Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Chat

Join the discussion and chat with other Mumsnetters about everyday life, relationships and parenting.

Original poster

Diners at the next table must have had a completely different menu

78 replies

StuntNun · 14/03/2015 21:05

DH and I booked a luxury one-night stay in a hotel as our last chance holiday without the kids before our fourth is born next month. The deal was £160 for one night in the hotel, a four-course dinner and a cooked breakfast. When we got to the restaurant we were given a menu which was rather pedestrian but we made the best of it. DH had a bit of trouble as he is allergic to prawns and two of the four starters had prawns so he was limited to soup or melon. The main courses were nice enough if a bit boring and came with a side of potato wedges, boiled potatoes, steamed broccoli and steamed carrots. I was also quite annoyed that their 'four-course' menu had tea and coffee as one of the courses. Imagine my surprise when the people at the next table were brought prawn cocktail and pate starters (not on our menu), then for the main courses they were served scampi (also not on our menu) with chips, onion rings, mash and sautéed mushrooms. I feel cheated that there was a decent menu that we didn't know about and I said to DH that I wanted to check out and go home but he didn't want me to spoil our one night to ourselves. I just feel that I have wasted the money and we could have gone out to a really lovely restaurant and spent half the money without having to arrange overnight childcare for our kids. So tell me Mumsnet, WWYD?

OP posts:
almapudden · 15/03/2015 09:57

Apples, it sounds like the 'seafood' was ceviche.

BackforGood · 15/03/2015 09:58

Not sure why you were jealous of prawn cocktail and scampi being served at the next table, as you said your dh was allergic to prawns and you also complained that there were prawns in a lot of your choices? Confused

SukieTuesday · 15/03/2015 10:01

I'm sorry but I don't buy it. Your DH is allergic to prawns, two of your 4 starters were prawns but you're miffed you weren't offered prawn cocktail?

80s Beefeater troll

FishWithABicycle · 15/03/2015 10:04

The "package" menu that is bundled in with the room rate is always terrible. If you want a decent meal you have to go for a la carte. We had a similar very disappointing experience in our 20s at which we discovered this, and have never paid for "dinner bed & breakfast" since - always just pay for room and breakfast in your booking and arrange dinner separately. It's a shame this treat was substandard but now you know, and will have many future opportunities to have nicer experiences.

CaTsMaMmA · 15/03/2015 10:04

Were the other table quaffing Blue Nun as well??

glad your breakfast was nicer though.

JoanHicksonMIfive · 15/03/2015 10:06

Did you have a dessert trolley offering black forest gateaux?

What did you have for breakfast?

Messygirl · 15/03/2015 10:07

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Messygirl · 15/03/2015 10:07

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

MrsHathaway · 15/03/2015 10:08

OP is eight months pregnant. Of course she sobbed into her boiled potatoes.

TBH prawns, pate and rare steak are often avoided by pregnant women anyway, but OP could have had her fill of mushrooms, chips and onion rings.

YANBU to be disappointed not to have been given the option to upgrade to the standard menu, but I think your reaction is a bit hormonal.

I once had a full on pregnant howling sob in the office on discovering the sandwich shop had used The Wrong Cheese. So I get you.

BernadetteMatthews · 15/03/2015 10:13

Haha, retro food envy. Biscuit

CleverPlansAndSecretTricks · 15/03/2015 10:14

The prawn cocktail years is my most favourite cookbook ever Madrigals! Have you made the kedgeree? Soooo good.

CaTsMaMmA · 15/03/2015 10:15

I love kedgeree...all that smokey goodness :D

CurlyhairedAssassin · 15/03/2015 10:20

FishWithABicycle: you're wrong in thinking you should book dinner separately. We'e booked a hotel in the Lakes for our anniversary on a DBB deal. We've been there before on that and on my opinion it operates how most decent hotels do: tells you exactly what the deal is before you book. At our hotel you eat off the A la carte menu. There are supplements for things like fillet steak or scallops.
At other hotels I've been to the deal has been a separate set menu but you could upgrade to the a la carte for a bit extra.

Sounds like the OP's hotel might well have been quite a small family run place where the chef buys in only what he needs for the guests he knows are coming. The hotel saves money that way. So guests on the deal will only be offered the things off "their" menu otherwise there is a risk that they will run out of a la carte items for the "non-deal" guests.

I think the lesson to be learned is never book a hotel deal wthout knowing what the deal is! Websites should always list the details.

CurlyhairedAssassin · 15/03/2015 10:22

Sexism alert, I do apologise! The chef of course could be a "she"!

TheRealGracePoole · 15/03/2015 17:31

I was going to ask you what that hotel was like! And tbh I would have recommended a couple if really nice restaurants in the yuan which would have been a real treat.

However. As the others say it is probably because you were on the deal that you go a substandard menu, it I would have thought it was norml to offer you stuff off the main menu for a small extra charge. X

TheRealGracePoole · 15/03/2015 17:31

Town.

TheRealGracePoole · 15/03/2015 17:34

also I think the menu sounds a bit pants considering there is beginning to be quite a lot of competition in the are.

I would give them a really shit trip advisor review and tell them they need to buck up.

Passmethecrisps · 15/03/2015 18:02

Prawn cocktail is awesome as is patè. I could not care less if that makes me sub-cool. I would also be pretty disappointed to find a very restricted menu.

Breakfast sounds like it was awesome though!

HermioneWeasley · 15/03/2015 18:07

Glad breakfast redeemed them!

As others have said, it's not unusual to have a set menu included in a package, but surprised they didn't offer you the a la carte at your cost. You should definitely mention it - it's poor service. And be firm but fair on tripadvisor

AwfulBeryl · 15/03/2015 18:12

What did you have then op ? And what was on the set menu ?
Also what did you have for breakfast ?
Not too sure why I care so much about this, but I would really like to know if you're willing to share.

AwfulBeryl · 15/03/2015 18:14

Yes and as HW says they could have given you the option to upgrade your meal. I would have appreciated that.

MrsSchadenfreude · 15/03/2015 18:24

Did the scampi come in a basket? Grin

Messygirl · 15/03/2015 18:40

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Viviennemary · 15/03/2015 18:46

Most hotels would have the a la carte menu or whatever they call it these days available if people don't want the set meal. I think you should have been given the option to eat what these other people were eating and it was wrong that you were not even if you were on a different deal. But they might have been envious of your food especially if you paid less than them. But £160 isn't that cheap IMHO.

DontDrinkandFacebook · 15/03/2015 18:46

I think you'll find that most places offering some kind of special offer or discount vouchers almost always do not offer you exactly the same as if you were paying full price. It's usually a bit of a swizz and most people don't bother to check the small print on this stuff.

I have to say though - even their a la carte menu sounds monumentally uninspiring and I'd have been glad I wasn't paying full price for any of it. In the context of what you had £160 doesn't sound particularly cheap.

Swipe left for the next trending thread