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8 rooms
Rooms sleep 2
Children welcome
Pets welcome
The Experience
It’s a little like stepping into the pages of a Hardy novel: an untouched corner of rural Dorset; a 400-year-old bailiff’s house; sheep grazing in lush fields. A rich cast of characters pottering about. The Castleman – part country house, part restaurant with rooms – is a true one-off: quirky, intimate, defiantly English (you’ll think you’ve landed in Ambridge). It pays no heed to prevailing fashions, not least because the locals would revolt if it did. Niki and Jez run the place in great style. Touches of grandeur are hard to miss: a panelled hall, art from Chettle House, a magnificent Jacobean ceiling in one of the sitting rooms. Follow your nose and find a cosy bar, fresh flowers everywhere and books galore. The restaurant has garden views, though your eyes are more likely to be fixed on the delicious old-school food, perhaps potted shrimp terrine, haunch of local venison, meringues with chocolate mousse and toasted almonds. Homely bedrooms fit the bill: comfortable, delightfully priced, a couple with claw-foot baths. Magical Dorset will fill your days with splendour. Don’t miss it.
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Essentials
- Swimming pool
- Hot tub
- Garden
- Open fire / woodburner
- Breakfast included
- Breakfast available
- Meals available
- Vegetarian meals
- Parking on premises
- Free parking nearby
- Accessible by public transport
- WiFi
- Television
- Spa
- Central heating
- Limited mobility
- Wheelchair access
- Mobile reception
- Hob
- Bar
- Barbecue
- Licensed premises
- Paid parking nearby
- Air conditioning
- Relaxation areas
- Washing machine
- Tennis court
- No smoking
- Credit cards
- Working farm
- Owner has pets
- Pets welcome
Family friendly
- Baby monitor
- Books and toys
- Children welcome
- Babies welcome
- Stair gates
- High chair
- Fire guard
- Cot available
Nearby
- Pub/bar within 3 miles
- Restaurant within 3 miles
- Shop within 3 miles
Activities
- Bikes available
- Food courses
- Kayaking
- Other courses
- Sailing
- Surfing
- Wild swimming
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Information
& pricing
Booking information
- Check in
- From 3pm
- Check out
- By 11am
- Booking restrictions
- Pets by arrangement.
- Closed
- Christmas, New Year.
- No smoking
- Smoking not permitted anywhere in the property.
- Meals
- Sunday lunch £25-£30. Dinner, 3 courses, £30.
Pricing
- Nightly price
- from £100
- Surcharges
- Singles £110-£155. Dinner, B&B £80-£95 per person. Extra bed/sofabed available £30 per person per night.
- 6 Doubles
- From £120
- 2 Twin/doubles
- From £100
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Accommodation
Reviews
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An absolute gem: a really comfortable room & bed, beautiful setting and miles of fab walks from the doorstep. The food is great and our party of two dogs and two adults all felt truly spoilt by our stay. After a lovely walk we headed back to the hotel to sit on the lawn with a cup of tea and freshly baked cookies. What a treat!
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Had a delightful two night break with friends. Lovely bedrooms with comfortable beds. The living rooms are beautiful and the food delicious. The staff very friendly. A real treat. Thoroughly recommend.
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Location
The neighbourhood
Local points of interest from Niki & Jez Barfoot
- The Chettle sound is the hoot which is unsurprising as it it lies at the foothills of Cranborne Chase. Come nightfall, silence prevails and you can hear the owls hooting across the valley.
- Chettle is an estate village, the majority owned by one family and derives its name of 'Coetel', the Anglo Saxon word for 'A deep valley between hills'.
- We strive to offer comfortable accommodation without effecting our surrounding environment by understanding how we can exist with our environment rather than working against it
- After 23 year's in Barbara's hands, the hotel enters a new phase. The hotel's new mantra is "honouring the past whilst embracing the future"
- There are lots of lovely walks and cycling immediately accessible from the hotel's front door and the hotel is well placed to access the gems that Dorset has to offer.
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A very enjoyable stay. lovely room with four poster bed. extremely friendly staff and wonderful food. we shall certainly stay here again. Pete.