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The Ancient Gatehouse Hotel

3.0 star property
3-star guest house with free WiFi, connected to a shopping center

Choose dates to view prices

Photo gallery for The Ancient Gatehouse Hotel

View from property
Exterior
Room | 1 bedroom, premium bedding, individually decorated
Front of property
Breakfast, lunch, dinner served; Italian cuisine

Reviews

9.0 out of 10
Wonderful

Popular amenities

  • Free WiFi
  • Room service
  • Housekeeping

Explore the area

View in a map
20 Sadler Street, Wells, England, BA5 2SE
  • Place, Wells Cathedral
    ‪3 min walk‬
  • Place, Wells Bishop's Palace
    ‪5 min walk‬
  • Place, Mendip Hills
    ‪9 min walk‬
  • Airport, Bristol (BRS-Bristol Intl.)
    ‪27 min drive‬

Room options

Room

9.4 out of 10
Exceptional
(6 reviews)
  • Sleeps 2
  • 1 Queen Bed

Room

8.0 out of 10
Very good
(3 reviews)
  • Sleeps 2
  • 1 Double Bed

Single Room, 1 Twin Bed

9.0 out of 10
Wonderful
(2 reviews)
  • Sleeps 1
  • 1 Twin Bed

City Double or Twin Room

9.4 out of 10
Exceptional
(3 reviews)
  • Sleeps 2
  • 2 Twin Beds

Superior Double Room

8.0 out of 10
Very good
(2 reviews)
  • Sleeps 2
  • 1 Double Bed

View all photos for Deluxe Double or Twin Room

Deluxe Double or Twin Room | 1 bedroom, premium bedding, individually decorated

Deluxe Double or Twin Room

  • Sleeps 2
  • 2 Twin Beds

About the neighborhood

Wells

Heart of Wells.With a stay at this Wells guesthouse, you'll be steps from Wells & Mendip Museum and Wells Cathedral. Vicar's Close and Ebbor Gorge are also within half a mile (1 km).
View more Guest Houses in WellsOpens in a new window

What's nearby

  • Wells & Mendip Museum - 1 min walk - 0.1 miles
  • Wells Cathedral - 3 min walk - 0.2 miles
  • Vicar's Close - 3 min walk - 0.2 miles
  • Wells Bishop's Palace - 5 min walk - 0.3 miles
  • Mendip Hills - 9 min walk - 0.5 miles

Getting around

  • Frome Station - 27 min drive
  • Bristol International Airport (BRS) - 39 min drive

Restaurants

  • ‪Fosso Lounge - ‬3 min walk
  • ‪The Crown at Wells - ‬2 min walk
  • ‪The Sheep & Penguin - ‬7 min walk
  • ‪The Good Earth - ‬5 min walk
  • ‪Caffè Nero - ‬3 min walk

About this property

The Ancient Gatehouse Hotel

3-star guest house with free WiFi, connected to a shopping center
There's a restaurant on site. Public spaces have free WiFi. A terrace, multilingual staff, and a garden are also featured at The Ancient Gatehouse Hotel.

This 3-star Wells guesthouse is smoke free.

  • 9 guestrooms or units
  • 2 levels
  • Built in 1473
  • Breakfast available (surcharge)
  • Express check-out
  • Staff is multilingual
  • Front-desk safe
  • Terrace
  • Garden
  • No smoking on site
  • Dining venue
The Ancient Gatehouse Hotel offers 9 accommodations with complimentary bottled water and hair dryers. Each accommodation is individually furnished and decorated. Beds feature premium bedding. 18-inch flat-screen televisions come with digital channels.

This Wells guesthouse provides complimentary wireless Internet access, with a speed of 25+ Mbps. Business-friendly amenities include desks and phones. Additionally, rooms include complimentary toiletries and portable fans. Housekeeping is provided daily.

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Property amenities

Family friendly

  • Separate bedroom

Internet

  • Available in all rooms: Free WiFi
  • In-room WiFi speed: 25+ Mbps
  • Available in some public areas: Free WiFi

Parking and transportation

  • Free offsite parking
  • Street parking available

Food and drink

  • Cooked-to-order breakfast available for a fee 7:30 AM to 9:30 AM on weekdays and 8:00 AM to 9:30 AM on weekends; GBP 15 for adults and GBP 15 for children
  • A restaurant

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
  • Wheelchair accessible (may have limitations)
  • Wheelchair-accessible registration desk

Room amenities

Entertainment

  • 18-inch flat-screen TV with digital channels

Bedroom

  • Blackout drapes
  • Premium bedding

Bathroom

  • Free toiletries
  • Hair dryer
  • Towels provided

Food and drink

  • Electric kettle
  • Free bottled water
  • Limited room service

More

  • Desk
  • Heating
  • Individual decor
  • Individual furnishings
  • Phone
  • Portable fan

Policies

Check-in

Check-in start time: 2 PM; Check-in end time: 10 PM
Contactless check-in available
Minimum check-in age: 18

Check-out

Check-out before 11 AM
Contactless check-out available
Late check-out subject to availability
Late check-out fee: GBP 24
Express check-out available

Special check-in instructions

The front desk is open Thursday - Monday (8:00 AM - 10:00 PM) and Tuesday - Wednesday (9:00 AM - 6:00 PM)
Guests planning to arrive outside of normal check-in hours will receive an email with check-in instructions and lockbox information; front desk staff will greet guests on arrival at the property
To make arrangements for check-in please contact the property at least 24 hours before arrival using the information on the booking confirmation
If you are planning to arrive after 7:00 PM please contact the property in advance using the information on the booking confirmation
For any questions, please contact the property using the information on the booking confirmation
Information provided by the property may be translated using automated translation tools
Guests planning to arrive outside of normal check-in hours must contact this property in advance to arrange check-in.

Access methods

Staffed front desk, lockbox

Pets

  • No pets allowed, but service animals are welcome

Children and extra beds

  • Children are welcome.
  • Kids stay free! Children stay free when using existing bedding.
  • Rollaway/extra beds are not available.
  • Cribs (infant beds) are not available.

Property payment types

Important information

Optional extras

The fees and deposits listed below will be charged at the time of service, check-in, or check-out.

  • Fee for cooked-to-order breakfast: approximately GBP 15.00 for adults and GBP 15.00 for children
  • Late check-out fee: GBP 24 (subject to availability)

This may not be a comprehensive list. Fees and deposits are subject to change and might not include tax.

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; cash is not accepted
Cashless transactions are available
Please note that cultural norms and guest policies may differ by country and by property; the policies listed are provided by the property
Charges for extra guests may apply and vary according to property policy.
A cash deposit, credit card, or debit card for incidental charges and government-issued photo identification may be required upon check-in.
Special requests are subject to availability at the time of check-in. Special requests can't be guaranteed and may incur additional charges.
    This property is managed by a professional host. The provision of housing is linked to their trade, business, or profession. This property accepts Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Diners Club, JCB International, and Carte Blanche. Cash is not accepted. Cashless payment methods are available for all transactions.

We should mention

  • Please note that this property can refuse certain bookings for the purpose of group events or parties, which include pre-wedding stag/bachelor and hen/bachelorette parties.
  • Children stay free in the same room as the parent or guardian when using existing bedding.

Property is also known as

Ancient Gatehouse Hotel Wells
Ancient Gatehouse Hotel
Ancient Gatehouse Wells
Ancient Gatehouse
The Ancient Gatehouse
The Ancient Gatehouse Wells
The Ancient Gatehouse Hotel Wells
The Ancient Gatehouse Hotel Guesthouse
The Ancient Gatehouse Hotel Guesthouse Wells

Frequently asked questions

How close is The Ancient Gatehouse Hotel to the airport?

The Ancient Gatehouse Hotel is 18.7 mi (39-min drive) away from the Bristol International Airport (BRS) airport, the closest popular airport to the property.

How much does it cost to stay at The Ancient Gatehouse Hotel?

As of Jan 9, 2026, prices found for a 1-night stay for 2 adults at The Ancient Gatehouse Hotel on Jan 11, 2026 start from $88.49, excluding taxes and fees. This price is based on the lowest nightly price found in the last 24 hours for stays in the next 30 days. Prices are subject to change. Choose your dates for more accurate prices.

Does The Ancient Gatehouse Hotel have an airport shuttle?

Airport shuttle services are not available at The Ancient Gatehouse Hotel.

Does The Ancient Gatehouse Hotel offer free breakfast?

Free breakfast isn’t provided at The Ancient Gatehouse Hotel, but cooked-to-order breakfast is offered for a fee of GBP 15.00 for adults and GBP 15.00 for children. It's available on weekdays from 7:30 AM to 9:30 AM and weekends from 8:00 AM to 9:30 AM.

Is there a casino at The Ancient Gatehouse Hotel?

No, there is no casino at this guesthouse.

What time is check-in at The Ancient Gatehouse Hotel?

Check-in start time: 2 PM; Check-in end time: 10 PM.

Is there free parking at The Ancient Gatehouse Hotel?

Free parking is not available at this guesthouse.

Does The Ancient Gatehouse Hotel have a pool?

The Ancient Gatehouse Hotel does not have a pool.

Does The Ancient Gatehouse Hotel have a restaurant?

The Ancient Gatehouse Hotel is home to Rugantino, which features Italian cuisine.

Does The Ancient Gatehouse Hotel have a spa?

There are no spa services available at this guesthouse.

How close is The Ancient Gatehouse Hotel to downtown Wells?

The Ancient Gatehouse Hotel is 0.1 mi away from Wells.

The Ancient Gatehouse Hotel Reviews

Reviews

9.0

Wonderful

Rating 10 - Excellent. 119 out of 195 reviews
Rating 8 - Good. 53 out of 195 reviews
Rating 6 - Okay. 14 out of 195 reviews
Rating 4 - Poor. 7 out of 195 reviews
Rating 2 - Terrible. 2 out of 195 reviews

9.0/10

Cleanliness

9.2/10

Staff & service

8.6/10

Amenities

8.4/10

Property conditions & facilities

8.8/10

Eco-friendliness

Reviews

10/10 Excellent

Diane

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Very central, parking easy on road cross to cathedral. Fab view of cathedral from breakfast, ate dinner in the Italian in the ground floor - very nice.
Stayed 1 night in Oct 2025

10/10 Excellent

Declan

Stayed 1 night in Sep 2025

10/10 Excellent

David

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

Nice, plus the Italian restaurant

Parking was as advised, it is Salisbury you have to contend with that. Thank you.
Stayed 1 night in Sep 2025

10/10 Excellent

Abdul

Traveled with group
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Great location. Everywhere is very walkable. Wide range of shops and restaurants. The Gatehouse is unique and charming. The hotel staff are very nice and accommodating. Great value for money. Beds comfortable. Room very clean. Overall a great experience and the city of Wells is a must-see
View from dining room
Dining room
Lobby
Stayed 2 nights in Sep 2025

8/10 Good

Megan

Liked: Staff & service, room comfort

Great service, good overall

A charming hotel in a lovely area. Staff were attentive and friendly. Restaurant had incredible food and ambience. I booked a single room which was fine. It was quite dusty in the room, notably on the top of the wide picture rail going around the bed. I only noticed when settling down to bed, I’m sure staff would have cleaned otherwise. The corner the bed was in was also a little dark and dingy and pillows were naff. Can hear other guests quite clearly particularly when they are coming up the stairs. Steep stairs up to the rooms. Beautiful view out the room window and good shower and bathroom. Would stay again but in a different room. Worth noting as well that hotel is unmanned overnight. Staff leave the restaurant in the late evening and there is no staff in until 8am ish. There are emergency numbers but worth knowing for safety and security.
Stayed 1 night in Sep 2025

10/10 Excellent

Dawn

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

Brilliant overnight stay

Stayed here for one night, staff were all very friendly and helpful, nothing was too much trouble. We stayed in room 2 which was at the front. Lovely big room with 4 poster bed. Very comfortable and clean. There are lots of hotels in Wells but I’m glad we chose this one.
Stayed 1 night in Sep 2025

8/10 Good

Edward

Traveled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness
Disliked: Staff & service, amenities
NO PARKIING Despite not being able to reach the hotel because of a road block, not being able to speak to anyone when we phoned (and we tried several times), being offered parking options that were not available or impractical as a stop from our check-in to check-out, meaning we had to carry our luggage through town from Waitrose long-stay car park, no reception staff for most of our stay and not being able to get breakfast in the hotel, we actually liked the place. The location is ideal for visiting the cathedral and also for excellent restaurants and coffee shops. The passage to our room felt a little like a worm hole; it goes in all directions at rather curious angles. The room offered a view across the green to the cathedral. The clock chimes every quarter; you’ll hear it if you’re awake but it didn’t keep us awake. WiFi in our room was only 6mbps down at best – but even if there a WAP on our floor, the thickness of the walls meant it would have struggled. The bathroom has a bath and a hose with a shower head but no shower. Hot water supply is good. The room had a nice feel about it. The building is definitely old and the hotel has an eccentric charm. We’d stay there again, if we were not driving.
Stayed 1 night in Aug 2025

6/10 Okay

Tony

Liked: Cleanliness, room comfort
Hotel facilities only open Monday left to our own devices Tuesday and Wednesday. No breakfast available.
Stayed 2 nights in Aug 2025

10/10 Excellent

Peter

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

Lovely old hotel in magical location

Excellent small historic hotel facing Weeks Cathedral. The view of the Cathedral from my bedroom was magical. Nice breakfast and very friendly staff
Stayed 1 night in Aug 2025

10/10 Excellent

Linton

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 1 night in Aug 2025

10/10 Excellent

Elsa

Traveled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Very characterful, great restaurant, really good food. Doggy friendly.
Stayed 1 night in Jun 2025

10/10 Excellent

Catherine

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

Charming visit!

We loved our stay at the Ancient Gatehouse. It is just that, ancient and charming. The room was lovely and had a nice clean bathroom. We were fortunate to have a room that looked out over the green and had a view of the cathedral. There is no air conditioning. Very few places in the UK or Europe have AC, these are old buildings. There was a fan and large windows which suited us perfectly. The hotel has an excellent Italian restaurant where we ate dinner. We stayed only one night, but we will definitely return in the future.
View of Wells Cathedral from the Bishops Palace
View from our window (the front is under renovation)
Wells Cathedral
Bedroom
Stayed 1 night in Jun 2025

10/10 Excellent

Emily

Stayed 1 night in Jul 2025

10/10 Excellent

Gill

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

Wonderful location

Lovely room in an interesting building in the heart of Wells. Friendly staff.
Stayed 1 night in Jun 2025

10/10 Excellent

Patrick

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Friendly and welcoming - we enjoyed our visit to Wells itself very much indeed. It was our second visit to this hotel and we would certainly choose it again!
Stayed 4 nights in Jun 2025

10/10 Excellent

John

Traveled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, amenities
Excellent location in a charming city
Stayed 1 night in Jun 2025

10/10 Excellent

Scott

Traveled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
An old character building which has a very modern feel to it. Excellent
Stayed 1 night in Jun 2025

10/10 Excellent

K

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 1 night in Apr 2025

8/10 Good

michael

Traveled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Cleanliness and laid back feel about the place.Very good value for money
Stayed 1 night in May 2025

10/10 Excellent

Mark

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

Ancient building, lovely hosts, great restaurant

Ancient building, lovely hosts, excellent Italian restaurant. Room was clean and tidy in this 400 year old building. Breakfast room looks onto Cathedral green.
Stayed 1 night in May 2025

10/10 Excellent

Jerry

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
All went fine
Stayed 1 night in May 2025

8/10 Good

Sarah

Traveled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, amenities
Lovely stay with an excellent welcome from very attentive hotel and restaurant staff. Room and bathroom was a bit smaller than I expected, and could do with a bit more modernising, TV was very small and floors quite uneven and creaky. But that kind of added to the atmosphere of an ancient gatehouse. Next time I would request a room with a view of the cathedral as I think these must be more spacious.
Stayed 1 night in Apr 2025

6/10 Okay

Amanda

Room was in need of updating, carpet was dirty. Staff were pleasant, but failed to tell us that they were not open on the day we left so no breakfast would be served. We just left our key at the closed desk. The restaurant looked very nice, but didn’t get a chance to try it.
Stayed 1 night in Apr 2025

10/10 Excellent

Fran

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
All the staff at the hotel were so friendly and helpful. The room was beautiful, clean, comfortable, excellent facilities.
Stayed 2 nights in Apr 2025

6/10 Okay

William

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Disliked: Room comfort

Beautiful Hotel, Amazing Breakfast, Awful Bed

The outside of this hotel is absolutely beautiful, with the historic Gatehouse plus connecting building and the location is complete perfection. I can’t imagine there is a better placed hotel in the whole of Wells. The staff were extremely welcoming and could not do enough for us. The breakfast is one of the best breakfast’s I have ever had in a hotel - no exaggeration! All made to order, with plenty of Hot Drinks and juices. Pretty much the only thing that let down our stay was the bed. The bed was so uncomfortable that at around 2am of not being able to sleep I actually decided to sleep on the floor! I did over head the staff talking about how the rooms and furniture were getting a refurb soon - which is promising. So although 3 stars feels harsh… I think it is fair as the bed was so bad that we could not properly sleep here.
Amazing Breakfast
Hotel Exterior
Cathedral View from breakfast
Stayed 1 night in Apr 2025