Golden Lion Hotel, St. Ives

A 17th Century coaching inn with a splendid facade, whose interior has been complety gutted and renovated to form a modern hotel, restaurant and bar. There are still bedrooms for B&B upstairs - supposedly haunted by 2 ghosts from the Civil War. The original layout is almost beyond recognition, ane all traces of historic character in the downstairs rooms have been either eliminated or hidden under the modern gloss. The space is now open and airy, pleasant and comfortable. The dining area occupies one corner with a portal guarded by a young waitress, the bar counter is adjacent and the remainder is a mix of low and high tables with a bar-like feel to it. There is also a function room, The Cromwell Room. We had come for the food but found they had stopped serving, so we didn’t eat and concentrated on the beer. Black Sheep Bitter, Rev James and Digfield Ales’s Fool’s Nook were on offer; I had the Fool’s Nook which was in very good condition, and had I not been driving, I would have had more. I’d be very happy to come back for the beer and I’d like to get here in time to try the food.