Lime Wood Hotel sits in beautiful surroundings in The New Forest and is the latest ‘trendy’ place to stay if you’re a city dweller. Our previous review can be seen in full here but here’s an update following a visit with No.1 Lieutenant.
Update Aug 2015: We visited Lime Wood and it is a beautiful hotel, well run, with impeccable and friendly staff. Accessibility is good and as you enter the hotel, (there is valet parking), the reception is not too large and there’s a fully equipped disabled toilet just behind the adjacent bar/courtyard area, see below
We’re not sure if there’s an induction loop but the smooth wooden floor has a rug and the sound is good as the ceilings are not too high. They do have a Personal Evacuation Plan and there is a deaf fire alarm. A grand staircase takes you to the rooms and of course there’s a lift. We viewed the ‘accessible’ room and it was large enough for a wheelchair but that was it! The bathroom had a shower but there was a significant step/lip to get over and although it appeared to be a wet room, the shower screen extended across the room leaving not a lot of manoeuvrability for a wheelchair. There was a foldable seat but no grab rails, neither were there grab rails around the toilet, a shame as I would have loved to stay there. However, I think they could easily change things and make this a truly inclusive room.
The rest of the hotel was fine, there was the occasional minor step e.g. from the pool to the outside bar, but the Chef’s Table, HH&Co Restaurant, Scullery/Breakfast Room and Spa were all on one level. The floors are flat surfaces and there is the obligatory rug but they appeared to be well fixed to the floors to avoid trips. We were shown the Spa and although the pool doesn’t have a hoist there are shallow steps and a grab rail into the pool. There’s also a disabled changing room.
What did impress me about Lime Wood, apart from the beautiful surroundings, was the standard of cooking in the restaurant – we went a la carte and I had a sea bass encased in a herb crust and as they have their own Smoke House we tried a selection of their meats. All extremely good and reasonably priced, their set meal at lunch time is just £19.50 for 2 courses. I’d definitely go again if only for a day trip as staying overnight would be impossible, for me at least! Only 2 BBS Ticks for the Hotel but 2.5 for HH& Co Restaurant.
