter would then come and you were taken to your table in the Dining Room or Conservatory with the Waiter carrying your drinks through for you. Table cloths in-between meals were brushed for crumbs. After your meal you could have Coffee back in the Sitting Rooms with complimentary biscuits, or bite sized cakes, chocolates made by the Chef and to finish off mints. All this made the visit special. Since the original owner left it all changed. It is still a nice place and definitely worth a visit, and we still go back, but hoping whoever is running it at that time, gets back that feeling to make the lovely place extra special again. Still waiting.

We went on a Tuesday. Meal was tasty and well presented. Service was good.

Amazing had a wonderful afternoon tea Thankyou

Lovely atmosphere and friendly staff for afternoon tea for Father's Day. Cakes were homemade and delicious. Each father was given a large bottle of real ale which was a nice touch. Would recommend.

No overnight stay very much enjoyed an afternoon tea with a group of friends. Covid guidelines were very much adhered to. The staff were very friendly and helpful. The afternoon tea was excellent value for money. Would certainly recommend the hotel and we hope to return.

Went for my son wedding. On 12th June lovely room overlooking some lovely views. The staff were very friendly and helpful, the food was lovely and so much of it. Would definitely go and stay there again Thank you to everyone who made my son wedding wonderful.

We had a more expensive room. Plenty of space with good views of the garden and countryside. Staff were very friendly and attentive. Room was clean with a nice firm bed and good quality sheets. The food was certainly good, 4 out 5 stars, but a superior alternative would require at least a 10-15 minute drive, and we wanted to chill out and enjoy the venue, so eating in was fine for us. Would make a fabulous venue for a medium/large function. We felt the prices were set very fair for what we enjoyed. This is our second stay and we will be going back next year.

We visited on thier opening day for an 80th birthday as lockdown eased. Great service and excellent food and a good time had by all...

Had the most amazing take away afternoon teas from the gorgeous Dovecliff Hall, our first was to celebrate our 1st Wedding Anniversary and the second was a festive afternoon tea, both were stunningly delicious, and such a luxurious treat! Thank you to all involved making our celebrations so special during these challenging times. Julie & Mark Williams x

Perfect hotel and wonderfull surroundings and food is beyond perfection.

we came to view this venue when initially booking our wedding. The staff were lovely and it was a pleasant venue with nice views ect. Only thing that put me off was the awful oily chip shop smell that seemed to fill the entire hotel. It would have otherwise been perfect venue.

Beautiful place, friendly staff. Need to upgrade heaters, the heater in our room was very noisy. Other than that we really enjoyed our stay and will visit again.

This was an exceptional experience lovely food in a beautiful welcoming location will definitely return and recommend

Fantastic setting but the food didn't live up to expectations. The experience was beyond that of an ordinary visit to a pub for food but the food itself was mainstream. Why can't anyone serve a decent well cooked fish dish?

The afternoon tea was very mediocre, service was poor and there were not any menus or even tea menus.. the waiter came out with the tea bag box...m

Amazing hotel! Took my partner for a surprise birthday getaway with our dog, the staff were excellent and maintained superb social distancing measures while still providing an outstanding experience. Our room was large and spacious, with an external door leading directly onto the garden, which was an unexpected bonus, and was very useful with our pup! Cannot recommend this hotel enough, the food and service were outstanding, we will definitely be back in the future!

Amazing. They switched a few cakes that i didnt want, and they were very responsive with their replies as I organised it through email. The afternoon tea was lovely and served promptly by a lovely waiter who social distanced. It's a shame it was so empty but I hope it picks up for them again. I'll certainly visit again in future. The food was lovely and not a ridiculous price. Lovely grounds to walk round after :)

Just had my mothers 80th birthday afternoon tea there absolutely fantastic gorgeous food excellent polite staff all in a beautiful building will definitely go there again

Beautiful historic building and grounds

Great place and great service. Only downside was the music, the DJ would only play his songs and often refused to play request even though it was a private, all paid, event.

Fantastic venue for your big day. The photos I've posted are from a wedding I took at Dovecliffe hall at the end of Jan. A beautiful place, the staff are excellent. A must visit.

Disappointed to say the least. The décor was adequate if not a little run down and sparse in places. The meal we were served was unappetising, the turkey was like biting through shoe leather and I needed magnifying glass to find the vegetables on my plate which were also hard and no gravy or extra vegetables were served(the desert however was excellent). The serving staff while polite seemed inexperienced. The venue was on the other hand clean and a decent sized space with complimentary grounds to accompany it. As a note for the gents, be aware the windows in the men's ground floor toilet aren't frosted glass so people who are standing outside can look in on you while you are using the restroom.

Excellent check in experience and great staff. Stayed overnight and had a meal which was cooked perfectly. Ordered the steak. Great breakfast the morning after.

Stately place to eat and not that expensive although meal, while good, was not grand.

Havent been in ,only picked my son up who works there.looks nice from outside.

Stunning venue. With a groupon we got a real bargain.

Very enjoyable Christening lunch. Lovely atmosphere, food and venue.

Great place and good food. Will be back

Food 5 stars. Accommodation very good. Staff (barman/waiter) very professional.

Excellent food and friendly staff,as always.Try it out.

So my wife and I had a mixed feelings visit here and here is why. My wife wanted to celebrate our 10th anniversary this year and through work and life commitments we have little time. So 4 months before our visit we booked a short stay here for drinking, relaxing and no children! When we arrived we were booked into our room but it wasn't the luxury room we had booked apparently it was doubled booked. We were initially disappointed. After some thought we decided to see if the hotel could come up with a compromise and they did so with full acknowledgment how we were feeling. The original room was available the following day and a refund given for the substitute room we had for the first night. Resolved! We went on to thoroughly enjoy our stay and felt the hotel had gone over and above to make us comfortable and looked after. The lady on duty when we arrived was amazing, she really was. My wife can be quite a handfull and she handled her so well. A bottle of fizz was present in the luxury room the next day. I want to personally thank the staff team for being so knowledgeable and helping to make our stay brilliant. I will only give 4 stars as it wasn't quite perfect but a very good recovery. I would recommend this hotel and I would be happy to visit again. The hotel and grounds are beautiful and it was quiet and peaceful through the day and evening. Thanks to the whole team and last but not least the food was so good and service outstanding.

Very nice Food was not quite up to standard

Beautiful place and location excellent wedding location

Gorgeous venue for a friend's wedding - beautiful during the evening and I can imagine it would be stunning during the day too!

A lovely place to celebrate a special occasion for a meal or overnight. Close to the main road network, but feels a world away. Pheasant grounds to stroll around. Building full of character. Staff very friendly and attentive. Excellent food. All boxes ticked !!

Fab place, staff were very helpful and friendly. Beds very comfy and food was delicious. Will go back, soon I hope.

Lovely Hotel in beautiful grounds. Nice rooms. Could do with using decent tea bags though.

Tasty food - good service, convivial atmosphere and quiet gardens for a stroll after the meal.

Great Summer Lunch menu and stunning location with beautiful gardens

Lovely hotel. Went for my sons Champagne wedding reception. We were treated well, all staff were polite and recepted to the guests. Would strongly recommend

Beautiful venue great buffet gorgeous gardens

I am a regular visitor to Dovecliff Hall for business reasons. An excellent venue in peaceful settings. Rooms are comfortable and food excellent. Staff are very obliging and it is very good for meetings of all kinds/sizes.

Lovely building wonderfully accommodating owners excellent food beautiful gardens and woodland walk. King size bed

Staff were helpful and polite 😊

Had a wonderful party here ..good to be back and see the place being spruced up.

Photographed a wedding here mid spring. Lovely place, great atmosphere and lovely grounds. Staff were really friendly also. Would highly recommend for any couples wanting to get married at a manor house or stately home type place.

My wife and I just got married at The Dovecliff and we had the most amazing experience that we could have ever dreamt for. From the initial viewing and discussions a year ago, through the planning stages and our last minute changes, all the way to the most perfectly executed ceremony and reception. <br/>All of our 120 guests said the same thing...this place is amazing! The food was absolutely delicious, from the canapés to the melt in your mouth beef dinner to the hot buffet and gourmet sausage rolls!<br/>Marie, Nayla, Lawrence and the team also made the day so relaxed and fun, from arranging everything to exactly what we asked for, to calming my nerves before the ceremony and to keep the drinks flowing during the reception!<br/>We cannot thank you enough for helping us make the day so special.

Beautiful hotel, lovely surroundings. Was there for a wedding in March great good. Could do with toilets downstairs, apart from that everything was great.

The food very nice, its really worththw oricw u pay

Really loved it. Specially prepared dining room was great. Ambiance so good. Reminded me of the 80's when it was so good. Staff spot on. Good wine choice and tasty food. Small wedding group well looked after. Would recommend.

Stayed here at the weekend for Valentine's day. The house and surroundings make for a lovely olde- worlde atmosphere. Our room was spacious with a stylish mix of modern and antique and with great views over the the river and falls. Restaurant does a limited but excellently prepared menu and looks out over the gardens to the countryside beyond. Service was efficient and friendly and they were only too happy to help us stow our bicycles safely in their outbuilding.

Wonderful xmas lunch,beautifully served in very elegant surrounding. Bucks fizz and canapes kicked the day off Thank you to all the staff that made this special occasion.

Fabulous meal in lovely setting. Staff were lovely, we had a lovely family get together. Would have no trouble recommending Dovecliff.

Fantastic works Christmas Party 2018.

Wonderful stay in room 5 which I would say is the best room in the hotel. Delicious breakfast and staff are friendly and attentive would highly recommend

Visited for our 5th wedding anniversary and was greeted with a warm welcome. Had a lovely time with the Anton the new owner showing us round what he has managed to do since taking over just over a year! Lovely to revisit and would highly recommend!

Really use to like this hotel: however, if you are a single occupant, you now have to pay for TWO breakfasts - this wasn't always the case, I have previously stayed here on a single occupancy : won't be booking to stay here again - you only have to look slightly further a field to find a better deal

Excellently cooked food from a wide ranging menu, & Not overly expensive. Set in open countryside with a lovely bankside view of the River Dove. Well recommended.