The Kings Head Hotel

Hotels
8.5 (1682 reviews)
8 High Street , Ross on Wye , gb

Free
Pets allowed

Facilities

WiFi available
Free WiFi
Parking
Free Parking
Non-smoking rooms
Restaurant
Heating
Family rooms
Pets allowed
Luggage storage
See all facilities

Review Highlights

Pros:
Excellent location
Friendly and helpful staff
Comfortable rooms
Good food
Cons:
Some cleanliness issues
Minor room quality concerns

Categories

Cleanliness
7.14
Rooms were noted as spotless in some reviews, but there were multiple minor cleanliness issues reported.
Service
9.11
Staff were consistently described as friendly and helpful across multiple reviews.
Location
9.15
Many reviews praised the excellent location of the hotel.
Room Quality
8.1
Rooms were generally comfortable and well-appointed, with some specific concerns about temperature and noise.
Amenities
8.63
Amenities were generally well-received, though some issues were mentioned.
Value for Money
8.59
Most feedback indicated good value, with some exceptions related to specific issues.
Food and Beverage
8.64
Food quality was mentioned positively in several reviews.
Overall Experience
8.61
Overall experience was rated positively by most guests, with a few minor criticisms.
* This sentiment is summarized by AI based on user reviews.
Updated at: 2026-01-07 02:35

Property Description

Historic Charm

Experience the charm of a 14th century hotel with original oak beams and a large stone fireplace. Each room on the first or second floor offers an en suite bathroom, tea/coffee facilities, and free Wi-Fi.

Fine Dining and Drinks

Indulge in the popular on-site restaurant, open to all, featuring a 19-meter well and fresh market produce. The Kings Bar offers a variety of single malts, wines, and local ales.

Ideal Location for Exploring

Conveniently located for exploring The Wye Valley, Black Mountains, and more, with attractions like Tintern Abbey and Goodrich Castle nearby. Book now to experience history and luxury in Ross-on-Wye.

Important information:

All rooms are on either first or second floor, and there is no elevator. The hotel is not suitable for anyone who has difficulty with stairs.

Reservations for the restaurant are necessary. To guarantee a reservation at the restaurant please contact the hotel in advance to reserve a table, once you have booked your room. Bar meals are not served on Friday and Saturday nights or when the restaurant is very busy.Please inform of your expected arrival time in advance. You can use the Special Requests box when booking, or contact the property directly using the contact details in your confirmation.
Guests under the age of 18 can only check in with a parent or official guardian.
A deposit may be required at the property.

Check-in and check-out hours:
Check-out: 11:00 AM
Airport code: BHX

Property Policies

  • Parking

    Free private parking is possible on site (reservation is not possible).

  • Pets

    Pets are allowed. No extra charges.

  • Children and extra bed policy

    Children are not allowed.
    You haven't added any cots.
    You haven't added any extra beds.

  • Internet

    WiFi is available in public areas and is free of charge.

Location

Guest Reviews

8.5
Based on 1682 reviews
Cleanliness: 7.14
Service: 9.11
Location: 9.15
Room Quality: 8.1
Amenities: 8.63
Value for Money: 8.59
Food and Beverage: 8.64
Overall Experience: 8.61
W
Wendy solo_traveller gb
6
Good location
Pros:

Good location for town.
Comfortable bed , large bathroom.
Radio provided.
Friendly staff.

Cons:

Very very noisy and difficult to sleep due to being able to hear every footstep of people in the room above due to excessive creaking if ceiling.
T.V too small , pillows too soft.
Air conditioning very noisy clunking on and off every few minutes .
Sash Windows didn't shut properly
Breakfast generous but sausage and bacon dried out due to being obviously precooked and kept in a warming dish until required.

2026-07-04 via Nuitee
M
Matthias solo_traveller de
8
2026-07-04 via Nuitee
G
Graham solo_traveller gb
9
Pros:

Friendly staff. Good facilities and excellent location

2026-07-03 via Nuitee
M
Matt couple gb
8
Lovely old hotel in a great location
Pros:

Property was in an excellent location and rooms were plenty big enough. Small car park but I managed to get parking ok. Staff friendly and breakfast was decent.

Cons:

Unfortunately because this is an old property there is no AC in the rooms. I stayed during the recent heatwave and although a fan was provided, the rooms were uncomfortably hot.

2026-07-02 via Nuitee
J
John couple gb
5
Pros:

Freshly cooked, good choice

Cons:

Parking, noise from the Main Street

2026-07-02 via Nuitee
W
Wang family_with_children gb
8
lovely historical vibe
Pros:

really lovely staff, great location, i really liked the old timey historical vibe of the place.

Cons:

we came in the summer and although there was AC our room was a little warm! we were provided with a fan though and that did help a lot.

2026-07-02 via Nuitee
E
Elizabeth couple gb
10
Pros:

Room was very large,bed was comfortable, staff friendly central to ross on wye.

Cons:

Nothing not to like.

2026-07-02 via Nuitee
K
Kevin family_with_children au
9
Enjoyed my stay. Food was great. Comfy. Noice.
Pros:

Location was great. Central Ross. Comfy, rooms. No complaints

Cons:

Wifi was poor.

2026-07-02 via Nuitee
A
Andrew solo_traveller gb
9
King's Head, Loved it.
Pros:

Amazing Georgian building with massive internal structural beams that the namby pamby Tudors could only have imagined. The King's Head is not one of these heavily restored old hotels that tourists coo over; you could say it is still a working coaching inn that really gives you a feeling of being the latest in god knows how many generations of travellers turning up there looking for a bed and food and drink. Our bed (room six) was very comfy. It's one of the few hotels I've stayed in where the pillows felt right. Too often they're too hard, these were on the button.
Breakfast is very good. The full English includes a sausage to die for (you don't need two), seriously good bacon too. If you don't want a fried egg the breakfast cook knows how to make real scrambleds, not the bloody omelette jigsaw you get in so many places. You can get those creamy scrambleds with smoked salmon on toasted sourdough too. Lovely. Really good coffee with it.
The dinner menu in the restaurant is compact, indicating that they're actually cooking. The 10oz rump steak I had was great and cooked exactly how I ordered with a huge knob of blue cheese butter on top (other sauces available). I had a pile of delish devilled kidneys to start... Could have been a little more devilish but very very tasty all the same. Visitors love their pies, and having seen one (beef brisket pie iirc) I can understand why. Didn't have desert due to lack of space.
The special one night was a gorgeous piece of hake (in herb crumb, I think) - saw it being eaten with proper appreciation a couple of tables over.
The darkish, comfy, bar, with no pretentions whatsoever, is a place where I fancy spending winter evenings with the spirits of the wet and chilly travellers just arrived from their coaches.
Not mentioned the staff - they're great, they're helpful, cheerful and chatty if you want that (I do). They make the experience better still. Keep it up guys.

Cons:

This is not a list of things I didn't like. If you choose to stay at the King's Head, remember it is not an expensively restored place, with perfect black and white timbers and plaster. The narrow street outside makes it feel a little dark inside despite its huge sash windows but it feels like what I said before - a hard-working inn that has had thousands upon thousands of boots through the door.
Would I remedy the cockeyed spiral stairs? probably not, they're a key feature for me. The ground floor to first floor stairs are ok, but first to second look a bit like Maurits Escher had a hand in their design (I exaggerate)...still, people had no problem - it's only a short flight - and there is an alternative set of stairs available. Watch out for typically irregular floors upstairs too.
The car park is compact with a narrow entrance but there is a pay car park directly behind it with a walk-through to the hotel.
Overall I thought the Kings Head was one of the most fascinating places I have ever stayed in. Once again: Good food, good local beer and nice local gin, comfy bed, tons of atmosphere and lovely staff.

2026-07-02 via Nuitee
T
Tom solo_traveller gb
7
2026-07-02 via Nuitee
L
Leonard couple gb
10
Pros:

Excellent stay from start to finish

2026-07-01 via Nuitee
G
Gilbert solo_traveller gb
8
2026-06-30 via Nuitee
K
Kevin couple gb
10
2026-06-30 via Nuitee
J
Julie solo_traveller gb
7
Pros:

Location and clean room

Cons:

It wasn't very welcoming. Main entrance is shabby and dull so not great first impressions. The property needs a good face-lift.

2026-06-30 via Nuitee
E
Emma couple gb
8
Beautiful traditional hotel
Pros:

Location

Cons:

Stairs

2026-06-29 via Nuitee
L
Lynda solo_traveller gb
8
Pros:

Lovely big bedroom and en suite. Nice, friendly welcome and pleasant, helpful staff throughout. Very good breakfast and excellent location.

Cons:

Steep staircases up to the room. Street noise until quie late (but was a Saturday night and a England match during the world cup!).

2026-06-29 via Nuitee
C
Caroline couple gb
7
Pros:

Ideal location, character property, staff friendly.

Cons:

Air Con unit extremely noisy, unable to sleep with it on. Breakfast could be improved.

2026-06-28 via Nuitee
H
Hanson solo_traveller gb
9
Pros:

Stayed for 2 nights during the June heatwave. AC in the bar and restaurant were a blessing. Staff were very helpful and attentive. The room was comfortable as was the bed. A fan was in the room which helped. Cask ales which are brewed at the rear of the site and are well worth trying.

Cons:

Nothing worth commenting about

2026-06-27 via Nuitee
A
Ann couple gb
8
A lovely stay in a characterful property
Pros:

Great location, big comfortable pub with different rooms to relax in.

2026-06-25 via Nuitee
R
Robert couple de
9
Nice stay in the center of town in a historic property
Pros:

Arrived via motorcycle and were lucky enough to get parking behind the hotel. I don't know where they would park you otherwise. Bike felt secure here. It was a top floor room with A/C which was great. The room was smaller than expected but it worked fine for just the one night. Staff was friendly and helpful. Great location and easy to walk around the village and see the history. Dinner in the restaurant was good and breakfast was excellent.

2026-06-23 via Nuitee