The Duke Hotel, Calne

The family and I stayed at the Duke Hotel on a Monday night a couple of weeks ago as the £70 a night charge was the cheapest we could find in the area without staying at a Travelodge. We booked three of the five rooms and found them to be very comfortable. There was a hair-raising thunderstorm that knocked out the power to the village, but my kids slept through it which is testament to the comfort of the beds. The breakfast in the morning was very tasty, but there was an issue with allowing my two small children to sit at another table with their auntie. Apparently the manager felt that people switching seats was too much to cope with. I didn’t really understand as everyone was eating the same full English breakfast. The service was friendly enough, but I got the feeling that if anything deviated from the norm there would be a problem and it would be addressed through gritted teeth. For people not using accommodation food is available from 11:30 until 14:00 and 18:30 until 20:00 Monday through to Thursday. On Fridays and Saturdays the kitchen is open from 11:30 until 14:00 and 18:30 until 21:00. On Sundays the food serving hours are from midday until 15:00 and 18:00 until 20:00. Most of the mains are priced around the £10 mark with steak dishes reaching £17. There is a children’s menu available. The aforementioned breakfast was consumed in the rear part of the pub that is used as the dining area. From here access can be gained to a well-kept patio area and grass covered beer garden where there are some picnic tables. The L shaped bar area is found at the front of the pub where there is a dartboard and a plasma screen that was switched off. Standard draught products were available from the bar that also supports three hand pumps. Arkells brewery Moonlight was off, but 3B and Wiltshire Gold were both available. There is no mistaking that this is an Arkells pub as their memorabilia is plastered all over the walls. Being off the beaten there is a large car park as this pub relies on dry sales. I don’t plan on returning here anytime soon, especially as manageress decided to close at just after ten as she was tired. To be honest my wife and I felt like we were imposing on the hosts.