Ponsbourne Park Hotel and Restaurant in Welwyn Hatfield

Had dinner here as part of the dine and stay package with the hotel. Food was really delicious and we both really enjoyed the pod atmosphere. Minus a mix up when we arrived as they couldn’t find out booking the rest of the meal was smooth sailing. A lot of people have commented on the price but surely people would have known what to expect when booking and looking online at the prices and menu. The pod itself was a little too big for just two people but felt like they found us a space because they couldn’t see our booking. The pods were warm although the waiters a lot of the time banged on the door and spoke through it rather than coming in. I guess to stop the cold coming in but did feel a little awkward at times. Overall we enjoyed the food very much and would eat her again

This place needs to closed down. Vermin running around outside pods. Toilets are disgustingly dirty. So called manager, doesn’t possess an inch of customer service skills. I think immigration should pay them a visit tbh . Such a disappointing return to a place I once ranked highly. What’s happened over there ?

Don’t come here for a partner or loved ones bday. Firstly, they will treat you like any other customer (despite paying £100 extra for decorations) and they will put you in a pod that not only is super crammed and claustrophobic, but also decorated like EVERY OTHER POD. There could have been a bit or personalisation if you’re going to do that, maybe the name of the person’s bday in that pod to make them feel more special considering every pod is identical. There was no originality, there was no warmth, the waiters seemed focused on scaring us every time they knocked and playing a game by alternating between coming to the window and opening the massive door. There was a heater in the pod like the outdoor heater kind of ones which was nice but it got too hot at one point so had to shuffle all the way over to the other side to turn it off. Then we got cold so I had to repeat it. TL;DR - overpriced, underwhelming service coupled with some ok food but almost no ambience, atmosphere or view. Won’t be coming back, I recommend you’d search for London’s Secret Garden instead.

My stay at Ponsbourne was amazing! I chose the dine and stay package and was impressed by the excellent food and service. When we arrived at the restaurant we were told what our package included and Prosecco was brought to us within a couple minutes, the meal was served quickly with generous portions. Food was very hot and fresh, absolutely loved the prawn curry! We asked for a speaker and it was delivered immediately, honestly I can’t understand where the bad reviews are coming from. Pod was very warm, I ended up taking my coat off. The hotel room was nice, we had a garden view and access to Netflix and YouTube. We could see the pods from our window, and when it got dark it looked magical as all the pods lit up. Despite initial concerns from reviews, my experience was fantastic, we will be coming! However, I paid £249 for the package, which was later discounted to £199. When I asked about a price adjustment, I was told I would need to cancel and rebook, which I hesitated to do due to the non-refundable cancellation policy.

The drive was nice with view of the country roads. On arrival rooms are very basic not much to view apart from the Pods and fields. Unfortunately, there are no facilities at the hotel e.g. spa, gym, etc just a bar with small sitting area that closes at 12am. As your in the middle of no where you literally spend time in the room & go dinner then back to room😮‍💨 The hotel doesn't offer any other food e.g. Breakfast apart from the dinner which you pay for in the stay which is also overpriced. Personally, Food & drinks overated it needs to be reviewed as you can get a better variety of quality food in other places especially local vendors on your high street. The building itself is historically beautiful for private hire as you can utilize the grounds but waste of money for travel, dine & stay. You can better value & quality in Holiday Inn! Recommend to visit Pods in London instead more to do for a day & night trip.

We stayed here at the weekend, it was one of the worst hotels I have ever been too. Please choose a premier inn or a travelodge. Do not waste your time or money. I really wish I took notice of the comments prior to booking. Do not be fooled with the nice surroundings, it does not look like this in real life. The food was disgusting, the “lamb” was definitely cheap mutton.

Went out with work colleagues for a well deserved treat and booked online plus confirmed an offer with staff via email. Once we had finished eating, they refused to honour the offer we had booked and charged us full price. Have tried to resolve the issue but they won’t respond to my emails as they know they are in the wrong. On the night, we paid the full bill, including a hefty service charge, as did not want to cause a scene. The service was non existent! The management staff assured me that we could sort out matters later but they won’t respond to me. Absolutely appalling customer service.

I booked this place as a birthday surprise for my wife, paid extra for the birthday package and she absolutely loved it. The food is delicious, a good selection for a Vegan like her, and the location is stunning. There are doors on the pods, heating, great service and we can't wait to go back! Definitely recommend for couples!

Unfortunately not sure where to start, paid £99 for decor upfront for my wife and I to have a lovely 1st anniversary dinner, in what was thought to be a very elegant location and experience, and what an absolute shambles, felt scammed at every corner, the 99£ decor consists of fake flowers, 10p tealights and a makeshift light up sign a 4 year old could have made. The pod itself was dirty, over bearingly hot due to heat lamp, wasn't the best of views from the pod we were placed in. The food was below average in taste at best!! and seriously outrageously over priced!! Beer tasted like the pumps had never been cleaned. Would recommend sticking to your local Indian restaurants! Toilets had cobwebs all over the ceiling, and just plain filthy. Staff where unhelpful and very rude when calling on the phone (when they do answer), probably the worst restaurant experience I've ever had! I had such high hopes and thought this was a great 1st anniversary for us, I was sadly mistaken, luckily there was a nice country pub not too far away where we could escape too. £220 out of pocket for a small tastless meal with fake decor. So utterly disheartened and disappointed. Steer clear of this absolute scam of an establishment. I feel a refund for the hole experience would be the absolute least they can do! I would love a member of food hygiene and safety to pay a visit, TripAdvisor and a member of a newspaper to bring to light this awful establishment to save others time and money. whoever put 4* on the big board at the entrance of the estate needs a head wobble.

Not the best Indian food, the pods are old and need a good clean, the area is beautiful though Plus their kids menu is very limited and not the best quality

Great spot for s casual night out, food is very tasty with friendly staff. Variety of beverages to choose from. Each pod has its own heating for winter or cold nights however downfall is that you can not control the temperature. When you turn the heating its very hot, there's no in between

We ate here for a birthday and would definitely come back again. The food was 10/10, portion sizes are huge absolutely worth the price. The cocktails were lovely and strong. Service was very good and all staff were polite and helpful. The pods are very private and comfortable. Best experience and best meal out I’ve had. i would recommend to everyone and will absolutely be back.

went a few years ago and had a fantastic time even it was pricey the staff were more welcoming,the atmosphere was great.went on the 28th December 2023 arrived at 5:30 to a empty car park and completely empty pods,no one in the bar to greet us when finally seated the waiter and managers were rude and had no time for us.food as overpriced the pods were draughty and shoddy very tired looking we definitely won’t be returning.also the service charge which came to £32 was absolute joke for a very poor service to which i asked to be removed,all staff needs replacing or retraining that definitely includes the managers never ever will we visit after having a 2 hour drive!!!

No greeting when we entered, service was horrible and food was well overpriced. The pod cushions were filthy and seats were dirty. I felt rushed and plates were thrown on the table. I do not recommend going this restaurant it’s a bad experience altogether. That’s why it was so empty!

We have been twice before a couple of years ago and it has always been great. We were shocked at how empty the usually packed carpark was when we arrived tonight and the lively, party atmosphere was gone and less than half the pods were full. No one was sitting in the bar and the place was like a ghost town. It was my birthday so we stayed and hoped for the best. Food was nice but the prices had gone up A LOT!! £20 for broccoli is ridiculous and £32 for lamb chops as a starter!!! This place has always been expensive but it’s gone to far now. Service was poor and we had to wait 5 mins after our mains came for dinner plates to be brought out. We won’t return and feel it’s a real shame that the vibrant evenings we used to enjoy have been replaced by overpriced, uninspired, dingy pods.

Food was great, service was good! Took my mum for her Christmas Pressie 🎄(Last years). Defo will recommend to friends as a great gift 🎁

This place is a joke how it’s still open is beyond me! I can only assume the good wedding reviews are due to decent outside caterers and event planners not down to Ponsbourne!! I booked Celebratory birthday package £275 totally not worth it. No one to greet you, no warm welcome whatsoever, pods are dirty, cobwebs, dead bugs, stained cushions, pod was supposed to be decorated a few paper lanterns, tea lights and fake flowers make for a fire hazard waiting to happen, food and drink awful, paid for 3-course meal but left after the main the worst Indian food I’ve ever tasted, definitely wouldn’t recommend. Either fix up or shut down

Me and my sister decided to treat our mother here for her birthday after hearing great reviews about this place. Unfortunately, our experience was very average. The pods could have done with a clean before we were seated. There were crumbs on the seat. The food and cocktails were lovely, however they were extremely over priced. I don't understand why the king prawns (starter) is £32. This is way too expensive for only 4 prawns! In addition to this, we were served poppadoms and as we were eating them, we realised that someone had stuck a used chewing gum on the basket that it was served in. I cannot even begin to fathom how some people can be so disgusting to do this. As much as the above events happened, the staff were very welcoming, accommodating and did apologise.

Location is good but service and food just mediocre for the price you pay does not reflect in what you get. On arrival we were led to our pod which was booked for 4 but table only set for 2 .Waiter service was really poor as not friendly at all.Food arrived with incorrect order .Had to return dishes not ordered. Atmosphere was great but was reduced to almost zero with poor service.No one came to check if everything was ok or if we needed anything had to wave over after a period of waiting . Good location but could have been great with right service

My recent visit to the Hertfordshire Ponsbourne Pods was nothing short of a nightmare. I was utterly disappointed with the exorbitant prices they charged for the food and drinks. The quality certainly didn't match the cost, making it a total rip-off. The portion sizes were meager, and the taste was far from satisfying. It felt like they were trying to squeeze every penny out of their customers without providing any value in return. What was even more appalling was the abysmal service. The staff was indifferent and unhelpful, showing no regard for customer satisfaction. They made us wait endlessly, and when they finally did attend to us, it was with a sense of disdain. It's safe to say that I won't be subjecting myself to such a dreadful experience at Hertfordshire Ponsbourne Pods ever again

this spot is absolutely horrible the staff were incredibly rude they handed out food without cutlery they didnt show us how to work the pod disrespectful.Never coming back here.Dont go…

An empty welcome from staff sitting down in the bar area. Gas lantern was listed in the package but not put on until asked. We were also told the time it was on was limited. Hanging lanterns were torn & in poor condition. Paid £99 for an exhausted plastic flower display, torn lanterns & a light up Happy Birthday was unjustified. Without a call buzzer, service wasn't there, yet charged for. Pod was dusty & unclean. The food was amazing! Service was polite but a let it down as infrequent. Very disappointed for a night costing over £300!

I Really Loved the location. The Food was Delicious at decent price, the service was really great. the place were very clean and very well maintained. wanna visit again soon. will recommend my friends and loved ones to visit and enjoy the overall experience.

Very disappointing evening. The pods are not covered on the sides so are not warm despite the roof heater. It didn’t help that the free standing heater was removed and given to another table without telling us. The food was poor and overly spiced, similar to a cheap supermarket curry. Very pricey as well. Unless you are desperate for a pod experience don’t waste your money. I can’t even say the service was good as it wasn’t.

Not happy with the way they treated us with the payment they took extra £100 out of my account for a misunderstanding booking absolutely thieves they look for the opportunity when the customers make mistakes they take advantage that is a disgraceful way of making free money I will never go to this cowboy resturant again and would not recommend to anyone please be careful they even agreed to refund but that has not happened it’s been three weeks every time I call I get disconnected just disgraceful

Had a surprise birthday celebrations with my fiancée. It was a very good surprise! We had an amazing host, Krishna. He was very helpful and always came with a huge smile on his face when we needed something, such as changing the temperature in the pod or the music and how it worked. We were a group of 6 and stayed there till the restaurant closed. Definitely recommend going there - the food was good, a bit pricey but you get an amazing service.

Booked a room here for a relatives wedding. We were firstly given a room inhabited by squatters that was filthy and full of other peoples belonging and mess. The owner didn't seem to be bothered by this or care at all or acknowledge the fact we paid a lot fo money for a clean, tidy room as advertised. Secondly we were moved to a room where the bathroom ceiling was crumbling, every time we shut the door we get debris all over our very nice wedding clothes. Still trying to chase a refund as we didn't even use the room the whole day because it was so filthy. Reported to trading standards, absolutely appalling.

Arrived to a beautiful setting and that’s where it ends!!

Second time in after the refurbishment. Now the main restaurant is open what can I say other then exceptional. From the beautiful decor to the warmest ambience.

Came across this place on Facebook, being local thought of visiting for few drinks. Was surprised to see such a beautiful hotel with the amazing 1876 bar and restaurant hidden in Hertford. Lovely outdoor seating with pods. Perfect for all occasions. Will definitely be visiting often and recommend to all.