Northover Manor Hotel, Yeovil

Official site of Northover Manor Hotel - www.northovermanor.com

Official site of Northover Manor Hotel - www.northovermanor.com

A small, private hotel just off the A303, once on the main road, now on a backwater which makes it a lot more appealing, although the traffic noise from the main road is still there. The hotel is a pleasant venue for functions and it has a good – albeit expensive – restaurant. The function rooms are considered a smart place for weddings, and provide a good backdrop for the tiered cakes, the string quartets and cliched photos that come with them, but they equally host ceilidhs and local rockbands.. The bar is open to non-residents and makes for a comfortable stop. It's a bit pretentious, especially the bar where the décor is somewhat contrived. Bits of plaster deliberately missing to expose stone walls, bicycles hanging from the walls in high-ceilinged extensions, and flagstone flooring in the bar, but it's not too bad overall. The bar is long and thin, not very cosy, though there is a lounge adjacent which is much more convivial. One ale on, which should be a real ale but is over-chilled and dispensed under CO2 pressure. The ale was Lynx Wildcat, a nod to the nearby MOD helicopter base. Orchard Pig Reveller was also available. OK for a quiet drink, special meal or a night's stay, but a bit too smart for a crawl or a quick lunch.