Name: The Malt Shovel Inn
Address: Forest-of-Dean, Ruardean, Forest of Dean, Forest of Dean, Forest of Dean, GL17 9TW, United Kingdom
Rating: 7

Smoke-free property

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The Malt Shovel Inn

My husband and I booked an overnight stay at the last minute, en-route from a holiday in North Wales.
I can honestly say, we were gobsmacked when we set foot inside!  We found the Inn to be great.  We loved the history and character.  Our room was lovely and very quirky, and the food and hospitality was great, especially for our dog, who was more than happy!
We'd love to come back in future, and have recommended to our friends and family!

Lynn and Kev.

Delightful, quirky, quaint and ideal for a rushed family break. 4 days stay and no problems, delightful breakfasts, attentive hosts. Yes its rambling and you could find fault but it was ideal for us in a family room. Creaky floor boards and old fashioned. 

From the second we arrived the staff at the malt shovel have gone above and beyond for my fiance and I. Adam is the host with the most where nothing is too much with his loyal staff following not to mention some of the best bbq I have had outside of texas. The pub is a old and stunning building and the room oozes character. The people are wonderful and this really is a hidden gem. I almost don't want people to know about it so the rooms aren't fully booked when we come back. Thank you guys Sam and Suzy

Had a fantastic long weekend here with my partner food was amazing staff were fantastic very friendly and helpful locals were very welcoming very quirkyhotel with lots of history dotted around the place would defo stay here again have read some reviews of people saying bad things but so maybe not to everyone's taste but it was defo to ours clean rooms amazing staff good food and beer what more could you ask for thanks again for a fab weekend and Adam the cocktails were amazing 😀😊

My husband and I have just returned from a 2 night stay at The Malt Shovel Inn, we wanted a nice B&B in the middle of nowhere so we could just relax and read and this pub did not disappoint. 
On arrival the car park does not look the best but don’t let this put you off, however it could have done with more spaces.
The pub has lots of character to it with old signs from London scattered around.
We were greeted by the owner Adam who was very welcoming and showed us to our room, we stayed in room number 4 which was nice and clean and just what we needed for the weekend. 
The upstairs of the pub had lots of historical character and even had a few taxidermy animals.  The room had a comfy double bed and tea and coffee facilities, fresh towels were on the bed, with toiletries in the bathroom.  As you can expect from an old building there were a few creaks in the night but this would not put us off staying again, it just added to the experience.
The pub itself has a wide range of ales, lagers and spirits.
Breakfast was toast, cereals and a full English if you wished.
What made our visit was the owner Adam who was kind and welcoming and gave us some tips on where to go. He was always available downstairs in the pub.
If we ever need a relaxing break again I would not hesitate to book here again.

I recently found myself in need of accommodation in the Forest of Dean area. I chose the Malt Shovel Inn  on the basis of its reasonable price and convenient location but had little real idea as what to expect. I am pleased to report that I was pleasantly surprised. 
On arriving I found the Inn's staff to be more than accommodating and its local patrons friendly and good natured.  My room was well kept and comfortable and breakfast each morning was satisfying and well organised. 
The Inn itself is a building of remarkable character and history, owing not just to its medieval heritage but also the collection of fascinating oddities  that have been accrued by its more recent owners. 
Geographically, I found the the village of Ruardean to be easily accessible by both road and footpath. It is also worth noting that the wooded hills of the Forest of Dean lie directly to its south, making it a good base from which to explore this beautiful part of the country. 
Al in all, a very positive experience.

Stayed in The Malt Shovel Inn in Ruardean had a family room . Wonderful place to stay the Landlord was amazing , friendly couldn’t do enough for us  ,it’s child friendly the children enjoyed the skittle alley , pool and darts. 
The Inn is very old and the features that are there are incredible.... it’s very quirky we loved it . If you like staying in a 900yr old Inn in the middle of nowhere it’s just what I would recommend forgetting all the gadgets and city life . 
It’s also good value for money the breakfast was just nice and the children loved having a flapjack or a muffin , their highlight of every morning . 
Family friendly and the locals were lovely too.
Highly recommend.
We enjoyed every moment of it .
Will be visiting again and a big thankyou to the Landlord .

If you want the Ritz go stay at the Ritz but if you want warm,cosy,clean,friendly and welcoming then this is the place. 
Adam who runs this is so lovely and nothing is too much trouble. 
The locals are fun and welcoming.
The room was beautiful and clean, very comfy bed and amazing views.
Unfortunately no food was available in the evening but Adam had takeaway menus to hand and ordered me the best pizza ever.
Breakfast although simple was lovely(great coffee)
Be aware this place is in the middle of nowhere so dont expect loads of shops and public transport but its quiet with stunning landscapes.
I will definitely be going back

Me and my wife stayed here last night and we loved it! The rooms were lovely and the guy that runs the place does anything for you! Great guy 👍🏻 Would definitely come back! In fact maybe see you next anniversary

My family and I have stayed here a few times now and have found the owner very welcoming and friendly. Very clean in the rooms and love food. Good verify in the side of rooms. Cater from couples to families. All age welcome. Surrounded in wood land. Lovely sites to see and walks. Lovely villages around the area  everyone makes u feel welcome.

Forest of Dean

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A real gem!

Quirky and quaint

One of the best hotels we have stayed in.

Fantastic place

Nice Relaxing Stay

This place is not for anyone overly concerned about perfect cleanliness but we loved it. The curtains didnt close, the carpets were dodgy, the TV tiny, the lighting poor, the water trickled out of the taps, the carpark was full of old cars, barrels etc... but the welcome was great, the beds comfy, the towels soft, the supper tasty and the full English breakfast was amazing. We laughed at the quirkiness and character, especially the old London Underground signage. We would return.

A memorable experience!

Lovely room with old features , room was nice and clean and comfortable. 
Good home cooked breakfast but ruined due to hairs in the eggs!!
Attention to detail would have improved our stay, lack of staff/front of house , had to make own instant Coffee, table not set for breakfast,  unclean glasses and awful loud heavy music during breakfast was not pleasurable. Lots of cigarette butt's and packets outside the back entrance to the accommodation. 
I think if these little things could be improved it would improve any future stays. 

Requires some improvements 

On arrival the pub looks derelict, in poor general condition, car park was more of a scrap yard with broken kitchen appliances and general rubbish. Inside the pub was closed both days, and from the look of the place probably not functioning as a pub at all. The room was OK but needed alot of modernisation, shower didn't work but the shower head dripped continuously all night, carpets were thread bare, damp on the ceiling in bathroom and cobwebs! Tea and coffee facilities but no milk!! Breakfast was included but all on offer was packet cereals with no milk, half a loaf of bread and jam no butter!! How this place is allowed to advertise as a b&b is beyond me! Certainly read the reviews before entertaining staying here! The young lad who seemed to be in charge was helpful and friendly!!

The Malt shovel Inn Ruardean No Thanks!!

I read through the last few reviews and they are all so accurate.  'Oh dear, oh dear' and 'it could be a gem of a place.'  The are accurate right down to the broken bar billiards table lying by the stairs.

There are positives.  The young landlord is ever so friendly and helpful.  He directed us to a pub for food which was very good (even if the walk to it was challenging, but he did warn us).  The shower worked well and the water was hot.  It is roomy.  The bed linen was clean as were the towels.  And it is certainly quirky.
But... the breakfast was served cold and late, the dusting could have been better, the range of beer was - well I thought it a bit like the 'Cheese Shop' sketch from Monty Python.  And there was indeed  soap, milk sachets (if out of date) only they were in jars on a table on the landing - but I found them!  And did I mention the 40 minute wait for coffee for breakfast (the breakfast took a little longer).

Intriguing - but don't take your wife!  I wouldn't say don't go there but... well, it could be so much better.

I do hope things improver and the business thrives but it will take a lot of work and money.

Well...

Hard to know where to begin…
It’s not quirky it’s just poor.  It represents everything awful about the service and tourism industry that I thought we’d left behind in the seventies. The building is falling apart and the car park looks like an old scrapyard and the first thing greeting you inside is a smashed up billiards table and you wonder where to go. Eventually we found our way into the main bar and a member of staff took us upstairs to our room. Corridors are loaded with old nic-naks and carpets are worn and lights dim; oh well we’re here now so onto the room…
We had a family room which was a good size, allowed the dog and was cheap, towels and sheets were clean too; that’s the end of the good bits. Mattresses worn out, door doesn’t lock, no lights in bathroom, no shower curtain, broken wooden toilet seat, no tea or coffee (but oddly a kettle and some milks in a tray) draws fell off furniture. No food available on a Saturday night.
Also no one answers the phone or emails.
We laughed at how bad it was and tried  to mention  it to the person working there who seemed oblivious of all its shortcomings and the possibility of anything being wrong.
As others have mentioned it is just bizarre how or where the supposed 3 stars came from? 
We booked because it said it was pet friendly, it’s probably any animal friendly as no one really seems to care what happens here!
We say we survived and laughed a lot about it but it might not be so funny if someone genuinely booked this place for a holiday and thought they were getting anything like a 3-star hotel.

The Malt Shovel Inn

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