Ratings based on 108 Verified Reviews
4.4 Room cleanliness
4.4 Service & staff
4.4 Room comfort
4.3 Hotel condition
Expedia Verified Reviews
by A verified traveler
Posted 21 Oct 2024
Lovely historical property and good value for money. Quiet location, great stop off for travelling on the A66, with Barnard Castle just a short drive. Easy check into cosy courtyard cottage. Nicely decorated and furnished, though the bed would benefit from a better quality mattress. Friendly staff and good breakfast. Evening pub menu satisfactory but not exceptional.
by A verified traveler
Posted 30 Sep 2024
Very friendly, helpful staff.
Comment from Hotel Management
30 Sep 2024 by karli , Hotel Management
thank you for the review
by A verified traveler
Posted 29 Sep 2024
Fabulous room . Helpful, friendly staff . Lovely food .
Comment from Hotel Management
30 Sep 2024 by karli , Hotel Management
Thank you for the lovely review
by A verified traveler
Posted 26 Aug 2024
Loved our first experience at the ancient unicorn wonderful staff beautiful food I would highly recommend anyone to stay or visit you won’t be disappointed A****
Comment from Hotel Management
30 Aug 2024 by karli , Hotel Management
Thank you for the review
by A verified traveler
Great little cottage.
Posted 12 Aug 2024 on HotelsCharles Dickens cottage was great for a family of 4 on a short break. Comfortable and convenient location just off A66 without braking the bank.
Great to have a fully equipped kitchen as well if you have kids to feed.
Comment from Hotel Management
30 Aug 2024 by karli , Hotel Management
Thank you for the review
by A verified traveler
Posted 7 Aug 2024
We (couple adult daughter dog) stayed at the Ancient Unicorn to break the journey between East Anglia and Scotland. We arrived at the charming inn located in the centre of the lovely Pennine village of Bowes to be told that we had been upgraded to the Charles Dickens Cottage(!) because there was a problem with our booked room. The Cottage was immaculate and comfortable with a fantastic shower. Despite the fact that the staff were very busy because there was a folk group getting set up to play in the bar nothing was too much trouble for Karli and her staff to make us welcome. We had an excellent dinner of home-made food (made earlier in the day by Karli!) in the dog-friendly restaurant and then enjoyed a pint of real ale in the bar. And the cooked breakfast in the morning was fabulous. A perfect stay and so, so much better than a generic motorway hotel. The area is full of attractions in its own right (we had a quick look at the ruin of Bowes Castle just up the road) and we will be back!
Comment from Hotel Management
30 Aug 2024 by karli , Hotel Management
Thank you for the wonderful review
by A verified traveler
lovely little hideaway
Posted 18 Jul 2024 on HotelsI stayed with 2 female friends in a small but comfy courtyard room. We stayed for tea on the night and it was gorgeous, the staff were friendly and accommodating swapping the meal to suit our needs. Next morning breakfast was included so we all had a large full English, veg option available. We will definitely be back. Small issue re damp smell in bathroom but loved the place.
Comment from Hotel Management
26 Jul 2024 by karli , Hotel Management
Thank you for the review
by A verified traveler
Posted 22 Jun 2024 on Hotels
Friendly, helpful staff.
Modern, very clean en-suite room with comfortable bed. Evening meal and breakfast good.
Great to meet Gus the dog!
Comment from Hotel Management
26 Jul 2024 by karli , Hotel Management
Thank you for the review
by A verified traveler
An unpleasant experience
Posted 8 Jun 2024 on HotelsThe hotel is self service. I received a text with a code to open a key box.
The latch and lock on the bedroom door were broken on the inside, meaning that I could unlock the door from the front but could not latch or lock it.
I had to push the sofa against the door overnight for security as I had a lot of expensive camera equipment in the room.
There was no internet available despite being promised and sent a WiFi password.
The walls were paper thin and I was woken up by drunken guests at 1am followed by another wake up at 3am due to a man loudly vomiting.
Comment from Hotel Management
8 Jun 2024 by karli , Hotel Management
Thank you for the feedback, the issues with the door was never mentioned to anyone otherwise this would of been addressed, we do have wifi but due to the location of the hotel it can dip out of signal occasionally, we do find that if this happens guests are able to log into the wifi in the bar and this carries up to the room.
by A verified traveler
Lovely place to stay
Posted 21 May 2024 on HotelsWe loved our stay. The staff were lovely and the whole place was cute and friendly
Comment from Hotel Management
25 May 2024 by karli , Hotel Management
Thank you for the review.
