The King Alfred Pub  

Super friendly, staff went out of their way to make you feel comfortable and at home, it leaves the "major hotels"in the shadows. Value for money, good choice of food, didn't feel the need to eat out, would most certainly recommend the King Alfred.

Friendly and welcoming staff. Rooms were clean, a good size and had that touch of 'home'.

I chose this pub partly because it used to be my local 25+ years ago: pleased to find it still had the friendly welcoming atmosphere I remembered ! The location is great - 10 minutes walk to the city centre and cathedral close. The room was spacious, warm and well furnished - with a small but attractive shower room and the full english breakfast superb. would certainly stay here again and recommend it to others.

The accomodation was very good.

It had quite a nice atmosphere, the staff were very friendly and helpful.

Good location, simple but clean rooms, food good at times (belly pork great) and not expensive, nice beer and wine in the pub, some staff cheerful and friendly, locals clearly make good happy use of the pub.

The NOISE at night! Stayed in 2 rooms and noise from machines somewhere in the building was annoying in one (short but loud at 2am) and dreadful in the other (very loud and went on for 3 hours at 4am). The food was good in places but at other times was overcooked (the veg!) or poorly executed (fish pie, game pie). Breakfast: the pre-fabricated hashbrowns.. they're hashbrowns, Jim, but not as we know them. I didn't like the bacon, soft and flabby. I didn't like being told to sit 'no, not there, here' at breakfast. I didn't like breakfast service consisting of 'full English, then?' or how the server could not remember our orders between table and kitchen. I didn't like the grumpy world-weariness of some staff. I didn't like the darkness of the rooms, dimness of the lights, or how some lights did not function; nor the cracked basin and worn-down varnish in the bathroom. I certainly didn't like finding three fresh dog turds from the hotel dog on the carpet when I came to check out. I would not rush back.

The King Alfred is a perfect choice for accommodation in Winchester! It's on a quiet residential street, a very pleasant 10 minute walk to the centre. Rooms are quite comfortable; the large double (room 3) had plenty of space for our 4 pieces of luggage as we returned from a trip overseas. The other rooms are smaller but still furnished to the same standard. The staff is excellent; very friendly yet will allow you complete privacy if that's what you desire. There is no parking on the premises, but this is not a problem as the hotel provides a residential permit and you will find a space within a block of the hotel. The free wifi worked flawlessly. The pub has a good drink selection and prices are reasonable. It can be crowded in the early evening but it's large enough that you will still find a table and it seems to be calm and quiet by 10pm so no problem with noise in the bedrooms. In warmer weather, the garden would provide a beautiful relaxing setting. Full English breakfast was included each day, with eggs (well, one egg to be precise) cooked perfectly to order and served very quickly. A selection of fresh fruit, yoghurt, and cereal was also available. We were so pleasantly surprised by the excellent dinner on our first night there that we decided to return for dinner on our second night as well. The Supreme of Chicken was a large, perfectly cooked tender breast, served that night with a delicious cheese sauce; the pork belly was also a wonderfully cooked, large portion served over cooked apples. These were simple yet outstanding meals and were accompanied by a selection of piping hot (and not overcooked) vegetables. The steak served to another table was large and appeared to be tender and perfectly cooked too. There are several specials each night, along with a full standard menu with lots of options.

This will sound too negative, as we will most definitely return to the King Alfred for our future visits to Winchester, but I would like to point out a couple of things for future visitors. Room 3 was in generally good condition but the walls are ready for a refresh as the corners are peeling a bit. The mattress is due for a replacement soon too. The bedroom is bright during the day, but after dark lighting in the bedroom is very poor. Lighting in the bathroom was very good even though one bulb was out. Speaking of the bathroom, there is no bath in room 3; only a shower. That was not a problem for us as we much prefer showers, and in fact it's a very nice large shower with good pressure and plenty of hot water but others could be disappointed. The room was reasonably clean, but not 100% perfect as a few spots got missed. For example, the mirror in the bathroom had toothpaste specks from several previous occupants. Other reviewers mentioned the extractor fan making some noise outside; I can see that this could possibly be a problem for rooms 1 or 4 but it did not affect rooms 2 or 3 at all. Finally, there is a full size armoire for suits, trousers, etc., but no place to hang a long dress or coat.

Great place, lovely comfortable beds, large comfortable rooms. We ate in the pub in the evening, really good menu, well cooked wholesome food. Walking distance into the town. Will definitely stay again whilst our daughter is at the university!

The food was really good in the pub

The owner was very unfriendly to the point of rude

Friendlly staff good service location

Comfy bed. Shower good

Loo and sink needed to be cleaner roofs a bit scruffy would have been nice to have the heating on before I arrived - room smelt a bit - went away when warm

Really nice pub, lovely bar staff and very comfortable rooms. Breakfast full English heaven