The New Flying Horse in Wye Review

(Unsponsored) review of The New Flying Horse in Wye.

I'm always looking out for new places within easy, car-free reach of London to write about on this blog, so when a lady told me about The New Flying Horse in Wye, which she marketed as "as good as Boys Hall but cheaper", I had to check it out. (Full disclosure: her daughter works there!)

Especially since the village of Wye (in Kent) is a direct train ride from London Bridge AND was included by the Sunday Times on the list of best places to live in the UK!

There are 9 individually-decorated bedrooms- a few in the main inn and others in the converted stable blocks. Our room was in the main inn facing the main road. 

I don't mean to be rude and I didn't hate the stay but I'm a bit ambivalent about whether I would stay at The New Flying Horse again for a few reasons:

• It's surprisingly noisy for a country village. We could hear non-stop car travel (since our room faced the main road and we had the windows open (as it was a bit warm.)
• The room smelt of dogs. Now I LOVE dogs, but I would personally prefer my accommodation not to smell like them. (And I know it's possible because I have a lot of good friends with dogs, and their homes do not smell of their pets.) If I was traveling with a dog, then I'd probably be OK with the smell- it may even make me feel better, since I wouldn't feel so conscious about the potential mess my dog may make. However, traveling without a dog, I found the smell a little unpleasant.
• The bathroom with bath tub was a little uncomfortable- though the bathroom was a good size, the water would splash on the floor easily (If you took a shower in the tab.)
• The bed was smaller than I had expected. We booked a room with a king-size bed and it felt smaller than that (I didn't actually measure so I could be wrong but basically we weren't able to stretch out as much as we liked.)
• The rooms were less expensive than other places, such as The Pig and Boys Hall (£270 for 2 nights at The New Flying Horse vs £369 for 2 nights at Boys Hall (breakfast included for both)- note that Boys Hall may have since gone up in price) BUT it didn't really feel like more value-for-money if that makes sense, especially since the stays at Boys Hall and The Pig at Bridge were just so much more comfortable. (For example, check-in at The New Flying Horse was at 3 pm and check-out was at 10 am (which I personally find a little early- the check-out at Boys Hall is at 11 am.) In fact, it actually felt a bit expensive for what the room was (but more acceptable after I saw the breakfast.)
• Our 2 nights stay did not include any housekeeping/ room cleaning, unlike The Pig or Boys Hall- would not have been an issue if the bath did not splash as much, and if the room had not smelt. (Bath towels, toiletries, filter coffee, tea bags and water can be obtained from the bar. Fresh milk is also available free of charge upon request.)

The plus points:

• The room is nicely decorated, was clean, and is a good size- definitely bigger than The Pig at Brockenhurst.
• The AMAZING breakfast. In fact, I have thought several times about returning just for it 😛 (I'm a foodie!) It is served quite early though, as is usually the case for English bed and breakfasts, between 8 to 9.30 am. More on the breakfast below.
• convenient location if you want to stay in Wye (not that much to do in the town though- click here to find out about the things to do in Wye.)
• toiletries, hairdryer, free wifi and coffee/ Lichfield tea were a welcome sight
• There are complimentary Tunnock tea cakes in the room on arrival.

There is a slightly more formal restaurant section and a cosy bar area with a wide selection of “Country Living” magazines and friendly staff. It's very popular with the locals!

Outside the restaurant, the garden is a beautiful place for a short walk after your meal.

The inn is very charmingly decorated- it definitely feels nicer than the usual pub with rooms. As a solo female traveler of color, I sometimes hesitate to stay at a pub (in case the drunk crowd gets rowdy at night), but I felt safe at The New Flying Horse.

As mentioned, breakfast is included in the room charge.

The breakfast comes with delicious freshly baked pastries (croissants), a buffet spread of cereals, apple, orange juice, jams, cheese and fruits and a choice of mains and toasted sour bread. (The portions for the mains are very generous).

The restaurant also serves lunch and dinner (you're encouraged to book) with a very good selection of dishes. You're even given complimentary appetizers, Michelin restaurant style! (See above)

The dishes are well executed and portions VERY hearty- perfect for guests who have returned from long country walks!

The restaurant and rooms are dog-friendly- it was a lovely sight seeing dogs laying at their owners’ feet in the restaurant!

The dining experience is definitely THE BEST thing about The New Flying Horse!

There are regular direct Southeastern trains from London Bridge Railway Station to Wye in slightly over an hour (about 1 hour 25 minutes.) At under 2 hours from London by train, you can get to and back from Wye in a day. (We paid £18.30 for 2 tickets, with a Railcard.)

The station is unmanned for part of the day and there is NO cafe or shop at the station but it's only a stone's throw to the closest cafe.

Note: when you exit Wye Railway Station, which dates back to 1846, there is a short train track that you will need to cross to exit. You MUST watch out for incoming trains before exiting!

Recommended For

• People who want to enjoy a night out in the English countryside, but not pay as much, and don't mind giving up some creature comforts in exchange for the lower price.
• People traveling with their dogs, and looking for a place with excellent food and easy access to country walks.

It is not recommended if the comfort of the room is very important to you and you'd rather pay a bit more for a room you can just relax in. Also not recommended if you want to be in a town with shops and a bustling town life.

Any questions about staying at The New Flying Horse in Wye? Let me know in the comments!