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The Horseshoe and Castle

4.0 star property
Inn in Rochester with a restaurant and a bar

Choose dates to view prices

Photo gallery for The Horseshoe and Castle

View from property
Cottage, Ensuite | Lounge
Double Room, Ensuite
Exterior
Exterior
The Horseshoe and Castle offers relaxation and adventure in a peaceful setting. Enjoy the terrace, garden, or bar. Archery is available for activity seekers. The restaurant and free WiFi in public areas add convenience.

Reviews

9.4 out of 10
Exceptional

Popular amenities

  • Bar
  • Breakfast available
  • Parking included
  • Free WiFi
  • Restaurant

Room options

Available filters for rooms
Showing 3 of 3 rooms

View all photos for Double Room, Ensuite

Double Room, Ensuite

Double Room, Ensuite

Highlights

Heating
Premium bedding
Separate bedroom
Hair dryer
Private bathroom
Coffee/tea maker
Free bottled water
Electric kettle
  • 1 bedroom
  • Sleeps 2
  • 1 King Bed

View all photos for Cottage, Ensuite

Cottage, Ensuite

Cottage, Ensuite

Highlights

Heating
Kitchen
Refrigerator
Premium bedding
Separate bedroom
Heating
Hair dryer
Detached private bathroom
  • 1 bedroom
  • Sleeps 4
  • 1 King Bed and 1 Double Trundle Bed

View all photos for Double Room, Private Bathroom

Double Room, Private Bathroom

Double Room, Private Bathroom

Highlights

Private bathroom
Shower/tub combination
Highchair
  • Sleeps 2
  • 1 Double Bed

About the neighborhood

Rochester is home to The Horseshoe and Castle. Travelers who have shopping on the agenda can visit Lakeside Shopping Centre and Bluewater Shopping Centre. Cliffe Pools and The Vines Park are also worth visiting. Discover the area's water adventures with fishing nearby, or enjoy the great outdoors with hiking/biking trails, cycling, and horse riding.
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Map
Main Road, Cooling, Rochester, England, ME3 8DJ

What's nearby

  • Cooling Castle Barn - 7 min walk - 0.4 miles
  • Rochester Castle - 13 min drive - 7.2 miles
  • Rochester Cathedral - 13 min drive - 7.2 miles
  • Historic Dockyard Chatham - 13 min drive - 8.2 miles
  • Diggerland - 15 min drive - 8.0 miles

Getting around

  • London (SEN-Southend) - 90 min drive

Restaurants

  • ‪Six Bells - ‬4 min drive
  • ‪Five Bells - ‬8 min drive
  • ‪Nando's - ‬13 min drive
  • ‪Ship & Trades - ‬11 min drive
  • ‪Taco Bell - ‬11 min drive

About this property

The Horseshoe and Castle

Upscale inn
At The Horseshoe and Castle, you can look forward to a terrace, a garden, and a bar. Free WiFi in public areas and a restaurant are available to all guests.
Other perks at this inn include:
  • Free self parking
  • Breakfast (surcharge) and smoke-free premises

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8.0 out of 10, Very Good, 1,001 reviews
The Inn on the Lake Hotel

Property amenities

Internet

  • Available in some public areas: Free WiFi

Parking and transportation

  • Free self parking on site

Food and drink

  • Breakfast available for a fee
  • A bar/lounge
  • A restaurant

Family friendly

  • High chair

Guest services

  • No housekeeping service

Outdoors

  • Garden
  • Terrace

Accessibility

  • If you have requests for specific accessibility needs, please contact the property using the information on the reservation confirmation received after booking.
  • Upper floors accessible by stairs only
  • Well-lit path to entrance

More

  • Smoking not allowed

Policies

Check-in

Check-in start time: 1:00 PM; Check-in end time: 9:30 PM
Minimum check-in age: 18

Check-out

Check-out before 10:30 AM

Special check-in instructions

The host will greet guests on arrival

Access methods

Host will greet you

Children and extra beds

Children are welcome

Property payment types

Important information

You need to know

Extra-person charges may apply and vary depending on property policy
Government-issued photo identification and a credit card, debit card, or cash deposit may be required at check-in for incidental charges
Special requests are subject to availability upon check-in and may incur additional charges; special requests cannot be guaranteed
This property accepts credit cards
This property uses a grey water recycling system
Safety features at this property include a fire extinguisher and a smoke detector

We should mention

This property does not have elevators
This property's policy is to refuse certain bookings for the purpose of group events or parties, including pre-wedding stag/bachelor and hen/bachelorette parties

Property is also known as

Horseshoe Castle Inn Rochester
Horseshoe Castle Inn
Horseshoe Castle Rochester
Horseshoe Castle
The Horseshoe and Castle Inn
The Horseshoe and Castle Rochester
The Horseshoe and Castle Inn Rochester

Frequently asked questions

How much is parking at The Horseshoe and Castle?

Self parking is free at this property.

What time is check-in at The Horseshoe and Castle?

Check-in start time: 1:00 PM; Check-in end time: 9:30 PM.

What time is check-out at The Horseshoe and Castle?

Check-out is at 10:30 AM.

Where is The Horseshoe and Castle located?

Situated in Rochester, this inn is 0.4 mi (0.7 km) from Cooling Castle Barn and 2.9 mi (4.7 km) from Cliffe Pools. Upnor Castle and Gads Hill Place are also within 9 mi (15 km).

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The Horseshoe and Castle Reviews

Reviews

9.4

Exceptional

Rating 10 - Excellent. 47 out of 66 reviews
Rating 8 - Good. 15 out of 66 reviews
Rating 6 - Okay. 3 out of 66 reviews
Rating 4 - Poor. 1 out of 66 reviews
Rating 2 - Terrible. 0 out of 66 reviews

9.4/10

Cleanliness

9.6/10

Staff & service

9.4/10

Amenities

9.0/10

Property conditions & facilities

8.8/10

Eco-friendliness

Reviews

10/10 Excellent

John

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
What a great place, it was very clean, Kevin and the staff were really helpful and couldn’t do enough for us. I wold highly recommend this place
Stayed 2 nights in Sep 2025

10/10 Excellent

James

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed here while going to a friends wedding in the local area. Created to really friendly staff and check in was a breeze. The room was compact but had everything we needed, comfy bed and even a little hamper with slippers, teas coffee and milk. Hotel is above a pub though there’s a separate entrance so coming and going was easy. Would recommend if you’re near by.
Stayed 1 night in May 2025

10/10 Excellent

Tony

Liked: Amenities
It was a very nice place to stay at a reasonable cost. Ideal location near to Cooling Castle were able to walk back after the wedding well with a torch. Staff were all friendly. Would recommend.
Stayed 2 nights in Apr 2025

10/10 Excellent

SJ

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort

Great food and conversation

Lovely stay. The food was great and the stay was very comfortable, Jus the right level of friendly engagement
Stayed 1 night in May 2024

10/10 Excellent

Faye

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort

A must stay

Wonderful stay in a comfortable village pub. Food & staff top notch
Stayed 1 night in Jun 2023

10/10 Excellent

Carl

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort

Lovely place

Great place to stay. Breakfast was spot on. Didnt have evening meal as i was attending a wedding however i tried a few beers and theres a great selection
Stayed 1 night in Aug 2024

10/10 Excellent

Mark

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort

What a find

Nice friendly pub with a very warm welcome. Food was delicious!
Stayed 2 nights in Apr 2024

10/10 Excellent

Carmen

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort

Lovely old school pub with brand new rooms

We stayed here after a wedding at Cooling Castle Barn. A warm and friendly welcome both on arrival and on our return from the wedding. We had room 4, very recently built and in spotless condition. An excellent night and beautiful view over the fields. Breakfast was included and cooked to order. Super quality with a big mug of Yorkshire Tea :-)
Stayed 1 night in Oct 2023

6/10 Okay

Jean

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, room comfort
We were disappointed that bathroom was down the hall .It said private bathroom when we booked. We did not expect to go out the room for showers and toilet.Breakfast was great so we're staff. Was not a lot round hotel but a ride out it was interesting .

4/10 Poor

Verified traveler

No great for business

Breakfast not served until 8.30 which is not good when you need to get to site early. No cleaning service during the stay, so unless you request it, your milk will slowly go off in your room and your coffee will never be replenished.
Stayed 3 nights in Mar 2023

10/10 Excellent

Benjamin

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
This rustic lovely pub, restaurant and hotel is perfectly located a walking distance from the Cooling Barn wedding venue. The hotel has check in/check out times to accommodate popular wedding times. As soon as we arrived, we were met by the friendly staff, it felt like we had arrived at a home away from home. Stuart checked us in, top bloke, and the bar/restaurant had great friendly staff, Sarah, Honey, and Hannah that really impressed. We stayed in the cottage for 3 nights, (minimum stay 2 nights for the cottage) located at the rear of the main building with its own entrance. Literally 20 steps from the restaurant and car park. The cottage is self contained with a bathroom/shower over bath and toilet, a second walk in shower room with toilet, kitchen (with fridge and microwave), lounge, private outdoor court yard, and the main bedroom with cupboard. Ample of room and very private facility. Just a few improvements needed here, needs hand wash in the main bathroom, the temperature control for the downstairs shower was very hot and couldn’t be cool. An electrical socket in the main bedroom was very loose when pulling a plug out. No air conditioning here but a large tower fan is provided. No WI-FI found in the cottage but excellent Wi-Fi in the main building. I tethered from my phone when in the cottage. Could definitely benefit from extending the Wi-Fi to the cottage. The food and drinks are reasonably priced and the restaurant and bar service is 5 stars.
Stayed 2 nights in Sep 2023

10/10 Excellent

Mark

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 2 nights in Jun 2025

10/10 Excellent

Joanne

Stayed 1 night in May 2025

10/10 Excellent

Jack

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 2 nights in Mar 2025

10/10 Excellent

Regan

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Stayed 1 night in Aug 2024

10/10 Excellent

Stephen

Liked: Cleanliness
Stayed 1 night in Apr 2024

8/10 Good

Janine

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 2 nights in Feb 2023

10/10 Excellent

Sally

Stayed 4 nights in Nov 2022

10/10 Excellent

Brian

Stayed 1 night in Aug 2022

8/10 Good

Victoria

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Lovely quiet countryside location, very friendly staff
Stayed 2 nights in Jul 2022

10/10 Excellent

Paul

Stayed 1 night in Jun 2022

10/10 Excellent

Declan

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 1 night in May 2022

10/10 Excellent

Karen

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 1 night in Feb 2022

10/10 Excellent

Grant

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 2 nights in Feb 2022

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveler

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort

A Great Stay

A warm welcome from the staff. Clear information in a folder with out of hours contacts. Comfortable bed and a lovely on suit. The room was excellent and we had a great night sleep. It was ideally located for us to travel to a wedding at Cooling Castle. Excellent breakfast! I would highly recommend.
Stayed 1 night in Feb 2022

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