The Izaak Walton Hotel

A quirky little spot with bags of character — and just as many creaky floorboards. The staff were warm and welcoming, and our room was spotless, although any notion of soundproofing seems to have been more of a suggestion than a feature. Expect to become well-acquainted with your neighbours’ late-night coughs and early morning floorboard sprints. The hotel itself has a certain quaint charm, the kind that teeters between “authentically rustic” and “in need of a modest refurb”. A lick of paint and a few modern touches wouldn’t go amiss. The bar food was a mixed bag — the pie and mash was genuinely enjoyable, while the burger looked like it had done a short stint in prison before making its way to our table. Edible, just not… uplifting. Fortunately, we had a decent Hotels.com discount, which made the stay feel like fair value. Without it, the price tag — particularly for food and drink — would have been hard to justify for what is, in essence, a perfectly average experience with a side of charm.

The location of the hotel is lovely. Once there some interesting places are within walking distance - Dovedale and Ilam for example.

Comfortable room though squeaky doors and broken chair. Bar food pricey but ordinary, breakfast sufficient but below expectations. Friendly and helpful staff. Beautiful setting in magnificent surroundings.

The property was charming and fantastic location. The food, however was very basic, both dinner and breakfast.

Nice and comfortable location is perfect to stay in. Good view all around.

Well located hotel within beautiful countryside, room good size and clean, breakfast OK but dinner menu very restricted -- ordered steak & ale pie but received chicken pie, offered a complimentary dessert but actually charged for it.

The location is superb but the hotel does not match this. The staff are reasonable, the food is very expensive for not much quality or quantity and the place is tired. Coupled with problems in checking out it was nice but we will likely not return.

A must for anyone visiting Ashbourne and the manifold valley. Lovely hotel with amazing staff. Little dated but full of character. Comfy bed with an incredible view. Great breakfast too x

The hotel is in a fantastic location. If you’re expecting modern and contemporary then think again. It’s an old building but the staff are very nice and it has character.

A characterful property with a warm and comfortable atmosphere and excellent service. Location is perfect affording great and unspoilt views of dovedale, makes an ideal base for walkers. Would definitely recommend.

Comfortable hotel in fabulous location

Excellent breakfast, friendly staff, terrific location. Clean, tidy room that could do with a refurb. Very hard bed! Close to hill walks as well as Dovedale and The Tissington TrAil

Such a beautiful and relaxing setting. A quiet ambient indoor setting to and furnished well. The food was adequate at breakfast and the evening meal was good. An improvement would be better quality pillows as the ones provided where flat and uncomfortable.

Rooms very comfortable and clean.Lovely scenic area Excellent chef

Hotel, restaurant and bar meals all grossly overrated and overpriced. For example, £10 for soup and £12 for a piece of cheesecake on the bar menu. The breakfast selection was poor; full English and/or cereals. No continental options such as meats, fruits or pastries. The hotel is very tired looking, with damp areas showing throughout. The rooms are very basic, even though we paid for an executive room. Woken in the night by the noisy shower in the next door room. Altogether, not the experience we were hoping for. Very disappointed.

We didn't like the menu. And where you could eat sirtain menu items. Much improvement needed. E.g you couldn't have a gammon steak in the restaurant,bar only

Fabulous walking area - comfortable rooms

We both slept well in very comfortable beds. My average scores reflect the draughty and cool Derwent Bar which reduced the pleasure of a pre-Dinner drink. My wife’s diet is restricted and she was allowed to order the Haddock and Chips in the Restaurant - sadly - no Mushy Peas. My choice of the Lamb Rump proved to be mediocre and as such well over-priced at £30. We enjoyed sharing the Cheeseboard which was enough for two. The Waitress was helpful and very pleasant. Breakfast OK but limited choice of Cereal.

The only thing going for this hotel is its location. The rooms, staff service, are poor. AA 3* is very generous. Everything seems to be very basic.

Everything about our one night stay was perfect. The location and views were great. Staff were helpful and friendly. Evening meal in bar was great as was breakfast in morning. Bedroom overlooked hills and was comfy and spacious.