The White Horse, Dorking

Style

Literati-loved inn

Setting

Hill-framed high street

Saddle up for a stay at The White Horse, Dorking, a welcoming coaching inn amid the scenic Surrey Hills. These storied walls have been on the block since mediaeval times and, centuries on, hosted Charles Dickens and Jane Austen. Today, this pub with rooms has had a tasteful glow-up, with cosy, colour-drenched bedrooms and French-nodding seasonal fare – and plenty of room at the inn for pampered pooches, too.

Facilities

Rooms

56.

Checkout

11am. Check-in, 3pm; both are flexible, subject to availability and an extra charge (£25).

More Details

Rates at The White Horse, Dorking exclude breakfast, but Continental and à la carte options are available (from £18.95).

Also

There are two adapted rooms on the ground floor that have vibrating pillows for fire alarms, roll-in showers and grab bars. The bar and restaurant are step-free, and there are two accessible parking spaces outside.

Free Internet Access

Pet Friendly

On-Site Restaurant

At the Hotel

Free WiFi throughout. In rooms: smart TV, Roberts radio, tea- and coffee-making kit, free bottled water, and Bramley bath products.

Our Favourite Rooms

The hotel’s traditional black-and-white exterior belies the joyous approach to colour inside, where the bedrooms have been saturated with warm and welcoming English country hues. Snag a Snug room with teal-blue, panelled walls, a cabin bed and pops of coral. Cosy up in a Comfy Room inspired by an English garden, with grass-green walls, clotted cream and marigold accents, or luxuriate in a plaster-pink Really Fancy Room where the boudoirs have claw-footed bath tubs — some in the bedroom.

Packing Tips

A copy of Dickens’ The Pickwick Papers or Jane Austen’s Emma — word on the street is that part of the former was written during a stay at The White Horse, Dorking; a scene in the latter is set atop of nearby Box Hill.

Children

Welcome. Most Comfy rooms and above have space for a free baby cot or pull-out bed (£30) for one little Smith under 12; there are also Comfy and Really Comfy Family rooms. The restaurant has a kids menu, too.

Gallery

Food & Drink

Top Table

Under the skylight; bigger clans should make a beeline for the window-wrapped banquette.

Dress Code

If you’re here for post-walk pints, come as you are; for dinner, ditch your boots and waterproofs in favour of something smarter.

Hotel Restaurant

This 13th-century inn has had quite the makeover since Charles Dickens was said to have spent time here: plaster-hued walls, velvet banquettes and gently glowing filament bulbs bring a warmth to the contemporary space. Seasonal menus are laced with French flair — artichoke and mushroom pithivier, cod and butter bean cassoulet, slow-cooked venison — but Sunday roasts are British to a tee, with all the trimmings and locally sourced meat.

Hotel Bar

Sultry hues of aubergine and petrol-blue bring touches of drama to the bar, which is the oldest part of the building and has a more traditional feel, with listed wooden beams, an original fireplace and inviting Hunters Green snug. Sink into a leather armchair or banquette, and work your way through the spritz list or line-up of crisp ales.

Last Orders

Breakfast is from 7am to 10am (10.30am, on weekends); lunch is served from noon until 5pm, and dinner is between 5pm and 9.45pm (9pm, on Sundays). The pub pours from noon until 11pm (10pm, on Sundays).

Planes

London Gatwick Airport is a 25-minute taxi ride from the hotel.

Trains

The town’s three train stations are each a 15-minute walk away: rail routes from London Waterloo and Victoria call at Dorking (Main); arrive from Reading or Gatwick Airport to Dorking Deepdene or Dorking West.

Automobiles

A set of wheels is handy for exploring Surrey’s landscape, including Box Hill, plus west London is a 90-minute drive away. The inn has one electric-vehicle charging point and several free parking spaces, which are available on a first-come, first-served basis. There’s charged parking available at Southside car park, a five-minute walk away.

Worth Getting Out of Bed For

Lace up your boots because fresh-air pursuits abound at The White Horse, Dorking, set in the verdant Surrey Hills, a hop from London. Mooch in the market town’s antique shops, before rambling to the ruins of Betchworth Castle, or across the wooded Ranmore Common. Leith Hill is in the care of the National Trust and has fine views from the top and a handy café to soak them up with. Scaling Box Hill might top your bucket list; if you’re on foot, include the Box Hill Stepping Stones across the River Mole for the definitive ramble; or rent an e-bike from hotel partner the Cycle Collective for a helping hand to tackle its gradients on two wheels.

Post-stroll refreshment comes in the form of crisp fizz and organic orange blends at Denbies Wine Estate, where tours wind through the vineyard and conclude at the well stocked cellar. Plus, history-steeped Hampton Court Palace on London’s fringes and Sussex seaside towns such as Brighton and Bognor Regis, are all within driving distance.

Earn or Redeem Points with World of Hyatt

This Mr & Mrs Smith hotel participates in the World of Hyatt loyalty program. As a member, you can earn and redeem points and enjoy exclusive benefits for qualifying nights. .