We stayed here for two nights in October 2007. The occasion was a friends wedding and we decided to take the extra night to have a day exploring the local area.

Fanhams is a Jekyll and Hyde venue - some of the most simple steps could be taken to ensure guests have a great stay and come away talking about the good points rather than the bad. You will come away frustrated at why parts of the hotel service are excellent whilst others seemingly get ignored or overlooked.

The venue is difficult to locate if you don't live in the area - the signage from Ware is non existent and only a bit of luck and some wrong turns led to us finding the venue. Many people at the wedding commented on the same difficulty.

The rooms are small - we stayed in room 19 in the 'newer' block outside of the main house and although called a double room its easily the smallest I've stayed in within the UK - an early indicator was opening the door into the room only to hit the bed - trying to get through it with two cases was a challenge.

The carpet inside the room was sitckyback floor carpet tiles that were old and dirty, the bathroom was tiled and grouted to a poor standard (chips, over grouting, poor paintwork) the mirror half-covered the lightswitch and the desk and tv wouldn't have looked out of place in a students bedsit.

Although with friends and family staying we were able to view 3 different rooms, they all suffered from the same problems and were not turned out to a high standard - certainly not £100 a nights worth. All were on-suite but just looked tired and drabby.

Once you get out of the room a lot can be forgiven - the hall (a house has been on the site since 1422) and gardens are nicely turned out with acres of gardens to explore including a Japanese style pagoda and pond, formal English garden, and general 'country' area to walk through. Saving some bread from breakfast and feeding the ducks on the veranda outside is good fun if you have younger travelling companions.

Parts of the hall have been added too in recent years to offer more conference and room space - Both from the outside and the inside some of these changes are a little unsympathetic but there are hundreds of photo opportunities for wedding parties that take in the good architectural parts and the grounds are stunning.

The reception was impeccably handled, food excellent despite the number of wedding guests, and all staff were very happy to help at all times.

Ware is within walking distance just, the hill can be challenging so a car is more practical and offers a number of shops and a couple of good places to eat - the Greek restaurant is recommended for quality Greek food although a little on the pricey side. Hertford is a short drive away and offers more shops and some nice walks as well as a larger choice of dining options.

Sadly, I can not think of a single reason other than the quality of the staff to come back to this hotel outside of a conference or wedding - it is so clearly geared up to accommodate 'events' rather than the individual hotel guest - you are better off staying in a local BB with character and save the money!

Stayed here just one night for a romantic getaway expecting great things. Having read reviews made sure we booked a room in the main house.

It was a glorious sunny afternoon when we arrived. Considering this hotel is just a couple of minutes from the town of Ware you would be convinced you were out in the middle of deepest Hertfordshire countryside.

The first problem was at reception. Having made a reservation online and handing the printout to the receptionist it was apparent that there was no reservation on their system! However the recpetionist said that this was no problem as there were rooms available. (I had a rate reserved at £94 for B&B) Eventully room number 205 was ours.

Got to room and had mixed feelings. It was somewhat basic although charming in an old fashioned way and the view was very nice. Another surprise - the bathroom was not ensuite! - it was opposite the bedroom but was not shared with any other room. Quirky I guess but not something you'd expect for a "luxury" hotel.

The gardens and the rest of the house are lovely and full of charm except for the main dining area and bar which is very modern and totally out of keeping with the rest of the place. Dont know who designed it but a disaster! In addition the evening meal was very limited and the ambience of the restaurant was totally cold - very bright lights, no candles, no ambience. Food was OK but nothing special.

Went back to room and had a very nice peaceful evening windows were open so sounds of the countryside came through including the haunting sound of an owl in the distance! Very peaceful night.

Breakfast was decent enough.

So overall I guess a dissapointing experience. the place is definately geared up for weddings at the weekend and a conference centre in the week. The place simply didn't feel like a hotel. However if you can look past that; the disappointing restaurant and maybe have a better room than ours you may well have a better experience. Shame really, this could be a very fine hotel indeed.

Firstly if you have read bouncy's review then ours is just the same!

Like them we saw the venue change hands twice with little communication but the staff are the same (main management changes) and they do know what they are doing.
we stayed the night before (over 30 of us) and even though we were in the courtyard i have to say the improvements exclusive have made are exceptional i found them much more comfortable.
The staff are more than helpful- my mum is partially blind and although they were never told they picked this up and made sure she was never unaided.
The food is utterly gorgeous and if you are lucky enough to stay in the chestnut bridal suite then just wow (althugh i was gutted the 4 poster had gone)
I was under the impression that they do not take bookings at the weekend unless you are a wedding guest as they are always booked and havent built the new bar yet so there are no facilites for non wedding guests. although i was more than happy to let others use the bar i appreciate other brides are different.
all in all we had the best day and i wouldnt have changed oit for the world.
jane (who has now moved on) Zoe, Margaret and all of the waiting staff made our day exceptional.

A truly beautiful place for a wedding. Stunning gardens, plenty of space to wander round without meeting the public, very good meal and excellent service. A good room for dancing and a separate bar. We couldnt fault it.