The Beckford Arms located on the edge of the parkland on Fonthill Estate has been featured in The Telegraph’s hotel awards for 2024 and was crowned “best budget hotel”.
It was praised for having “homely, stylish and beautifully equipped” bedrooms and “sophisticated yet traditional” pub grub – quite possibly the best of both worlds.
Commenting on its global hotel guide, the publisher explained: “The Telegraph’s collection of more than 10,000 hotel reviews is a unique resource that spans the globe, with contributions from hundreds of destination expert writers.
“But which of these hotels can be described as the very, very best? The inaugural Telegraph Hotel Awards aims to answer that question. It’s your guide to the planet’s most amazing places to stay, from boutique boltholes you’ll be recommending for years to the five-star palaces that genuinely justify their price tags.
“Individual awards have also been given for the best new hotel, best budget hotel, best spa hotel, best for sustainability, best for accessibility and best for families.”
It continued: “Some 24 of our hotel reviewers made up five judging panels; Europe, Asia, Americas and Caribbean, Africa and Oceania. Using their own expertise, our reviews and an analytical formula, they were able to rate and thus rank the hotels in question.”
See all 50 of the world’s best hotels here.
What did The Telegraph say about The Beckford Arms?
The publisher wrote: “The creeper-clad Beckford Arms stands in Fonthill Gifford, opposite the distinctive stone arch that leads to the spectacular rolling parkland of the Fonthill Estate.
“This is one of the country’s most sought-after and appealing inns, with eight keenly priced bedrooms.
“These are homely, stylish and beautifully equipped, with thoughtful touches that include woolly hot water bottles and Bramley toiletries.”
It adds: “At dinner you’ll find sophisticated yet traditional pub grub that inspires long lunches and convivial suppers, with outdoor dining and a pizza oven in summer.
“Breakfast is a highlight: a table laden with croissants and pastries, yogurts and compotes; even a bloody-Mary station, plus cooked dishes to order.”
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Over on Tripadvisor, a recent visitor left a review about their “truly excellent” Friday lunch at The Beckford Arms.
They added: “The peach and burrata salad sounds simple enough but getting it just right requires subtlety and they aced it – for all three of us! And my whole plaice was perfectly cooked.
“Our waitress was attentive, charming and knowledgeable too. I was with two seasoned hospitality professionals who are hard to impress but definitely were. Well done The Beckford – I’ll be back. Thank you.”
Another posted about their visit: “Lovely bedroom very well laid out and decorated. Very clean. Friendly and helpful staff. Delicious dinner and breakfast. Highly recommended for a stopover or longer stay. Very peaceful location on the Fonthill Estate. Just a great village pub.”
