Dartington Trust - Totnes

Dartington Trust

Dartington Trust is a unique and diverse charitable trust based in the beautiful South Hams of Devon, England. Located at Dartington Hall, Totnes TQ9 6EL, this historic estate offers a wide range of facilities and activities, making it a popular destination for tourists, locals, and visitors alike.

Address: Dartington Hall, Totnes TQ9 6EL
Phone: 01803847000
Website: dartington.org

SPECIALTIES

• Charity
• Café
• Events Venue
• Garden
• Historical landmark
• Hotel
• Learning Centre
• Cinema
• Restaurant
• Tourist attraction

OTHER POINTS OF INTEREST

• On-site services
• Wheelchair-accessible car park
• Wheelchair-accessible entrance
• Wheelchair-accessible seating
• Wheelchair-accessible toilet

OPINIONS

This company has 69 reviews on Google My Business.
AVERAGE OPINION: 2.7/5

Dartington Trust is renowned for its rich history, stunning architecture, and diverse range of facilities. The estate boasts a beautiful garden, a grand hall, and numerous other historic buildings that are open to the public. Visitors can explore the grounds, attend events, dine at the on-site restaurant, or stay overnight at the hotel.

In addition to its historical significance, Dartington Trust is also a charity and learning centre, offering a wide variety of workshops, courses, and events for people of all ages. The trust is committed to promoting sustainability, creativity, and social justice, and its programs reflect these values.

The estate is also home to a cinema, café, and art galleries, providing visitors with a diverse range of cultural experiences. With its unique combination of history, beauty, and community engagement, Dartington Trust is a truly special place that appeals to a wide range of interests.

👍 Reviews of Dartington Trust

Sue S.

Such a beautiful place to stay! On the Dartington Estate. So peaceful and quiet. It had the feel of an old college - how I imagine an Oxford Uni college house to be. My room was huge with a queen size bed, tea and coffee making facilities, toiletries, lovely towels and robes. It wasn’t en suite - too old for that! But I had my own lovely bathroom (shower only) directly across the little corridor. Great pub and restaurant at the White Hart across the little quadrangle through beautiful gardens. Great breakfast and friendly staff. Definitely staying here again! Did I mention incredible value for money?

Andy G.

Sadly I have no idea what has happened to this hotel but it is now terrible. We stayed 3 nights. I booked a ensuite the first night and third night but not the second due to availability. We did not get an ensuite the first night but a room with a separate bathroom. Both Booking.com and I have complained and tried to raise the issue but nobody seems to care or acknowledge my booking even though I sent emails and photos to prove it. There was also a blood stain on the pillow case which was pointed out to the new head of the hotel who acknowledged the problem. There were laundry bags and dirty laundry left in the top floor corridor for two days. Towels had holes in them and were torn. Bathrooms were mouldy with peeling paint, and one room was dirty. Some of the reception staff made us feel like the hotel would be better without paying customers. Moral seemed really low. I have been coming to this hotel for a long time, usually about once or twice a year. It is stunning place. Great little cinema, cafes and beautiful gardens. Loads of historical buildings but the hotel has lost its way. It was very sad to see. The staff in the Great Hall dining room are good but it is the hotel that is poor. My father had just died after I had cared for him over the last 6 years. I wanted to come somewhere that meant a great deal to my dad and me. Sadly, I would now say, visit the facilities but do not stay at the hotel until it improves. I stayed at another hotel in Totnes on Friday called The Seven Stars. This was good and had lovely, polite staff, clean rooms and laundry. Very, very sad to see Dartington Hall hotel struggling.

peter A.

1/5

Such a terrible decision to shut the wonderful forest garden that has been there for decades and has helped so many learn about growing resilient food gardens. This type of project must be protected.

Mrs W.

Only stayed 1 night & arrived late but we had a really lovely room in East House. It was immaculately clean & quiet. |Room was small but well equipped & warm. |It’s a beautiful estate & looking at other reviews we were very lucky with our allocated room.

Mark H.

We arrived late on the evening of Aug 29th having driving 3-4 hours and attended a funeral. We realised we would miss check in... after registering online to book in with our car registration we're informed that we would need to check in at the pub.||We booked dinner. Upon arrival the bar tender wasn't able to direct us to our rooms and no site map was provided.||We then sat and order drinks. When the waitress arrives she spilled an entire pint of beer over my wife and I and dropped the glass on her phone and cracked her phone screen. Not the best start but after that initial shock we did our best to both dry up and get some food.||The food was to be fair absolutely delicious and there is certainly credit to be given for a fairly priced quality menu. ||When we received the bill it was complete with beer and to be honest tired and damp we decided to let it go, and get to our £250 a night luxury suite, get a hot bath or shower and relax on a cloud of a bed with fluffy pillow...||When we finally found the room having walked the grounds for a while in the dark we were met with a room that the luxury tag line did not equate with. ||Firstly the mould in the bathroom is totally unacceptable. In and around the shower corners, wall and screen black mould was present, I have an allergy to mouldy spores and dustmites and this kind of thing has affects on my breathing and skin.||No bathrobes were available ||The hairdryer we hoped to use to dry our clothing a bit more did not work||There were cobwebs over the ceiling and window recesses||The television was at a strange angle to the bed about 12" and from the early 2000s||The room could not be made totally dark as light comes through the door cracks and a blue light that controls the air vent in the bathroom glows out and lights the room||The bed... ||The bed was two singles strapped together a pet peeve of mine,. If I pay for a king sized bed I expect it and hate falling in between the mattresses imthe middle. ||The pillows were old awful and lumpy||The mattress was stained beyond what can be considered fair, it was also old and springy, and I could feel them as I tossed and turned trying to avoid the lumps in the pillows. ||We arose early as we had a long journey back packed and went to get breakfast. ||No tables were available to sit at and the clearly out of depth waitress working alone had no solution as to how to get us a seat other than outside on a cold wet morning. ||I decided to go and pack the car whilst my wife managed to create her own table by splitting one off from a display. ||The food again was nice but the buffet style didn't fit with the "luxury" tag line. ||There was no ketchup, no fruit and a few other items were running out, there are no options to get a poached or fried egg or something fresh from the kitchen. ||We decided we would make a complaint at this point.. We walked to the welcome centre where we were greeted by the hospitality manager Carrie. We sat and waited for 15mins at her request, to have a proper discussion about our experience and Carrie I thought genuinely listened to our concerns. ||She offered us 50% refund and a free night's stay when we returned saying they were working hard to make improvements to the accommodation, pub and estate after years of issues. ||They had bought in a London management team and were on the case. ||I thought that was acceptable, great they know the problems and I get to come stay when I'm back down to see friends. She gave me her number to rebook with as a point of contact||However...||10 days later. We receive a parking fine through the post No refund had been processed and I call and leave Carrie a message... No. Response||2 weeks later I manage after a few attempts and left messages to get hold of the welcome desk and speak with Kate.... She promises to get the refund processed,. I send over the fine info and that gets cancelled. ||5 days later no refund.. I call again and Kate answers, now that I'm a bit annoyed she agrees to refund me the entire stay as I won't be returning. ||It's been another 10 days and that refund isn't in my account I've tried calling 5 times this morning and left a message with them and still no response. ||The meet and greet the service the room and the after care have been awful and someone needs to step up and take responsibility for the experience we have had at this hotel and perhaps finally give me the refund I was promosed

Richard S.

We stayed at Dartington Hall on August Bank Holiday, travelling down on the Monday and staying until the Friday. We used our stay as a base for trips into Devon and Cornwall, so it was the perfect spot for us. ||We had a very pleasant stay in this lovely old Hall and enjoyed the beautiful gardens with so much history to them. We ate at night in The White Hart Resturant. The food was excellent and thoroughly enjoyable. The Chef is a master of their craft. We had many enjoyable conversations with Elliott, the Dupty Manager and nothing was too much, just excellent service.... First Class.||There was entertainment in the gardens and a BBQ most nights, which was very nice. We had a lovely time and want to thank everyone at Dartington Hall, especially Elliott. 'Thank You'.||RS

Emma H.

I don't know where to start really. This hotel is definitely not 4 star. It is missing all of the services and amenities that make a 4 star. ||Im rating it one star but i gave an extra star because the grounds and exterior are beautiful. ||We had booked into a restaurant in the village at 7.30pm so we decided to arrive at Dartington at 5pm to give us a couple hours to relax and freshen up. ||Guests services weren't open when we arrived (even though advertised until 6pm) so had to collect key from the pub. Given the key and poor instructions.|Arrived at room and our bathroom was up the hall in shared hallway. Dartington do 3 double room types: Cosy double; double; double with private external bathroom.| I specifically booked the double room with ensuite bathroom (as in picture) and not the double room with private external bathroom (as per other image) so we went back to the pub to sort out.||The barman offered us a drink with a 10% discount while we waited and was told the hospitality manager had gone home and he would try and sort out. ||Half an hour later we get a new key. Go to the room and it hasnt been changed since the last people. Poo in toilet. Sheets slept in. Shower and sink filthy. Old soap on the side. ||I then head back to the pub. We then get offered a free drink while they sort. No one in the pub has access to the booking system so can't offer a different room. They then decide to call the hospitality manager to come back. ||45 minutes later she arrives. Isn't that apologetic and starts blaming the booking system. She goes off to sort a new room. Comes back with a key and off we go. ||I open the new room and realise immediately it is tiny and actually one of their cosy rooms advertised which is quite a bit cheaper than the room I booked. By this point I'm obviously annoyed so go back to the pub to catch her before she heads off.|She isn't that apologetic and I tell her it's now 7.10pm and I've been here for 2 hours and I just want the room I paid for and it to be clean. ||She then states the only room she has is superior and costs more!!! We end up in the superior (this room costs more) it was clean but if I had paid the extra money for this room I would have been really annoyed. ||It wasn't superior. Tiny tv in the corner hidden behind a beam. No comfort.|The whole place reminds me of a place children go to stay with their school. ||So after 4 rooms we actually get in a room at about 7.20pm. I have time to just quickly change out of my work gear and get to our meal late.||On to breakfast... quality of the actual food was great but terrible buffet and limited choice for a 4 star hotel. Actually better breakfast at a Premier Inn!||All in all a terrible experience and I would say with the lack of the services that a 4 star should be, the hotel is really a 2 or 3 star at most.||- No 24 hour reception service|- no one who can actually help out of hours|- dirty dated rooms|- unhelpful hospitality manager||

Rachel A.

1/5

Unethical and amoral decision to end lease for the food forest. We should all be supporting projects that encourage nature and spaces that can be enjoyed for generations to come not destroying them for greed!