The Gallivant - Rye

Kieu H.

Lindsay is amazing! The whole team were so friendly and welcoming during our stay.
Our room was perfect. We booked Gallivant to celebrate our Wedding Anniversary and so the postcard in our room was an added special touch.

We thought it was lovely that they had all the necessities for the beach available to the guests - sun hat /beach mat /towels/umbrella etc.

The only one thing which we would’ve liked is a fridge in our room to put our Champagne in ☺️
Other than that we had an amazing short stay.
We have already recommended The Gallivant to our friends .
Nikki H.

Janis T.

We had a brilliant time, it's such a lovely place, our room was gorgeous and every member of staff made us feel truly welcome. I was struck by how happy everyone seemed to be there and that had a massive positive impact on our experience. Our whole break was so restful that it felt twice as long as it was. Can't wait to go back!

sybarites

Having stayed/dined at the various iterations of The Gallivant and its precursors over the past 18 years or so, we enjoyed two excellent meals over the early May bank holiday weekend at its restaurant, Harry’s, while staying in Dungeness. We were very impressed by the successful combination of a relaxed ambience and utterly delicious food - unpretentious but classic high quality cooking, with careful attention to detail and provenance. (Two tiny observations - to trim a gorgeous Barnsley chop was possibly unnecessary given the characteristic nature of its delicious long ends. Also a tuile was a little darker, thicker and smaller than perhaps conventionally served?). Everything else was perfect and there were many dishes we could have chosen - the asparagus was superb, goat’s curd with spring vegetables was so delicate and delicious with tiny peas and carefully podded tiny broad beans. The rack of lamb, beautifully trimmed as expected, was outstanding, with accompanying delicious champ, spring greens and jus - perfect! The wine list was excellent (and the sommelier very helpful) and I especially appreciated the range and quality of non-alcoholic sparkling wine alternatives. The tall maître d’h was charming and low-key and anticipated what we needed before we did. Our young waitress (smiling, with a pony-tail) was also excellent. We loved the character of the sunny plant-filled room and white linen and we’ll definitely be back, ideally for a stay too (hopefully for my birthday in August). You have created a superb restaurant and thank you all for two lovely evenings. We have unreservedly recommended you to our friends.

max W.

The staff were excellent and welcoming. James on front of house was brilliant, so polite and helpful. The Scottish manager in the restaurant was also brilliant, so knowledgeable and so engaging with all the guests. The only suggestion & not a criticism would be nice to have a complimentary soft drinks and biscuits in the room. But to be honest a lovely experience and we'll be back with the rest of the family. Thank you

Anne W.

My husband and I had a very enjoyable overnight stay with you. We loved the ambiance of the place the decor and attention to detail. We thought the rooms were very comfortable and luxurious without being overly opulent or flashy. As a personal preference I would have liked a little more screening between the garden rooms to give a bit more privacy when sitting outside.
All the staff gave a warm welcome and were very approachable and friendly.
At breakfast also we had a nice welcome and were looked after well. Although when the yoga class finished there was a bit of an influx of guests and it was a bit difficult to get the attention of the staff member when we needed some help. Maybe you need extra staff at that particular time. Overall we loved our stay and loved the place. It was like a little peaceful oasis and even though it costs a bit more than we would normally like to pay we would love to come back and stay again and maybe for an extra night or two.

GL0nd0n

The rooms are lovely, the service friendly and laid back, an aura of calm and relaxation permeates the place. It is delightful. An oasis. There is complimentary tea and cakes and English wine early evening.||The biggest draw, Harry's, under the redoubtable chef Matthew Harris (brother of the legendary Henry) and the superbly affable Maitre D, Fergus, serves top-notch food which, whilst not ground-breaking, is superbly executed and excites the palate. Wonderful. Excellent knowledge of wines and a very tempting wine list.||My only complaint is that after a superb dinner, I awoke fancying perhaps some avocado on toast with bacon or smoked salmon and scrabbled eggs, the way you do when you're in hotel which hits the mark every time. Sadly, compared to dinner, breakfast is a somewhat frugal affair. No cooked choices, continental style but without the fun bits like croissants, pain au choc and pastries. Just bread. Compared to the sybaritic fare at Harry's, it felt like we had woken up in a particularly strict health retreat, determined to deny you any calorific pleasure. An error.||Lastly, a tip on traffic. We arrived on a Thursday and left Saturday morning (on the hottest weekend of the year). However, if you had been arriving on the Saturday, at 11am, the tail back for the car parks at Camber Sands ( which are opposite the Gallivant) stretched about a mile, adding maybe an hour to your journey. Plan accordingly!

Robin

The place looks decent. Unfortunately we didn't get a chance to try the food. The manager is the kind of bare minimum, can't do type of mentality. They had plenty of tables available, and we even offered to eat at the bar but he refused under all reasons to serve us food because "the kitchen might be overwhelmed by two extra guests compared to the daily plan". I can only recommend them to change the Chef if that is truly the case, but I would more probably change of manager. I would recommend instead to go to the Owl a few minutes away where the food is delicious and the staff accommodating.

Sairey S.

A stunning and most stylist seaside escape with beautifully styled rooms, decor and ambience. Harry’s restaurant is a must and the food is locally sourced and lovingly prepared to the highest standards. The location to local Camber sands beach couldn’t be better placed and it is dog friendly too. They offer morning yoga classes which are fantastic and you can even take a picnic to the beach. Check out their regular events for special yoga workshops or simply soak up the atmosphere in the peaceful coastal garden.