Kings Arms Inn

Friendly staff , nice bar , warm room what more do you need ! 10 mins to Exeter central

Greeted by the stink of urine from the public toilets, I was shown to a room upstairs which smelt badly of drains from the en suite. There wasn't sufficient ventilation in the en suite and there was black mould everywhere to accompany the smell of the drains. The mould was so built up it suggests no one had attempted to deal with the problem for a very long time. Previous bad reviews from years ago say about mould. I had been told the hotel was fully booked so I knew I couldn't switch to another room. My brother's room was actually OK (en suite with an outside window) and we had driven 6 hours to get there so moving hotels wasn't something I wanted to do. We had a wedding nearby the next day. I kept the shower room door closed and the bedroom window open for ventilation, despite it being quite cold. I wished I had packed a facemask to wear in the en suite. Mould on the bedroom curtains showed how really bad the problem was. The TV blew up within 15 minutes of use. Then, the live music started from the pub below. It was very loud. The next day, just as I was leaving for the wedding, the macerator behind the toilet started overflowing. It had been incredibly loud each time it ran. I reported that to the staff before leaving, expecting they would call a plumber. On our return later that evening, nothing had been done about the flooding. The Kings Arms is 15 minutes from Exeter where I am sure a plumber could have been found. I asked for some old towels to catch the flood each time I used the basin or toilet. Each time the macerator ran, it got worse. The morning could not have come quick enough so I could escape that room. If you book to stay at The Kings Arms Inn I think you will be taking a gamble. I only saw two rooms, room 1 and room 6. 6 was OK as a basic room but room 1 was a health hazard. People with asthma beware. The appeal of the character of such an old building was completely overshadowed by the state of the shower room. I do not know if there are other rooms like mine was . Do you feel lucky enough to book? I wish I hadn't.

I did not stay at this hotel so cannot comment about the rooms. However, I did take some friends for a meal and it was really bad. We had a sort of beef stew with dumplings. There was very little meat and what was used was obviously left over from Sunday roast. The dumplings were like rocks. I complained but had no reaction from the lady in charge. I live locally and will never take anyone there again.

Lunch was really great, staff were very friendly and helpful and made sure our drinks were full! This is a proper English pub which is what we were after coming from Australia. Even the decor and the atmosphere was very English, love it. Thank you

Most unpleasant night - no sleep until 12.00 and woken up at 07.45 The room was of a very poor standard small dark and dingy with holes in the walls Electrics appeared to be of a very low standard Sound proofing to bar area below - inadequate or non existent - maybe fire proofing is the same? Unbelievable noise from exposed water and waste pipes in our room from guests using their facilities above No privacy whilst using toilet - view of car park both in and out through unfrosted window Problem with food orders in restaurant With all the above problems we declined to eat a breakfast. We have videoed the room but see photos on this site for confirmation, would not recommend at any price

What a lovely room. Stayed in room 3 from 5th September to the 6th September. Checked in pretty late 9.30pm. Staff was very welcoming and polite. Didn't get the try the food as the kitchen was closed. As for the room, it was very modern. Bed was very comfortable and a decent amount of pillows. Smart TV in room, free WiFi, cleanliness was not an issue. Shower was very powerful. Parking was not an issue either. Could easly fit my 3.5t luton van in the car park. For £50 this was a bargain coming from someone who spends attest 1 night a week in hotels due to work. Would highly recommend.

Traditional dog friendly village pub with a good varied food menu. Quality of the food (steaks) was very good and the staff friendly and helpful. The only draw back from an excellent rated review was the wafting of cigarette smoke both in the bar and dining area.

From the outside the pub looks lovely and we felt the staff seem more interested in the locals and the bar than the guest and cleanliness of the rooms , as previously reviewed by another guest we was greeted by an elderly gentleman who told us that breakfast was at ‘9am’ not would that be ok or could you … but it was and that was it, are room was dated but I can accept that being in a village pub I didn’t expect modern , staff not very friendly didn’t take any time to speak except to take an order, so back to the lack of cleanliness- I will let you see the pictures which say it all …

Visited for a mid-week lunch, staff were friendly and service good. I had the prawn baguette which came with chips and salad which was very nice and plenty to eat. Husband had a huge bowl of mussels with bread which was good, dont know how he managed to eat it all. Overall a good experience, just felt the place was a bit let down by the interior, quite dark and dingy though obviously this is an old building. Pub was very quiet, might have a better atmosphere when more lively and busy.