The Lake - St Albans

Am I the only one who finds the website for the lake restaurant to be not user-friendly? Clicking on "accept cookies" does nothing, there is limited information and no prices when trying to view the menu, and there is no option to book online. These are all issues that I haven't experienced when booking with any other restaurant.

We had an amazing experience at the hotel, enjoying delicious breakfasts and dinners. The staff was friendly and the atmosphere was wonderful.

We were promptly served with individual tea requests, and asked about dietary needs which we had already communicated when booking. We requested no cheese, but unfortunately our food took 45 minutes to arrive, and it came with cheese. The sandwiches appeared to be frozen and were served on stale bread with fillings that were difficult to distinguish. It was clear that they were not freshly made, even though the restaurant was not busy. The scones seemed to have been reheated in a microwave, as they were warm but not fresh, and the jam was thin and runny. The two staff members were polite and helpful, but it seemed like they were embarrassed by the quality of the food. Overall, we will not be returning to this restaurant.

Visited Saturday with family. Shocked at the terrible afternoon tea we were served. Stale bread and poor service, asked three different waiters to clear our dirty plates, and barely touched food, alas this never happened! Staff need proper training as they had no clue and were inexperienced at waiting tables so quality of service not really their fault, although there was an attempt to add a £22 service tip! The usual lovely ambiance was non existent and there seems to have been an attempt at modernising the room that has the lovely fire place which was a terrible idea as the design was not appropriate to the age of the building, chrome coffee tables are fine if they are polished and cleaned, these were dirty and grubby! So very disappointed and sorry to say will not be visiting St Michaels Manor again.

Booked to celebrate our wedding anniversary and was delighted by the whole unrushed experience. Food excellent, beautifully presented and menu creative. The service was attentive but not intrusive, the food and drink manager deserves a special mention for his excellent service. Little extras made our anniversary. A real find and will certainly be visiting again.