Mercure Bush Farnham, Farnham

The Borough, Farnham, GU9 7NN
3 star

This 17th century coaching inn has a reputation for unsurpassed quality, charm and service. Provides a stylish retreat retaining much of its 17th century grande...

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£ Rooms from $112* per night
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8/10 Overall rating

Category Average Rating
8/10 Check-in process
8/10 Your room
7/10 Working order of facilities / equipment
8/10 Order and cleanliness of the hotel
8/10 Performance of staff
8/10 Overall experience
8/10 Overall value for money
  • 9/10 Patrick (Mature couple) 

    from Brighton , GB on  February 24, 2008

    Friendly staff

    The bed-had a terrible nights sleep in biew of the fact that the matress was in adequate. The matresses dipped terribly in the middle forcing myself and my wife into the middle of the bed.

    1 of 1 people found this review helpful:

  • 8/10 Anonymous (Other) 

    on  July 18, 2007

    "Very nice hotel." (97277847)

    The exterior of the hotel is beautiful at day and night. It has a sort of mideval feel to it, really cosy. Staff is very helpful and friendly.

    The room was unbarably hot. No airconditioning at all except for a small window which did not help at all. The twin beds - the one bed was not even a single bed, it was very small and uncomfortable.

    1 of 1 people found this review helpful:

  • 8/10 Lyn (Solo business traveller) 

    from Thorpe-le-soken , GB on  June 21, 2008

    "I enjoyed the ambience of this hotel combined with the spacious accomodation and the excellent location." (97906766)

    The hotel has a 'olde worlde' charm about it and is very conveniently located in the centre of the town. The room was spacious.

    The decor along the common corridors leading to the rooms was very poor and didn't inspire much confidence as to the 'comfort' factor of the room. Floorboards were very creaky and may be in need of attention but this added to the 'olde worlde' charm.

  • 9/10 Anonymous (Group of work colleagues) 

    on  June 5, 2008

    "good" (97067763)

    centre location of town

    bathroom needed updating

  • 8/10 Michael (Solo business traveller) 

    from South perth , AU on  April 30, 2008

    "Located within the centre of town & walking distance of the station. Courteous and helpful staff. Adequate facilities to conduct business meetings. Good restaurant, although the menu didn't change in the seven days I stayed. Charged what I arranged for with no hidden costs." (97615567)

    Good size room which was modern & well maintained. Room had just been refurbished & was fresh and of clean appearance.

    No fridge in bedroom

  • 9/10 Anonymous (Mature couple) 

    on  March 11, 2008

    "Very impressed with all aspects. Would stay again." (97793124)

    Clean, well presented

  • 8/10 Terence (Mature couple) 

    from Royston , GB on  January 5, 2008

    Very comfortable

  • 8/10 Anonymous (Solo leisure traveller) 

    on  January 4, 2008

    "Generally enjoyed stay and would consider staying again. Feel rooms need updating." (97989782)

    Location of hotel and atmosphere.

    Noise from other rooms/people in hotel. Floorboards creaked rather alot!

  • 8/10 Anonymous (Mature couple) 

    on  November 21, 2007

    "A very good clean hotel pleasant staff and good location" (97404529)

    location and standard

  • 10/10 Clive (Young couple) 

    from Derbyshire , GB on  November 21, 2007

    "Great stay in a hotel where customer service is still paramount." (97947167)

    Great service from all staff.

  • 8/10 Anonymous (Mature couple) 

    on  October 29, 2007

    "Very nice staff - helpful and polite. Breakfast was very good - a good choice and high quality. Check in and out were very efficient" (97891578)

    Location - walking distance of train station and facilities.

    Nothing - only thing is that a full length mirror would have been useful.

  • 8/10 Kev (Young couple) 

    from Clevedon , GB on  July 30, 2007

    "My wife has asked me particularly to single out the breakfast for praise, so consider it praised. The hotel and its environs are charming and highly recommended for anyone wanting to experience an historic and very English atmosphere. Farnham itself is dead at night. Apart from some nice eateries and fine pubs, the whole place shuts down dead at 5.30. There doesn't even appear to be a shop open after dark. We came from the pub around 10pm, hoping to get a bar of chocolate on the way to the hotel, and there was nothing open. Even the off licence and Sainsburys were shut. Truly if you want to know what England must have been like in the 1950s, go to Farnham on a Thursday night. It is lovely, by the way. Honestly very lovely." (97865120)

    The fantastic murals in the bar, and a very good breakfast.

    The toilet didn't flush properly, a minor complaint.

  • 8/10 Anonymous (Other) 

    on  July 12, 2007

    "Good town centre location. Ample free parking." (97710186)

  • 7/10 Denis (Mature couple) 

    from Haverfordwest , GB on  July 5, 2007

    "Some confusion over exact terms of booking (eg. Room only or bed & breakfast)" (99413749)

    Quiet at night(no noise from adjacent rooms) Although in town centre the large grounds in which hotel is set give the impression of being in the country

    Minor service lapses by domestic staff

  • 10/10 Richard (Other) 

    from Bournemouth , GB on  July 5, 2007

    "The staff particularly on reception were very helpful" (99599107)

    It was clean, facilities were good

  • 10/10 Robin (Solo leisure traveller) 

    from Bradford , GB on  July 4, 2007

    "The Macdonald Bush hotel was a real find. I had never been to Farnham before: I chose to stay in the area after business in London on Friday, so that I could a meet an old friend in Wokingham on Saturday without having to rush back to the flood plains of Yorkshire. Breakfast was delightfully traditional and generous; the staff were smart, unfailingly courteous and attentive. Lovely dining room and bar; relaxed, stylish ambience. Loved the girl singing and playing the piano on Sunday afternoon and delayed my journey in order to enjoy the relaxed atmosphere. Many of these qualities were suggested in the hotel's own description of itself and I was delighted that everything was as advertised! I unreservedly recommend this hotel to anybody - indeed I already have! - and I hope very much to stay at the Macdonald Bush in Farnham again soon. As a rail traveller, the hotel's proximity to the station on a wettish night was a distinct advantage. Thank you and all your staff very much indeed." (99048189)

    The room was spacious and very comfortable, complete with promised views of the beautiful terrace and garden. Particularly welcome was the provision of quality mineral waters, an option for fresh ice, tea/coffee-making equipment and quality biscuits, ample space for hanging clothes and the quietness of my night's sleep in elegant, unfussy surroundings; good lighting to read by, too.

  • 9/10 Anonymous (Family with older children) 

    on  July 4, 2007

    We were in one of the older rooms which was delightful.

    Breakfast was a disappointment.

  • 7/10 Stephen (Mature couple) 

    from Hook , GB on  July 4, 2007

    "good bed, pricey food and drinks at the bar, service good, polite staff.....would have liked to see picture on website of the double room." (99915098)

    bed was comfy room clean

    tatty wallpaper, sheets not white, off colour, ceiling paint blistering, bathroom tatty, floor in poor state bathroom

  • 9/10 Anonymous (Mature couple) 

    on  June 20, 2007

    "The staff were extremely polite and helpful. The surroundings and atmosphere was relaxing. Would use the hotel again if we needed to." (99218888)

    Everything, except the bed.

    We found the bed a bit hard for a decent nights sleep.

  • 7/10 Robin (Same sex couple) 

    from London , GB on  June 20, 2007

    "The Bush is a perfectly adequate small provincial town hotel. The public rooms appeared to be in keeping with the hotel. The bedroom was perfectly alright, if dull though the bathroom had clearly not been upgraded for many years. The practice of leaving laundry bags and cleaning gubbins outside rooms (in the morning) is tawdry and ought to be discouraged. By British standards the price was reasonable though breakfast was far too expensive." (99973506)

    White sheets and blankets, garden view.

    Distinct smell of old smoking room (probably from further down the corridor) faded carpets, shower/bathroom needed retiling

  • 10/10 Anonymous (Group of work colleagues) 

    on  May 24, 2007

    Very nice and clean rooms. Relaxing garden and lounge. Good quality breakfast with a wide choice of food.

  • 8/10 Anonymous (Same sex couple) 

    on  May 23, 2007

    "The hotel offers good value for money and the staff are very pleasant and helpful. The accommodation is now looking very tired and, in several areas, delapidated. The hotel has a great deal of potential and needs some investment and refurbishment." (99376577)

    The central location, the helpful staff, the online price, the public rooms, the bedroom, the garden.

    Thse poor condition of the bathroom, the quality and price of the bar food.

  • 9/10 Anonymous (Young couple) 

    on  May 16, 2007

    "Aalways find the Active Hotels website very easy to use. In this instance, I knew which hotel I was booking as the wedding party had already advised." (99037363)

    The room was a good size, location was perfect as the wedding party also stayed at this hotel and the hotel itself was very clean and smart

  • 3/10 David (Group of work colleagues) 

    from Warrington , GB on  May 9, 2007

    Setting

    More than half of the lights in my bedroom/en-sute were not working. The room was not particularly clean. When checking in the receptionist spent so much time answering the telephone that it actually took me about 20 minutes to check in.

  • 4/10 Anonymous (Mature couple) 

    on  May 2, 2007

    "The Bush desperately needs updating - there is wallpaper coming off walls in the bedrooms, there is no satellite TV and the TV's that are in the rooms are exceedingly small. It is expensive purely because of its location and monopoly, but really is not good value for money." (99407654)

    The whole hotel is in dire need of a face-lift/refurb.

  • 6/10 Terence (Family with young children) 

    from Mercer island , United States;US on  April 20, 2007

    Elegance of style

    Foam pillows, poor air-conditioning (although advertised). Low shower head (approx 5'3 from base of bath)

  • 8/10 Anonymous (Family with young children) 

    on  April 14, 2007

    "Generally, the accommodation was very clean and comfortable, the gardens made it extra special. The service was extremely helpful, welcoming and friendly. Breakfast was of a high standard, very well presented." (99511776)

    Attractive hotel, especially the gardens.

    The only fault we had was the toilet in our room which never flushed properly throughout our stay.

  • 9/10 Anonymous (Solo leisure traveller) 

    on  April 11, 2007

    "What are appreciated most was the speed of booking online and speed of checking in and out. A map of the hotel in relation to the local station, main land marks and main roads would have been good. Also maybe a route planner telling you how to get there from my home address, but i am nit picking." (99323257)

    Close to the local station in Farnham, nice double bed and very nice ensuite facilities.

  • 3/10 Simon (Solo leisure traveller) 

    from Wokingham , United Kingdom;GB on  February 21, 2007

    convenient location of hotel

    agonisingly slow check-in and check-out rickety old room excessive cost

  • 6/10 Peter (Young couple) 

    from East ilsley , United Kingdom;GB on  February 18, 2007

    "The main problem was during the check in and check out at the hotel. We were waiting to check in and the lady at the counter stopped us around about 5 times in order to answer the phone. We thought this was very rude as we felt that we should have been attended to first (which only took about 5mins between the phone calls.) Instead we found that we were interrupted each time the phone rang and were told to hold on each time. I believe that the person at the desk and already being attended to should be the priority and should be attended to in full before answering the phone. To my amazment this also happened when we checked out and again the phone was answered about 5/6 times with us at the counter waiting to receive the receipt from our payment. Finally during breakfast we had a waiter who had little grasp of English and he could not understand what we were asking him or ordering from the menu." (99864784)

    The hotel was sold as a 17th Century coaching in. We were a little disappointed at how the rooms are located away from this and were very modernised

  • 7/10 Maureen (Mature couple) 

    from London , United Kingdom;GB on  February 15, 2007

    "This hotel had friendly staff and a good welcome. It is reasonably priced. The room was a good size and adequately furnished with a wide and very comfortable bed. The bathroom was in good working order with big bath towels. Both bathroom and bedroom needed redecoration. The breakfast was excellent. It is a hotel with character and I would stay there again." (99778146)

    Friendly staff, picturesque building, adequate room design, bath and shower, big bath towels, centre of town,quiet, attractive gardens, comfortable bed, clean. The breakfast was excellent.

    Room, although clean and adequate for our needs, was in urgent need of redecoration. The bathroom, although in good working order, also needed refurbishment.

  • 7/10 Vanessa (Family with older children) 

    from Scarborough , United Kingdom;GB on  January 10, 2007

    The hotel was well placed for the town and had wonderful character in the older parts.

    Decoration needed updating

  • 9/10 Anonymous (Solo leisure traveller) 

    on  December 14, 2006

    "After some initial confusion on booking in, (there was luggage in the room), the lady on reception upgraded the room to executive at no cost. A very enjoyable stay." (99938185)

    The room was very nice, quiet and comfortable.

    Lack of TV channels or film channels

  • 8/10 Mark andrew (Young couple) 

    from Blackpool , United Kingdom;GB on  November 29, 2006

    "we really liked our room and the central location was good. the front desk staff were polite,very helpful and welcoming. the price of the room only was a fair price. the room service was very expensive, also 15 pounds each was a lot to pay for breakfast. the in house bar area was lovely but the over priced drinks was absolutely ridiculous, just ubder 25 pounds for a double vodka,double j.d two small bottles of diet coke & a pint and a half of lager.other than this i think 60 pounds for a room only stay for one night was very reasonable, but dont eat or drink there unless your richard branson." (99334299)

    thought the room was lovely very clean.

  • 9/10 Anonymous (Young couple) 

    on  October 25, 2006

    "When booking I thought the leisure facilities were on sight, a bit disapointing to find they weren't as we wanted a swim before breakfast, apart from that everything was fine. The breakfast was lovely and had a great choice, also the hotel was very quiet and relaxing even though their was a wedding in progress. We stayed for our anniversary and were very comfortable and made to feel very welcome, the staff were very helpful and friendly." (99588185)

    I loved our room, was spacious and very cosy. Even though the hotel is located in the middle of town I found it to be very quiet and relaxing.

    The Bathroom could have done with a bit of a refurbishment, odd tiles and rusty radiator, but very clean!!

  • 10/10 Dean (Young couple) 

    from Ash vale , United Kingdom;GB on  October 17, 2006

    "It was all fine! would stay there again with no hesitation. The Breakfast was Excellent!" (3305449160)

    The age of the Hotel, it had a history.

    Needed a bigger car park

  • 7/10 Anonymous (Group of adult friends) 

    on  October 13, 2006

    "The hotel was very convenient for our stay with good car parking for a central town hotel. The rooms where clean and well decorated as was the rest of the hotel, however the food was slightly disapointing and not as good as one would have expected reflecting the cost of the meal and hotel Staying mid week I felt the hotel was more geared to its conference guests than leisure travellers. I would use the hotel again for convenience only" (3305220927)

    Convenience

    Food

  • 7/10 Anonymous (Mature couple) 

    on  September 7, 2006

    convenient,clean,good restaurant,friendly staff

    no lift du to hotel being a leisted building

  • 9/10 Anonymous (Mature couple) 

    on  September 6, 2006

    Friendly, efficient nature of the staff. Quality of food served.

    Not long enough!!

  • 9/10 Paul (Solo business traveller) 

    from Matlock , United Kingdom;GB on  September 5, 2006

    Clean and Friendly

    Drinks expensive

  • 8/10 Anonymous (Mature couple) 

    on  August 31, 2006

    attractive building and location

    restaurant was shut for a wedding !

  • 8/10 Joan (Other) 

    from Toronto , Canada;CA on  August 21, 2006

    "It was a lovely hotel. Hotel was very quaint and had a very English atmosphere - amenities in the room were fine and the hotel fit very well with its surroundings. Farnham is a beautiful town. I'd recommend including more pictures of the town in the description." (3304829470)

    Hotel was just what I pictured it to be - very appropriate for its surroundings (Farnham is a beautiful town) and room was just right for our purposes.

    The only complaint I had was that the supper in the dining room was very expensive.

  • 6/10 Anonymous (Mature couple) 

    on  August 18, 2006

    "Friendly and helpful staff,nice hotel in a lovely part of the country" (3304674375)

    Very central to FARNHAM

    Nothing

  • 10/10 Anonymous (Solo business traveller) 

    on  August 18, 2006

    "Friendly and welcoming staff. Outstanding acomodation for the price." (3305193888)

    I received a recently refurbished room which was of a very high standard

    nothing

  • 4/10 Anonymous (Young couple) 

    on  August 9, 2006

    "I called ahead to confirm an early checkin as we had to get ready for a wedding and was told they'd do everything they could. Arrived at the hotel and was told the maids hadn't started on the room yet and it'd be over an hour's wait. Was subsequently not even told when the room became ready 1.5 hours later, I had to check with them. This was too late for the wedding, I'd had to change in the toilets. We ordered room service for breakfast and the standard of the food was well below par, the toast and coffee arriving over 10 minutes after the main breakfast had been served and gone cold. To complete the fiasco, there was no hot water in the shower, I had to wait 5 minutes to get luke warm water from the sink tap" (3305017528)

    central location

    attitude of reception staff - namely the manager

  • 7/10 Anonymous (Young couple) 

    on  August 9, 2006

    Breakfast was over-priced

  • 10/10 Anonymous (Group of work colleagues) 

    on  August 7, 2006

    The Bush hotel was excellent and I will definately be staying again in the near future. I was on business on this occaision but intend to visit again with my husband next time.

  • 7/10 Anonymous (Solo business traveller) 

    on  August 5, 2006

    Staff are polite, friendly and efficient. The Hotel is ideally situation in the middle of the town, close to restaurants and shops.

  • 8/10 Deborah (Mature couple) 

    from Lincoln , United Kingdom;GB on  July 27, 2006

    Beautiful hotel, fantastic staff, polite and attended to every need immediately.

    Small room, changed at last minute, very hot, no air conditioning.

  • 7/10 Nick (Same sex couple) 

    from Esher , United Kingdom;GB on  July 27, 2006

    "as above,,and although the breakfast was layed out in a fantastic manour,,the coooked breakfast was small and and the fried bread burnt,,but all in all a good stay,,i have stayed before and would again" (3305068987)

    The hotel is very nice room was good and comftable

    The bathroom had craks in the tiles,,and the carpet was worn,,in gen i felt the room did need a makeover

The views expressed on this page are the personal opinions of guests and therefore do not necessarily represent the views of Active Hotels, Active Reservations or our distribution partners (About our hotel reviews).

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