Longtime poster here and FAT travel, honestly have never had an experience like this before.
My wife and I recently spent two nights at Fowlescombe Farm in Devon, arriving on a Saturday and departing on a Monday in October. I wanted to share our experience because the glowing reviews and press coverage we read before booking painted a very different picture from what we actually experienced.
TL;DR: The food was phenomenal and the property beautiful, but the farm experience was practically nonexistent, the service fell well short of luxury expectations, and we left deeply disappointed after spending £1,400 for two nights.
We genuinely wanted to love this place. Unfortunately, we left wishing we'd booked somewhere else for our autumn countryside getaway.
- Where exactly is the farm?
One of the main reasons we chose Fowlescombe was its promise of an immersive, luxurious working-farm experience.
Its website, social media, and early press coverage prominently feature sheep, cattle, pigs, piglets, chickens, and opportunities to engage with daily farm life. That's precisely what we wanted.
At check-in, we received a warm welcome with tea and cake, were shown around the property, and given a map and information about scheduled activities.
We specifically mentioned wanting to walk around and see the animals. The map included an area labeled "farmyard — no guest access," but I naively assumed that on a 450-acre working farm we'd encounter plenty of animals throughout the property.
Unfortunately, that wasn't the case.
We spent much of Saturday afternoon and Sunday exploring different trails and searching the accessible pastures for livestock.
We found exactly six sheep and three cows, located in a remote corner of the grounds where we could only observe them from a distance near a gate.
The surrounding pastures were also empty. We learned that the chickens had been "rehomed" and that other cattle were grazing in a restricted wooded area where we couldn't see them.
It eventually became apparent that the operational farmyard and barns were farther up a hill, beyond the woods, and not freely accessible to hotel guests.
I understand the realities of farming. Animals move, pastures need rest, and farms aren't petting zoos. But surely the appeal of booking an immersive working-farm retreat is the opportunity to actually experience the farm?
- The pigs: Repeatedly told no, while other visitors apparently received access.
This was perhaps the most frustrating part of our stay, particularly after what we discovered when we returned home.
Sunday morning: At breakfast, we specifically asked a member of staff about seeing the animals, including the pigs and piglets.
She initially seemed enthusiastic and offered to investigate where they were.
When she returned, however, her demeanor seemed noticeably different. We were told that the pigs were up near the barns rather than in the accessible fields, and that we couldn't see them. She didn't mention the sheep and just said we might see some cows at the edge of the property. We were also informed that the piglets had recently undergone a medical procedure.
We completely understood the animal welfare considerations and had no intention of disturbing recovering animals.
What disappointed us was that nobody offered an alternative. No supervised visit elsewhere, no suggestion of other accessible livestock like sheep, and no meaningful way to experience the farm since the next "Farm Visit" activity wasn't scheduled until Tuesday. I suspect she was afraid to tell us, they probably moved all the animals to the farmyard for fall and we couldn't see any of them outside of when its a scheduled activity.
Sunday evening: At dinner, we overheard another guest discussing the piglets with a different staff member, who indicated that they would be able to see them on Tuesday during the scheduled farm tour.
This left us confused. Were the pigs unavailable because of medical concerns, or was access simply restricted to scheduled tours?
Rather than give up, we asked again on Sunday evening whether we could arrange to see the pigs on Monday morning before leaving.
Monday morning: We were again told that seeing the pigs wasn't possible. So after repeatedly asking throughout our stay, we departed without being able to visit the pigs or meaningfully engage with daily farm life.
Then came a particularly disappointing discovery.
After returning home, my wife came across social media content appearing to show another couple being personally taken to see the pigs, apparently on Monday.
What made this particularly frustrating was that we recognized the couple. We had personally seen them check in on Sunday while we were staying at the property. One of the visitors appeared to be a chef at another luxury countryside hotel.
I want to be fair: We don't know what arrangements were made for their visit, but from our perspective, it was incredibly disheartening.
We had expressed our interest at check-in, asked on Sunday morning, and specifically requested a Monday morning visit again that evening.
Perhaps there's a reasonable explanation for the apparent difference in treatment, but it certainly raised questions about whether farm experiences are offered consistently to guests.
For £700 per night, that was exceptionally disappointing.
- Friendly staff, but nowhere near luxury-level service
Unfortunately, the farm wasn't our only disappointment.
I want to emphasize that individual staff members were generally friendly and accommodating when we specifically asked for something. But being friendly and responding to requests isn't the same as delivering thoughtful, personalized luxury hospitality.
Throughout our stay, nearly everything felt reactive rather than proactive.
A few examples:
Housekeeping: Our initial turndown was basic, and plates weren't cleared from the room. We received no apparent daytime housekeeping on Sunday, with items remaining until the evening turndown.
In-room amenities: Refreshments consisted essentially of tea, coffee, milk, and water. Earlier coverage described thoughtfully stocked minibars with local treats in certain suite categories. Those touches were absent from our accommodation.
Afternoon drinks and cake in the greenhouse: This was probably the clearest example of the lack of attention to detail.
We texted staff approximately 90 minutes ahead to arrange drinks and cake in the greenhouse. They happily confirmed.
When we arrived, however, nothing had been prepared. Nobody was there, no table had been set up, and the fire wasn't lit.
Eventually, a staff member arrived, took our drinks order, returned with cake, and mentioned we could get more from another building if we wanted. Only afterward did they ask whether we'd like the fire turned on.
I know these sound like relatively minor complaints individually, but isn't that precisely what distinguishes a genuinely exceptional luxury hotel from an ordinary one?
We weren't expecting anything extravagant. A prepared table, a lit fire, or some small personalized touch would have made a real difference.
Instead, despite arranging everything in advance, it felt as though we'd simply turned up unannounced.
At a property with roughly ten suites and seemingly 2 other guests during our visit, we expected considerably more attention to detail.
- Even the advertised experiences didn't quite match reality
On Sunday, we attended a bread-making activity described in the experience booklet as hands-on. The chef was lovely and kindly showed us around the garden.
However, the bread-making itself consisted of watching him prepare bread for that evening's dinner. There was no meaningful participation.
Given that we couldn't access the farm or participate in agricultural activities, this could have been a wonderful opportunity to offer something interactive and memorable.
- The glowing reviews from 2025 describe a very different experience
Before booking, we'd read several glowing articles published shortly after Fowlescombe opened.
A review in The Sunday Times described extensive prearrival consultations, bedding preferences, activity planning, and thoughtful personal touches.
Country Life described guests engaging with daily farm life, including collecting eggs, and feeding animals.
Other early coverage emphasized exceptionally personalized hospitality and thoughtfully stocked rooms.
Our experience was very different:
\- Prearrival planning: Contact was limited to arranging train station transportation and confirming dinner times.
\- Farm involvement: Absolutely no opportunity to participate in daily farm life.
\- Animal encounters: No chickens, no accessible pigs, and only six sheep and three cows visible from a distance.
\- Activities: A supposed hands-on bread-making experience that was simply a demonstration.
\- Service: Almost everything required us to ask rather than being anticipated.
It left us wondering whether things have changed significantly since opening, whether autumn is a particularly poor time to visit, or whether weekends simply aren't receiving the same attention.
Interestingly, Monday morning felt somewhat different. We noticed more of what appeared to be senior management around the property and finally met Basil, the gardener's dog, who was genuinely one of the highlights of our trip.
I can't say whether the difference was due to staffing or simply coincidence, but it made us wonder if a weekday stay might have been different.
At £700 per night, guests shouldn't need to guess which days of the week will deliver the experience being advertised.
- The food was exceptional, but it couldn't save the stay.
I want to give credit where it's deserved. The food at Fowlescombe was genuinely outstanding.
Every meal was excellent, and the chefs clearly take tremendous pride in what they do. The quality, creativity, and attention to detail in the dining experience were easily the highlights of our stay.
The property itself is also beautiful, with spectacular views across the Devon countryside.
However, excellent food alone doesn't justify £700 per night, particularly when the other defining elements of the property fall so far short of expectations.
If you're in the area and looking for somewhere special to have dinner, Fowlescombe might be worth considering.
- Contacting management
Edit since posting:
Update: Management's Response
Following our stay, I was contacted by the owner after sharing our concerns. To her credit, she responded promptly and initially seemed genuinely receptive, acknowledging service failures and offering to discuss our experience personally.
Her subsequent response, however, felt considerably more defensive. Several explanations seemed to mischaracterize our concerns or shift responsibility back onto us, citing our relatively late booking(week in advance), the fact that we were apparently in our room when housekeeping attempted service(not true), and our failure to raise a formal complaint at checkout(don't see what that would change).
Much of the response also focused on explaining the piglets' medical procedure and defending the property's status as a legitimate working farm. (It's obvious the farm and hotel are 2 different entities). Neither was ever our criticism. Our disappointment was the complete absence of meaningful farm engagement and the lack of thoughtful, proactive hospitality throughout our stay.
To her credit, she did acknowledge a disconnect between what was advertised and what was available during our visit, apologized for specific service failures, and offered a £775 refund, which we appreciate and intend to accept.
While that is a meaningful gesture, I came away feeling that the underlying criticism still hadn't been fully understood. Our disappointment was never about any one animal or individual service failure, but the cumulative absence of the personalized luxury farm experience we had paid for.
Final thoughts: Not worth £1,400 for two nights
My advice to anyone considering booking: Ask very specific questions in advance. Will the actual working farm be accessible during your dates? Can you see or interact with animals? Are farm visits available outside scheduled tours? What hands-on experiences will genuinely be offered?
Don't assume that what's described in the early press coverage or shown on social media will necessarily be available during your stay.