The Mermaid Inn

The Mermaid Inn is such a charming hotel with a unique vibe! The staff is generally friendly and professional, and the hospitality is top-notch! The hotel and our bedroom were spotless, thanks to the amazing housekeeping! But there are issues . Parking; be prepared to try and squeeze in the limited number of tight car parking spaces, due to the age and location of the building, or like us park in a local car park at an amazing rate of £3 per day, only a 5 minute walk away. Room 25 is situated near the kitchen extractor fan system. Upon arrival, a noticeable fried fish odour was present. Additionally, a low-frequency hum emanates from approximately 6:30 am to 10 pm which is highly irritating and detracts from relaxation, which woke my wife each morning. The cooked breakfast is stunning, first class ingredients cooked to perfection. The continental is extremely lacking and not great quality. Bar food, the fish and chips were great! But the mushy peas were a bit of a letdown—they were more like mashed garden peas with butter. My wife’s main course was a watermelon, strawberry, and feta salad, which was a bit of a mixed bag, you know? It felt like it was trying to be both a starter and a dessert, not quite hitting the mark as a main course. Maybe it would have been better served at breakfast! Basically, it was a bit of fruit floating around in pomegranate syrup. Plus, there were only about six or seven tiny feta cubes, and instead of salad leaves, there were just a few micro basil leaves sprinkled on top. A very over priced dish missing the mark!

Classic timber house that is beautifully crafted and well-kept. This hotel and this entire street gives Rye a unique charm.

Came for a drink before our dinner elsewhere, loved the cosy and historic atmosphere, friendly service and gorgeous roaring fire

This charming pub in Rye is a true gem, steeped in 15th century history and full of character. The atmosphere is warm and inviting, making it the perfect spot to enjoy a hearty meal. Overall, the food was delicious, with generous portions that left us satisfied. While I found the seafood risotto a bit too salty and slightly undercooked for my taste, the rest of the dishes were flavorful and well-prepared. The wine selection was impressive, offering something for every palate, and the staff were incredibly friendly, welcoming, and full of great conversation — adding to the relaxed and enjoyable vibe of the place. A lovely experience all around, and well worth a visit if you're in Rye.

An amazing building, full of history. Absolutely beautiful. Stop by for a drink at the bar, sit outside and take in the view or stay in one of the many rooms (some are haunted!). The mermaid is an absolute must of you're visiting Rye.

Very, very ancient building and quirky because of it with no straight walls, ceilings, floors or stairs. This is a good thing and makes it interesting so you have to make some allowances about baths instead of showers etc. Its also a pub so there has to be some allowances over chatter from the bars and restaurants drifting upwards but don't worry because all is quiet by 11ish. As well as this mesmerising building in a fantastic location the highlight must be the quality of the food which is very fine indeed and the outstanding old school service with lots of attentive, very friendly waiters and waitresses. If you are prepared to lean into the natural limitations of a very old building and enjoy the quirkiness that this brings -with great atmosphere, food and service - then this is the place for you.

Lovely old historic Inn! Absolutely fantastic two nights stay in the Kingsmill room. Staff mentions, Dallas, Ryan & Archer getting special mentions for their professionalism, courtesy & eagerness to help. Thank you to the Chefs for providing very good quality & tasteful meals. Shame the Gray lady didn't show up to meet us. We will be returning, Rye is a lovely little town, much preferable to Battle.

Absolutely lovely place to stay with a great dinner and breakfast. Only thing I can wish for is a great flow of water from the shower, but we're in a building that is almost a thousand years old so that's for sure not a problem. Overall, this place is just amazing the great lounges to read books. The team here in the hotel and in the restaurant is absolutely great 😺

An absolutely wonderful location to stay when visiting Rye. I had come on my 10th anniversary with my partner for a secret proposal. We stayed in the top-most room which was so lovely and warm during such a cold period. While visiting we had a drink in the bar (the bar staff were so lovely to talk to and apparently, they operate the 2nd biggest fireplace in England) and also sat in one of the two lounges. The location was filled with history and generally just warmth and happiness. The absolute best part of the whole situation was that I secretly asked the staff at reception (also super nice and amazing) to put a bottle of Prosecco in our room while we were out so we could celebrate our proposal and have one last surprise for my new fiancé. They were amazing and helped me (who isn’t great with these things) to organize it. The pastries at breakfast were also great. The location of the Inn is also perfect, it’s just one turn away from the high street, just up the road from the train station, and just a couple turns away from sites like Rye Castle. We're hoping to make this an annual trip after such a wonderful time!

Went for a meal with friends and would love to know more about the history of the place - I'm sure if walls could talk...! Though unfortunately there was limited choice for vegetarians, what there was, was very good. The service was professional and friendly and the venue is unlike anywhere I've been before. Everyone on our table had a wonderful evening and would happily recommend it.

Very beautiful and plenty of history Only thing was that the bar staff was moaning about times and dates that they have to work other than that highly recommend this place 👍

Historic bedrooms are very impressive and comfortable although we found ours ( Dr Syn's chamber) had a very creaky floor. Staff pleasant and helpful . Public rooms, bar and restaurant are all in period and delightful. Food, both breakfast and dinner were very good with well executed and out of the ordinary choices. We had previously visited for bar snacks but enjoyed our two night stay and are very likely to return.

The hotel did us proud for a large group dinner recently in a beautifully laid private room. . Tte bars are very atmospheric and historic.the staff are super and also helpful in recovering my mobile phone

Wonderful place to stay. They will try to accommodate you if you would like a particular room. Breakfast was amazing. Dinner superb

Great hotel with an abundance of character. All the staff were extremely friendly and professional. Stayed there with my wide for 4 nights, and had a great breakfast each day which lasted through to our evening meal.

The most haunted inn in the UK ! Well, we didn't saw any ghost there, but we were kindly welcomed, we had a good night and a had very very good breakfast ! Rye is a small city, there are few things to see there (but you have to see them !), and the mermaid inn is clearly the main "attraction" ! I can only recommend you to stop there if you're in the area. There is a trainstation in the city, so you can come spend a night here and keep your journey in the South East of the country. Don't forget to hit the bar at night !

A truly wonderfu old english inn, a timeless experience. You can almost feel the history. The staff are brilliant, friendly, welcoming & so helpful. The food is fantastic as well. Highly recommend a stay there when you visit Rye.

We ate here in the main restaurant and it was so good we tried the bar the following night just for a change. Really good food with outstanding service it could not have been better. Quirky building full of character and a great atmosphere in the bar and restaurant.

Had a lovely stay in this historic hotel Staff were all amazing Thank you James for your informative tour of the 11th century wine cellar

Wonderful location and atmosphere, the house ale is very good and the staff were very accomodating.

The Mermaid Inn, a great find down a cobbled street. A lot of history with the Inn, great service and lovely food we had the Sunday roast. Their's a great outside area too, but can be very busy so book a table you will not be disappointed.

Had wanted to go to the Mermaid for many years, and it Certainly didn’t disappoint.. The Mermaid has Atmosphere with a Capital A, it’s unique History can literally be felt throughout . The Food and Customer Service was superb.. The Beautiful Restaurant is run with precision by the excellent Restaurant Manager, with eye to every detail. Our Evening Meals were worthy of a Michelin Star !.. Will definitely return 🌟🌟🌟🌟🙌

We had an excellent Sunday lunch in the restaurant. The food was first rate - well-cooked and generous portions at a very reasonable price. Better in fact than one well known restaurant that charges twice as much.

Beautiful hotel steeped in history. Charming small lounges with open fires to sit by. Rooms beautifully decorated, with charming original features peppered throughout. Every staff member we encountered was friendly, helpful and genuinely had pride in their work. Breakfast was delicious with plenty of choices to suit all needs. We ate in the cosy bar in the evening and the food was delicious and fresh. We would highly recommend The Mermaid Inn, infact we booked again for our wedding anniversary whilst we were still there.

Absolutely stunning! The best place to stay in Rye, beautiful old building steeped in history. The fabulous staff are amazing (big shout out to Steve) the food was delicious! We will definitely return.

A wonderful January stay in this unique, cosy and comfortable hotel. From our warm welcome on arrival to our delicious breakfast in the beautiful dining room, our stay was perfect. Staff are professional ,friendly and really make the extra effort to look after guests. We left feeling very impressed with our short break and will return.

The Mermaid certainly ticks all of the boxes. My wife and I took a holiday in Rye, and just happened to wander in to have a drink, and the moment we sat down in front of the giant, ancient fireplace, we were instantly enamored. On coming back the next evening for what was quite possibly the finest dinner either one of us has ever had, we both agreed that we were in live with the Mermaid Inn. The atmosphere, the service, the dining, even the smell of the fireplace... So relaxing and inviting. It's truly a holiday unto itself. 10/10!

We stayed in this lovely old ( very old ) coaching inn on one of there bed, breakfast and dinner weekday offers. Very good value for money. The Mermaid Inn is situated in the center of old Rye and is approached by narrow cobblestone streets. There is a car park for the hotel and once parked you can walk to pretty much everywhere. The staff were very welcoming and helpful and made you feel very welcome. The room we had was a bit on the small side but spotless, quite and comfortable, you can't ask for much more. There is a small selection on the menu but all the courses we had were very good ( this is not a fine dining restaurant and shouldn't be judged as such ) We thoroughly enjoyed our stay and would re visit but book a bigger room. Recommended.

Lovely old building with history behind it. Staff were friendly, although the waitress at breakfast yesterday seemed miserable. Not sure if she was having a bad day or not, but being in the service industry, you still need to smile. I digress, the rooms had a lot of character to them. We stayed in the Nutcracker Suite. Lovely room, but the beams are really low and bring over 6ft tall, I was constantly needing over so a not to bang my head!! Hence the name of the room! The floors and stairs are uneven but this just adds to the character of the hotel. We wanted to eat in the restaurant but it was fully booked, so I would highly recommend booking a table. The menu looked great.

We popped in for a drink walking up mermaid street, bar staff were very friendly & chatty, made sure our dog had a drink too. The pub itself has a wealth of character & history which was great to see and definitely worth a visit. For us the only downside was that we couldn't sit inside as we had our dog. So we had to take it in turns to have a look round the inside of the place.

Nice stay at hotel for 2 nights. Very atmospheric being such an old building with lots of knocks and crannies. Ate here one night and food was good albeit risotto rice needed a couple of minutes more of cooking. Staff were very friendly albeit seemed a bit under pressure in the restaurant (as are a lot nowadays). Breakfast was also good too. Nice stay - thank you!

Interesting old hotel with history. Apparently it's haunted - definitely creepy! Rooms are all different, some with low doors and you have to duck to enter. Floors are creaky and slanted. Our room only had a bath with shower attachment makes showering a challenge! Walls are very thin - and rooms on the street are very noisy - the sound from the bar and restaurant travels up and there can be people downstairs 24 hours. Ear plugs definitely needed! Breakfast is great - can order full English, eggs Benedict, avocado toast plus there is a limited buffet. Definitely recommend for the experience but not for the sleep!

We only ate in the bar and didn't stay at the hotel. The bartender was lovely. Very chatty and helpful. We had fish and chips. Probably the worst fish and chips that I have ever had. The batter was thick and hard. It was hard to even cut,it was so hard. Very little fish inside.

Stayed for one night and whilst we had a lovely experience here in general, I just have to mark it down so others don't make the same mistake as me. If you are visiting for the history, I would say you're better off staying somewhere else and just coming here for a drink in the bar. Ridiculously uncomfortable overly soft mattress (it's only 20cm deep???) and super thick, hard pillows, horrible cheap, chunky polyester duvet. Rooms were baking (obviously understand the heating is on as it's winter - but this was too much. Add in the synthetics and small bed for a couple and it's a recipe for a horrible night's sleep.) Woke up at 2am to open the window and turn the heat off and take the duvet out of the cover. Also slept without a pillow. Very cool interiors and amazing if you love history. Staff were very friendly and helpful on the front desk, can't fault them. Breakfast was alright - a bit tired and stuffy and not a lot of atmosphere in there. Again, staff were generally lovely. But for £250 - feel really disappointed and ripped off - sorry.

Nice staff and good central location but the rooms are very dated and uncomfortable. No shower in the bathroom so had to wash with a handheld hose in the bathroom with very low ceilings - very difficult! The breakfast was fine but could do with some nice fruit instead of a tasteless fruit salad.

Went for a meal, we enjoyed the service and location , the age of the premises added to the drama, I was served the tiniest slither of a single lamb chop, accompanied by a pyramid of pulled shoulder of lamb wrapped in a tough pasta. It was described on the menu as "rack of lamb" I couldnt eat the sloppy pulled meat thing in tough pasta that dominated the plate. I ordered vegetables to go with the meal , (cost extra) they were perfectly cooked . Being there was a pleasant experience thanks to the waiting on staff, but I dont want to eat there again. I think the menu needs looking at and what gets put on the plate examined.

Great locations, absolutely mesmerising decor but wow the food was really poor. We ordered fish and chips and it smelled fishy. Yea it was fish but a fish stench. Out of our party of 3 we were all disappointed and none of us finished our food. In fact, my daughter put it it this way. Even if you have not eaten for 3 days and starving, avoid this place!

The Mermaid is a funny one. Very historic, obviously. Went there for dinner last week...I have to say, not a great atmosphere and a very elderly clientele, that evening, at least. The food was fine and the service not bad at all but just nothing particularly great and the price not really justified. I would not return.

A Bit Disappointing for a 4.6-Star I visited this restaurant for the first time after seeing its impressive 4.6-star rating, but unfortunately, my experience was quite disappointing. The food was not well cooked, and when I asked for it to be cooked a bit more, nothing was done. In addition, the staff forgot to bring the water for the kids and the sauce that was supposed to come with the meal. The service was polite, but these small mistakes and the quality of the food made the experience less enjoyable. I truly hope this was just an off day, as the place seems to have great potential. I won't go back again!😔

Rude staff who wouldn’t let us have the restaurant menu outside despite the fact that we had a person in a wheelchair who couldn’t access the restaurant due to lack of ramps (which could easily be added) at the back of the restaurant. In fact, there was a ramp which was ‘too difficult to get out’. Rampant ignorance and ableism, so easily solved yet clearly he couldn’t be bothered to be a civilised member of society. Hope he has a very bad day.