The Grove Ferry Inn

3.0 star property

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your current months are December, 2024 and January, 2025.
December 2024
January 2025

Photo gallery for The Grove Ferry Inn

Property entrance
Exterior
Family Room, River View (Marshmallow) | Premium bedding, free WiFi
Breakfast, lunch, dinner served; British cuisine, alfresco dining
Family Room (Gooseberry) | View from room

Reviews

8.8 out of 10

Excellent

Popular amenities

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

Explore the area

Map
Grove Ferry Rd, Upstreet, Canterbury, England, CT3 4BP
  • Grove Ferry Picnic Site
    1 min walk
  • Stodmarsh National Nature Reserve
    4 min drive
  • Wingham Wildlife Park
    7 min drive
  • London (SEN-Southend)
    85 min drive

Room options

Double Room, River View (Elderflower)

  • River view
  • Sleeps 2
  • 1 King Bed

Family Room (Gooseberry)

  • Sleeps 3
  • 1 King Bed and 1 Twin Bed

Family Room, River View (Marshmallow)

  • River view
  • Sleeps 3
  • 1 King Bed and 1 Twin Bed

Double Room, View (Cowslip)

  • Sleeps 2
  • 1 King Bed

Double Room, River View (Honeysuckle)

  • River view
  • Sleeps 2
  • 1 King Bed

Double Room, View (Juniper)

  • Sleeps 2
  • 1 Double Bed

About the neighborhood

Canterbury

With a stay at The Grove Ferry Inn in Canterbury, you'll be in the historical district, just steps from Grove Ferry Picnic Site and a 3-minute drive from Isle of Thanet. .This inn is 8.4 mi (13.5 km) from Canterbury Cathedral and 3.6 mi (5.8 km) from Stodmarsh National Nature Reserve.

What's nearby

  • Wingham Wildlife Park - 7 min drive - 4.9 miles
  • Howletts Wild Animal Park - 7 min drive - 5.1 miles
  • University of Kent - 14 min drive - 7.6 miles
  • Canterbury Cathedral - 19 min drive - 8.4 miles
  • Marlowe Theatre - 19 min drive - 8.4 miles

Getting around

  • Canterbury Sturry Station - 7 min drive
  • London (SEN-Southend) - 85 min drive

Restaurants

  • ‪Sainsbury's Cafe - ‬9 min drive
  • ‪Chopsticks - ‬4 min drive
  • ‪The Bell Inn - ‬5 min drive
  • ‪Miller & Carter Herne Bay - ‬8 min drive
  • ‪Butchers Arms - ‬9 min drive

About this property

The Grove Ferry Inn

Inn in Canterbury with free breakfast and a restaurant
The Grove Ferry Inn offers 6 accommodations with hair dryers and complimentary toiletries. Beds feature premium bedding. Flat-screen televisions come with digital channels. Guests can surf the web using the complimentary wireless Internet access. Housekeeping is provided daily.
The recreational activities listed below are available either on site or nearby; fees may apply.
Stay in one of 6 guestrooms featuring flat-screen televisions. Complimentary wireless internet access keeps you connected, and digital programming is available for your entertainment. Bathrooms have complimentary toiletries and hair dryers. Conveniences include electric kettles, and housekeeping is provided daily.
Take in the views from a terrace and a garden and make use of amenities such as complimentary wireless internet access. This inn also features a picnic area and barbecue grills.
You can enjoy a meal at the restaurant serving the guests of The Grove Ferry Inn, or stop in at the snack bar/deli. Wrap up your day with a drink at the bar/lounge. A complimentary English breakfast is served daily from 8:00 AM to 11:00 AM.
Free self parking is available onsite.
A complimentary English breakfast is served each morning between 8:00 AM and 11:00 AM.
Onsite venue - This restaurant specializes in British cuisine and serves breakfast, brunch, lunch, and dinner. Guests can enjoy alfresco dining (weather permitting). A children's menu is available.

Languages

English, German

Property amenities

Internet

  • Available in all rooms: Free WiFi
  • Available in some public areas: Free WiFi

Parking and transportation

  • Free self parking on site

Food and drink

  • Free English breakfast available daily 8:00 AM to 11:00 AM
  • A bar/lounge
  • A restaurant
  • Snack bar/deli

Things to do

  • Playground

Family friendly

  • Playground
  • Snack bar/deli

Conveniences

  • Luggage storage

Guest services

  • Housekeeping (daily)

Business services

  • Meeting room

Outdoors

  • Barbecue grill
  • Garden
  • Picnic area
  • Terrace

Accessibility

  • If you have requests for specific accessibility needs, please contact the property using the information on the reservation confirmation received after booking.
  • No elevator
  • Wheelchair accessible (may have limitations)

More

  • 1 building
  • 2 floors
  • Smoke-free property

Room amenities

Bedroom

  • Premium bedding

Bathroom

  • Free toiletries
  • Hair dryer
  • Towels provided

Entertainment

  • Flat-screen TV with digital channels

Food and drink

  • Electric kettle

Policies

Check-in

Check-in start time: noon; Check-in end time: 10:00 PM
Minimum check-in age: 18

Check-out

Check-out before 10:00 AM

Special check-in instructions

There is no front desk at this property
Guests must contact the property in advance for check-in instructions; your host will greet you
To make arrangements for check-in please contact the property at least 48 hours before arrival using the information on the booking confirmation

Access methods

Host will greet you

Pets

Pets not allowed

Children and extra beds

Children are welcome
Rollaway/extra beds are not available
Cribs (infant beds) are not available

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, debit cards, and cash
Cashless transactions are available

We should mention

This property does not have elevators

Property is also known as

Ferry Grove
Grove Ferry
Grove Ferry Inn
Grove Ferry Pantry Pub
Grove Ferry Pantry Pub & Inn
Grove Ferry Pantry Pub & Inn Canterbury
Grove Ferry Pantry Pub Canterbury
Grove Ferry Pub
Grove Ferry Inn Canterbury
Grove Ferry Canterbury
The Grove Ferry Pantry Pub Inn
The Grove Ferry
The Grove Ferry Inn Inn
The Grove Ferry Inn Canterbury
The Grove Ferry Inn Inn Canterbury

Reviews

8.8

Excellent

Rating 10 - Excellent. 30 out of 64 reviews" "
Rating 8 - Good. 26 out of 64 reviews" "
Rating 6 - Okay. 7 out of 64 reviews" "
Rating 4 - Poor. 1 out of 64 reviews" "
Rating 2 - Terrible. 0 out of 64 reviews" "

8.2/10

Cleanliness

9.2/10

Staff & service

8.6/10

Amenities

8.2/10

Property conditions & facilities

8.0/10

Eco-friendliness

Reviews

8/10 Good

Adrienne

Traveled with group
Liked: Staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Lovely stay!
Had a lovely stay, very friendly staff and welcoming. John and Jane where great hosts, breakfast is huge, made to order and very tasty. Room where very comfortable.
Stayed 2 nights in Jun 2022

6/10 Okay

Phil

Traveled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, amenities
Nice location next to the river. Evening meal service not great, waited nearly an hour just to get a drink then starter and main came out at more or less the same time. Restaurant was not busy (half full) and had plenty of staff on so i dont know why we had to ask to be served. Lovely breakfast.
Stayed 1 night in Oct 2021

8/10 Good

Susan

Liked: Staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Stayed 1 night in Sep 2021

8/10 Good

Paul

Liked: Staff & service, room comfort
Stayed 2 nights in Sep 2021

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveler

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Great stay
Lovely area a good location for surrounding areas to visit. Staff were friendly nothing too much trouble very attentive. Would definitely recommend visiting and would stay again.
Stayed 4 nights in Sep 2021

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveler

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Very welcoming and wonderful location
Wonderful visit. Will stay again
Stayed 1 night in Sep 2021

10/10 Excellent

Richard

Traveled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
What a lovely warm welcome we received from the young team at Grove Ferry Inn. We were welcomed with a big smile and once we were checked in at the bar our host offered to carry our bags to our room and actually showed us to the door, didn't leave us searching corridors for our room - nice touch! We stayed in Gin & Tonic and the room was clean and spacious and beautifully decorated. we were very comfy! We were too late for dinner sadly, as caught up in traffic, however we were given local recommendations and had a lovely meal at Bill's in Canterbury. Breakfast was served up until 11am so we sauntered down at 9am and enjoyed a hearty big breakfast with copious amounts of tea and juice. Special shout out to the young waitress who was so helpful and polite - couldn't do enough for us. A 5*hotel the Grove Ferry is not and in areas could maybe do with a little upgrading, but if you are looking for a lovely setting, with 5 star staff then you won't be disappointed. We would definitely book again, excellent value for money.
Stayed 1 night in Sep 2021

8/10 Good

Brian

Traveled with partner
Liked: Staff & service, amenities
Quiet location. Convenient for north Kent coastal towns. Adjacent to wildlife preservation area and river.
Stayed 4 nights in Sep 2021

8/10 Good

Bob

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 2 nights in Sep 2021

10/10 Excellent

C

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Beautiful location
Beautiful location. Friendly staff and great service.Wonderful food. Good value for money. Would stay again.
Stayed 2 nights in Sep 2021

6/10 Okay

Verified traveler

Liked: Room comfort
Disliked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Disappointing
The hotel/pub was very busy as it’s located next to a river, check in was at the bar, there was one bar staff and a queue of about 8 people waiting to order drinks. We queued for about 20 minutes just for 2 glasses of wine. The bar staff were very friendly. The room needed cleaning, the floor was dirty and there was a large mirror which was covered in dust. The bathroom was clean but windows were covered in mould and there was mould around bath and shower tiles. I think the whole place needs a revamp. The hotel sits right next to a river and also a train line, trains begin about 6am.
Stayed 1 night in Sep 2021

4/10 Poor

Chris

Traveled with family
Liked: Staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Dislike the electrical unit that is clearly faulty as it sounds like it is going to blow up and making a constant whirling noise throughout the night, tried contacting the owners By phone, number closed By text, mailbox full Emailed just to show I was still awake
Stayed 1 night in Sep 2021

10/10 Excellent

Clifford

Stayed 1 night in Sep 2021

8/10 Good

Paul

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Nice and peaceful very relaxing
Stayed 1 night in Aug 2021

8/10 Good

Georgina

Liked: Staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Stayed 1 night in Aug 2021

6/10 Okay

ELIZABETH

Liked: Staff & service
Disliked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities
VERY DISAPPOINTING
Location of the hotel was lovely and the staff were very friendly and helpful but we were surprised to find that food wasn't served after 5pm on a Sunday when website said food til 8 everyday. The overall feeling was that it was not as clean as we would expect. The bedside tables in the rooms were sticky and rubbish wasn't removed from the room after the first night stay. The plumbing was awful. Toilet didn't flush properly and the shower was little more than a dribble. Lighting in the bathroom was very poor. There was no plug near a mirror so very difficult to do one's hair. Bed was comfortable. Breakfast was ok but fried eggs were overcooked.
Stayed 2 nights in Aug 2021

10/10 Excellent

Margaret

Traveled with group
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Loved our 1 night stay. Staff very friendly and accommodating. We had nice room overlooking the river which was lovely. Breakfast great good portions. Only small niggle mattress was a bit uncomfortable but other than that great place and would definitely stay again! Thank you 😊
Stayed 1 night in Aug 2021

10/10 Excellent

Eileen

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
The Grove Ferry Inn.
Wonderful location by the river. There are hourly electric boat trips running but it would be an idea to prebook if you are interested in doing. Excellent cooked breakfast was included in our rate. Very close to Canterbury city.
From our balcony
Stayed 1 night in Aug 2021

10/10 Excellent

Jennie

Stayed 1 night in Aug 2021

8/10 Good

Graeme

Liked: Staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 4 nights in Aug 2021

10/10 Excellent

Matthew

Business traveler
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Great overnight stop just outside Whitstable
Clean and comfortable room above a lovely pub in a beautiful riverside setting. Staff were all attentive and the vegan full English breakfast was a great bonus!
Stayed 1 night in Jul 2021

8/10 Good

nancy

Liked: Cleanliness, room comfort
Ok for one night
We felt a lot more could have been made as this inn is located next to a river. Not allowed to use the front door in the portico shown in the photo and this was covered in notices of all types showing mixed messages. In the end we had to walk right to the end of the building, through the garden and in the back way. The garden was busy with diners when we arrived and we think that this is where the inn makes its business. Our bedroom was ok - clean; the bed was comfortable; lashings of hot water from the easy to use shower in the ensuite. However, the room was filled with nick-knacks which rather took up a lot of space on what little shelving there was so our stuff had to stay on the floor. Also, while the bedroom could clearly accommodate one, there was no wardrobe but a few wire coat hangers on a mobile unit. We were told that breakfast would be served from 8 a.m; apart from ourselves there was just one other couple at a table the next morning and they seem to have been waiting a long time. In the end, the lady had to chase up theirs as she had an appointment. Food still didn't arrive for quite a while and she left after only a couple of mouthfuls leaving her partner to eat alone. Ours arrived and was ok although coffee appeared long before the food. We began to think that the "hotel" side of the business was secondary.
Stayed 1 night in Jul 2021

10/10 Excellent

Hannah

Stayed 1 night in Jul 2021

10/10 Excellent

brendon

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Hidden Gem
Stayed for a midweek wedding near canterbury, and was a beautiful retreat by the river! Newly redecorated, the room was very clean and spacious, and the breakfast was delicious! The wider property was very well kept with ample space, and with riverboat trips running throughout the day I feel this would be a popular venue at weekends... the staff and owners can be proud of their efforts, a lovely stay.
Stayed 1 night in Jul 2021

10/10 Excellent

Kelly

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Perfect stay! Lovely room with a stunning view of the river. Great staff members and overall a truly relaxing setting.
Stayed 1 night in Jul 2021