- Paperback: 960 pages
- Publisher: Ebury Press; Revised edition edition (6 Sep 2001)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0091879671
- ISBN-13: 978-0091879679
- Product Dimensions: 19.8 x 12.2 x 3.6 cm
- Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 2,798,700 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Description
Amazon.co.uk Review
When a book has the kind of unassailable reputation that The Good Hotel Guide has garnered over the years, there must be a temptation to ease up a little, and coast on past glories. It's to the credit of editors Caroline Raphael and Desmond Balmer that there is no sign of such sloppiness in this 25th edition: the judgements are as crisp and authoritative as ever, with each assessment of the virtues (or otherwise) of a hotel always cogently argued. And it's often the demerits of a hotel that strike the reader as strongly as its virtues, even though such paragraphs are brief; after all, if a hotel were completely beyond the pale, it wouldn't make the final cut here.
By now, we all know the features that have made this guide so non-pareil over the years: the pithy, well-detailed essays on all the places covered, the clear, colour maps, the exhaustive coverage of every worthwhile hotel in the country (often supplemented by pithy vox pop contributions from guests). All this, of course, is shored up with such useful features as the César Awards celebrating the best hotels in England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland, the highly entertaining "partisan view of rival guides and hotel groups", in which the GHG uses its moral superiority gained from taking no advertising of any kind to give an unbuttoned view of its competitors. But, as always, it's the spot-on assessments of the virtues and failings of the places we'll be staying at that makes this as invaluable in its 25th edition as it was on its premier appearance, such as this judgement on a hotel in Hartfield:
An idyllic spot ... very romantic, if a bit faded. Pooh Bridge at AA Milne's former home down the road is much visited, leading to defoliation of the nearby trees. You should bring your own twigs if you wish to play Pooh Sticks.--Barry Forshaw
Review
'The Good Hotel Guide remains the one source that offers any sense of what a place is really like' Mail on Sunday
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
15 of 15 people found the following review helpful
I wouldn't be without this guide and buy it every year. It contains well written, independent reviews, reliable taste, an eye for trends and the attitude that the guest comes first. The introduction sets out their loves (the personal touch, good cooking, individuality, warm welcomes) and hates (pretentiousness, piped music, individual jam portions, unfair cancellation policies). There aren't any photographs but if you read it you won't miss them as the reviews are extremely detailed. Much trouble is taken to give an accurate feel of the places listed (which include B&Bs, and guest houses as well as "hotels") and feedback from readers plays a large part in the book. Room prices range from around £20 - £300 per night but value for money is rated highly so most prices are reasonable. There are 6 vouchers stuck in the middle of the book which give you a discount of 25% off room prices for hotels with the voucher symbol next to their entry (e.g. 42 The Calls in Leeds). The guide is organised alphabetically by town and a useful section at the front recommends hotels for luxury, character, rural charm, seaside, walking, spa facilities, fishing, sports, children, dogs and gourmets among others.
I haven't found a guide which rivals this, the Which Guide takes a very similar format but doesn't read as well. Alastair Sawday's Special Places To Stay series has directed me to equally brilliant places, but doesn't always describe the rooms in enough detail.
Not every hotel I love is listed in the Good Hotel guide, I've been surprised by some of their omissions, but when I've written to them with suggestions I've always received a personal reply. This book's hotel reviews have been totally reliable, if you're going to buy just one guide - make it this one.
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