Ryde Hotel

The Ryde Hotel serves a traditional Thanksgiving dinner in November. The dinner was wonderful and very tasty. Turkey was cooked just right as were all the other choices. Parking was available and bathrooms were available and clean. Thank you for a wonderful day.

Made a reservation for Sunday brunch for six of us for July 7. I had to call a second time to make this reservation a few weeks ago because no one called me back in “24” hours as the recording promised. When they did call me back they claimed they had previously called me (they didn’t as I had no missed calls or voicemails). We showed up to find a dilapidated hotel with peeling paint, unkempt grounds and no one in sight. (The Bates Motel from the movie “Psycho” was mentioned in our group). Looking through the windows we could see rolled up carpet on the floor, another clue something was amiss. As we waited (no one showed up) I went to the website and found that Sunday’s brunch was cancelled. I called the number and left a voicemail, letting them know we’d driven 45 minutes to come here. Why didn’t they call me to let me know of the cancellation? This time someone immediately called me back, advising she received a missed call from my number. She apologized and claimed that all guests had been called about cancelled reservations. Despite this claim, I explained that once again, I’d not been called and explained our 45 minimum drive for nothing. I will not be coming back here. I have fond memories of fabulous Sunday brunches here 35 years ago. The hotel, grounds and customer service, however, have gone downhill. The photo of the hotel on its website must be from yesteryear as the hotel only has hints of its former grandeur which has clearly faded. Perhaps a renovation is in process, but in the meantime it’s extremely tired and there apparently is no AC and we are in the middle of 100+ degree temperatures. This place has so much potential, but until it can get its act together, I would look for somewhere else to spend your Sunday brunch. I usually read reviews before making meal reservations, but I didn’t in this case, instead relying on my fond memories of fabulous brunches here years ago. I wish I had read the reviews because having done so now, I would have made a different brunch choice.

The location in the delta is fantastic. The facility is a bit understaffed and in a state of disrepair/sketchy repair. None the less it still has charm and utility. Be ready for a single outlet in the room or possibly two. The bathroom had no light at all, and calling and informing staff didn't illicit a response over a fully weekend. The majestic sounds of a lonely peacock serenade you with a sound somewhere between a small child screaming and a cat yowling.

My family was there for a wedding. The first room we got had broken glass in the tub, and the toilet leaked at the base. They did give us another room when we brought this to their attention. The rooms have NO ac. They are very small also. To heat our food, we had to go down and ask the "chef" to heat it up for us. He messed that up and did not follow the directions on the box. The ceiling fan was noisy and had to keep it on low to have it as quiet as possible. At the reception, the food was so bland it was like eating hard air. No salt or pepper was available for the guests to even put some kind of flavor to it. There is no golf there. Found out that it is in the works. When we tried to plug in our phones to charge, the outlets were scary as the plugs would fall out just from walking on the floor. On the good side, the staff are very friendly and try to help as much as they can. Found out that this is a historic landmark. The owner is in the process of getting approved to bring some stuff up to modern code. The room had a view of the river. But found out that there is not an elevator making it harder for guests with mobility issues not able to get to rooms. In short, good place to have a wedding, not for staying. If it was not for the fact that my family was part of the wedding party, we would have driven the hour back home.

We went for their Thanksgiving buffet. In the past the food was excellent. This time we enjoyed the turkey and ham. They were wonderful but the yams had too much seasoning and they were not very warm and the green bean casserole was cold .