The Haven Hotel In Sandbanks, Poole Review

My husband came across all romantic last week and offered to take me to the hotel where we were married for our wedding anniversary, after getting over the initial shock of his romantic gesture I put my glad rags on and off we went!

We had dinner at the main restaurant however the first thing that struck us was since our wedding three years ago the restaurant has lost its rosette status, the last one being issued in 2005!  We didn’t let this dampen our spirits though and we carried on regardless.  For a starter both my husband and I had local Dorset crab, which was nicely presented with white and brown crabmeat served in the shell with salad garnish which was both aesthetically and tastefully pleasing.

For a main course I had the summer truffle risotto which was very good with not too much truffle which can be quite over powering, my husband had the calf’s liver served on a bed on creamy mashed potato topped with bacon and onion which he enjoyed and said the liver was cooked just right!  The desserts I much say however were very disappointing my cheese and biscuits lacked imagination and variety and my husbands chocolate mousse was not something he would normally pick due to the fact the menu for desserts lacked choice, however after initially not being happy he did enjoy the actual mousse.

The service given by the staff was attentive and welcoming and you could tell they work well together and take pride in their service.The meal overall was a pleasant experience and given the setting right on the waterfront it is hard not to be impressed by the actual hotel!  I cant help thinking though as The Haven is the main hotel situated at the centre of the 4th most expensive place in the world to live (1st for leisure) they should invest in their main restaurant and really take some chances to expand the menu and attract some the clientele that frequent the glamorous Cafe Shore.