TravelValue: England: Shakespeare

Wednesday, January 31, 2018

Stratford-upon-Avon, England: Shakespeare's Daughter's House A Bit Of A Disappointment

Hall’s Croft
Old Town
Stratford Upon Avon CV37 6BG
United Kingdom
Phone number: +44 1789 292107
Prices: ££££

On the edge of town and just up the street from Holy Trinity Church (Shakespeare's parish church and burial place), the home of William's daughter is quite lovely from the outside, but not nearly as impressive inside.

After entering through the massive gift shop you will find the original house with period furnishings in the first few rooms. Upstairs is a different matter with modern finishings, including drywall and little historical feel, the main room (which would have never been so large) houses a substandard museum dedicated to Dr. Hall's medical profession.

The garden is nice, but with little historical feel and picnic tables for those buying food at their cafè. It is a shame that the majority of this house is dedicated to modern pursuits rather than the historically significant details associated with the property. After all, William Shakespeare himself frequented this home, having lived just around the corner or on his way to or from his church (Holy Trinity) just a 150 yards beyond.

CombatCritic Gives Hall's Croft 5 Bombs Out Of 10 ... More Bombs Are Better!

Five Bombs Equates To:

Translation for Civilians: "Continue Mission"

Stratford-Upon-Avon, England: WAY Overpriced, Unprofessional Staff, And Nonexistent "Free Wi-Fi" Left Us Feeling Underwhelmed

The New Inn

Clifford Chambers

Stratford Upon Avon CV37 8HR

United Kingdom

Phone number: +44 178-929-3402

Facebook Page

Prices: ££££

For the price, the place is a bit of a dump and their "Free Wi-Fi" may as well have been nonexistent, slow as a snail if you were able to connect at all, which we were not.

Breakfast, a mediocre buffet, is only served from 8:30 to 9:30 AM and checkout is at 10 AM, so pre-planning is essential, especially if you have an early morning departure (you must notify them by 9PM the night before). As you will see below, their policies seem to favor themselves rather than the paying customer.

When I asked the bartender why there was no internet in our room and unable to connect in the common areas, she threw up her hands and told me "what do you want me to do about it?". Explaining to her that "free Wi-Fi" was advertised when we booked the room and that I needed it for work, she looked at the local standing next to me and said "what would people do without internet these days?". When I commented on her rude and unhelpful response, she said she would do something about it, but never followed through. We were unable to connect that night and the next morning before leaving.

At £65 ($92) per night, the small room was plain with mismatched furniture, a tiny TV, and a bathroom desperately in need of repairs (see photos). We stayed at much nicer places in both central London and Chester for $12 less than this shithole in the middle of nowhere.

The sole highlight was their "carvery" (£8.95/small plate - £10.95/large plate) dinner with sliced beef, turkey and gammon (ham) as well as roasted and mashed potatoes, parsnips, stuffing, Yorkshire pudding, gravy and several veggies, but when I asked about the policy for seconds on sides, the carver told me "read the sign mate, one trip only". Like the bartender, not very professional. Actually, nobody was friendly, neither staff nor customers, which had not been our experience in London, Cambridgeshire, Manchester, Chester, Nuneaton, Stratford Upon Avon, or Windsor. Maybe they simply do not like "Yanks" or outsiders in Clifford Chambers. In any event, we did not feel welcome and were extremely disappointed by our experience.