As always, the Pilgrim is a clean, comfortable and pleasant place to stay when visiting friends who live locally.
The restaurant has a good menu, and we were looked after very well by Kerry and Chris when we had both dinner and breakfast.
We would definitely recommend the Pilgrim Inn for food and accommodation.
We came as a family of 3, staying because the pub was well located for Paultons. The hotel was really pleasantly surprising. We booked a family room, which felt incredible value. We had room 11, which had very clearly been renovated recently. The room was large and clean, with a really well appointed bathroom. It all had nice touches like a Nespresso, coffee bags and Bramley bath products. The pub itself had a decent garden, and the staff were all very friendly and attentive. We ate there in the evening and felt the menu was varied, and the food good quality. Overall, we have paid much more elsewhere to get a lot less.
We stayed at Pilgrim Inn at start of a month long England Road Trip. Thought enjoyed our time there
The room was large but downside was two single beds which were just ok to sleep in, but room could have taken a king size bed. It was very clean
The Staff were very lovely and helpful, and given that our stay there coincided with extremely hot weather when we asked for extra fan it was provided without fuss.
We loved that we could wander across the CarPark to a delightful Grade 2 Heritage listed Pub (an old coach house) and enjoy wonderful food, great range drinks & great atmosphere. The breakfasts was fabulous
The Pilgrim Inn is ideally suited as a base to explore New Forest area if you have a car or short drive to Hythe & catch the ferry to explore Southampton
Can recommend the Pilgrim Inn
This is the second time we stayed at the Pilgrim Inn. That says a lot. It was very good but can't quite get to awarding our stay 5*.
Location:
Convenient - 20 minutes from centre of the New Forest with easy access Southampton and routes to Bournemouth, Poole, Swanage, etc. Sandwiched between the local Marchwood Road and the by-pass. The constant traffic on the by-pass is very noticeable in the pub garden but once inside either the pub or the rooms, one cannot hear it. In 3 days, we visited Christchurch, Swanage and the New Forest itself and ate twice within 20 minutes drive of the hotel.
Room:
We opted for a superior double which was a large ground floor room. The large double bed was two large singles put together - we found the mattresses a bit too firm for our liking but that's a personal preference. With a coffee machine, kettle, desk, and much more and a big bathroom with bath and large walk-in shower it was generally well fitted. Its Achilles heel was the absence of any chest of drawers - just 2 small drawers in the desk and one each in the bedside table. We think it reasonable that there should be some more storage provided. With large floor to ceiling windows on the ground floor, privacy required closing the curtains and the room is quite dark. The window could do with some voile net or blind to provide privacy without having to close the curtains.
The 'stand-alone' wonderful bath is deep, is smooth throughout and is very slippery. It has no handle. We think that it presents a significant risk of a fall that could lead to injury. The shower was great although we suspect that some of grouting (some of which was black) could be cleaned effectively with a good scrub.
Food and Service:
Service was impeccable from every member of staff. Breakfast was adequate in terms of choice and quantity and of good quality. It included a choice of juices, cereal, yoghourt and fruit and croissants an pain au chocolat plus the cooked alternatives. If one is expecting a big hotel breakfast buffet, then one might be disappointed but it was appropriate for the setting. We only ate dinner once during our stay. Again service was excellent and friendly and food was of good quality. Perhaps their portion sizes need more consistency - I had a huge bowl of soup; very tasty but more than necessary. My main course was also more than adequate but my partner's main course portion was much smaller
Overall:
From our experience, we are happy to recommend. As always, set your expectations right and you shouldn't be disappointed.
We enjoyed our stay, the staff were friendly, the food was good! Room was clean and welcoming and modern with air conditioning and a good supply of coffee tea and bottled water. The only downside for us was the mattress was soft and had two imprints where it had been used so we had to turn it, pillows were very thin and probably need replacing.
