White Hart Hotel

Back when I lived in St Albans, I often put family and friends up in the White Hart so I am reasonably familiar with the property, but this was the first time I stayed there myself. Its location is excellent, not far down the vertiginous Holywell Hill, opposite the cathedral and just steps from the city's great variety of restaurants, shops and sights. Cab to/from St Albans City Station was £10; when we didn't have luggage, it was about a 15 minute walk away. Altho' the property has its own attractive restaurant, we only dined there for breakfast -- which was very tasty and complete -- as the evening menu was a bit pricey. Good beers on tap in the pub, which has two comfortable rooms with windows to the bustling street outside. As with many old inns, the stairs up to rooms are steep and rather narrow. I won the Lucky Room Lottery and had a fine four-poster bedroom complete with Edwardian tiled bathroom, deep-dish tub + shower, and huge beaten copper sink; the dual-aspect windows (and a room fan) kept the room cool despite heat wave. A bit of a drawback is that one window overlooked the hotel's outdoor seating area, but once the pub closed, it was quite quiet in the parking area. Staff were unfailingly helpful and pleasant, printing various tickets and ensuring I caught my 3:30am taxi to Luton Airport.

The hotel is OLD and has loads of character. I really liked the idea of staying in an inn that dates back to 1470. The room was clean, the twin beds were comfortable, the room was well laid out. The staff was friendly and very helpful. The Tudors Restaurant had great food at reasonable prices. The location was fantastic - blocks from the pedestrian area, walkable to the public transportation, and easy access to the roads in and out of St. Albans. The parking lot is very tight entering and leaving the roadway and does not have much room for maneuvering within it, but it was very convenient to have parking so close and included in the price of the room.

The hotel is a very basic inn above a pub and on the main road so there are sounds associated with the pub and the roads. I knew this in advance and was not bothered by it at all. The inn is very very old and has not been mucked about with too much so the room, whilst having a wonky floor was enormous and and comfortable. Everything analogue and easy to use. No electric keys, no need to read a manual to learn how to operate a light switch. All delightfully simple. A wonderful residents lounge with a small library of books on local archaeology and history. Please do not upgrade this hotel. It is great as it is.

My husband's wake, which I hosted in the Function/Dining room. The food was excellent, & the room exactly the right size for the number of people who came (25). I & several members of my family also stayed over at the hotel, & we all liked our rooms (tho' see my comment below). We all appreciated the historic character of the building, & the reasons for the small size & quirky shape of the rooms.

If you like history, particularly the Tudor era, you will love this hotel. It has a lot of the original features, low ceilings, slightly wonky creaky floors and original beams. There is a small restaurant which delivered a most delicious Sunday lunch; well recommended and pretty reasonable in price. The location is ideal for visiting the city cathedral and the town centre. A must for anyone visiting Saint Albans. The staff were very friendly and professional too.