Norfolk Arms Hotel

“Superb, from start to finish.”

Superb from the moment we arrived. So much character, great location to explore Arundel, the Cathedral and whole area. Great welcome and friendly personal service throughout, nothing was any trouble. Lovely, room with a great view of the gardens and castle. Drinks in the adjoining bar before dinner… more

Superb from the moment we arrived. So much character, great location to explore Arundel, the Cathedral and whole area. Great welcome and friendly personal service throughout, nothing was any trouble. Lovely, room with a great view of the gardens and castle. Drinks in the adjoining bar before dinner, lovely relaxed meal, never rushed. Loved the history around the walls of the dining room. Good night's sleep, very quiet in our room. Excellent breakfast, tailored to what you wanted. Will certainly stay again. A Jewell. Terrific team. Thanks.

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“Good stay but dinner a disaster”

I stayed for three nights and availed myself of the 'Winter Warmer' offer for two of these (somehow it worked out cheaper to make two separate bookings - one for two nights with the offer, and add another night. I managed to keep the same room for the combined booking). I enjoyed my stay and con… more

I stayed for three nights and availed myself of the 'Winter Warmer' offer for two of these (somehow it worked out cheaper to make two separate bookings - one for two nights with the offer, and add another night. I managed to keep the same room for the combined booking). I enjoyed my stay and considering there is no lift, a courtyard room is ideal. The room was fine, spacious, comfortable bed and bathroom had a bathtub, which is a bonus for me. The only problems were, that the water to run a bath came so slowly I realized I had to start filling it at least 20 minutes before I took the bath - and by that time the water had started to go a bit cold. Also it was rather narrow, which was ok for me being fairly slim, but I could imagine a large person would have a problem. Also the courtyard area near the room is rather dimly lit, and I banged my head on a hanging plant the first time on arrival (needless to say I didn't do that again!). Re the water problem, I forgot to report it the first day and to be fair, reception did say they would send someone, but by that time it didn't seem worth it and I told them I would manage. The staff were very friendly and welcoming - especially Iggy, who went out of his way on more than one occasion to help (like showing me where the bus stop for the Chichester bus was). Now I come to the Winter Warmer dinner. I must say it was one of the worst meals I have ever had in a restaurant. Being a bit of a Hellenophile having lived in both Greece and Cyprus,  I decided to opt for the Kleftiko - assuming they would only have a famous Greek dish on the menu if the chef was maybe Greek or had some experience preparing it. (I also checked with the server, asking if it was the authentic Greek kleftiko, and he said it was). well it was nothing like any kleftiko I have eaten in Greece or in Greek restaurants in the uk. First of all, the menu is misleading as it describes the dish as "slow roasted lamb" - but I should have realized something was not quite as to be expected because it says 'served with rice'. Although it's possible to have kleftiko with rice, 95% of the time potatoes are roasted with the meat (mostly a small lamb shank rather than pieces) so they take on the lamb flavour. So ... this 'kleftiko' consisted of pieces of lamb (and not even that tasty) swimming in a very dark brown gravy - I would imagine the chef had to add half a bottle of gravy browning to achieve that colour. Most visually unappealing (see photo). And the tsatziki seemed to be just yoghurt with a few dried herbs stirred in - added to the soupy gravy it just dissolved anyway! (The lemon posset for dessert was nice! To be fair, I probably just made a bad choice and should have realized you can really only get proper kleftiko in a Greek restaurant (and I think most people with any experience of Greek food would agree that kleftiko is nearly always a lamb shank with potatoes - very rarely, as a regional variation, it comes as pieces). I could hear other diners give very positive feedback about their meals so clearly other menu choices were good and appreciated. I am not taking the above into account in my rating, as overall I enjoyed the stay, the room was in general good, and the staff welcoming and helpful. The price was reasonable and it is located right in the centre of Arundel. Also the breakfast was quite good. I would stay there again but I would be wary of what I ordered should I have dinner!

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