Rating : . This is going to be special , I tell myself as we pass medieval Penshurst Place , lit up to dramatic effect , with the pretty village church glowing next to it . Certainly , the Leicester Arms Hotel , near Tunbridge Wells , had looked cheering on the website - a village pub given a good wash and brush up without losing its charm . Not quite . Not much good for a weekend of any sort : The Leicester Arms is in tired and in real need of a makeover . The whole place seems in the grip of a collective lethargy . I 'm not even given much in the way of a welcome . 'Do n't worry , this is n't rubbish , ' says the weary young woman who shows me to a room on the first floor above the kitchen extractor - even though only two other people are staying . She is not referring to the room , but to the eight bulging black plastic bin bags - 'it 's just sheets and stuff . ' You might think sheets and stuff could be stored elsewhere . But then , on seeing my drab room , I have my doubts . It 's a charmless affair . The window frame has been painted recently , but no one has bothered to scrape off the drips stuck to the panes ; three dull watercolours hang on the walls ; the small desk is battered and bruised ; and the bedside lights are those infuriating ones that only come on when you tap them . Even the laminated card telling you how to get an outside line is creased and uninviting . Things are more convivial downstairs . The panelled bar , with its saddles on the walls , open fires ( not lit ) and exposed timber beams provide some atmosphere , but the best part is the dining room up a short flight of stairs , with its mish-mash of tables and chairs , some of which are lovely antique jobs . A mere three tables are occupied , but the wait between my indifferent first course ( two tiny bits of rolled-up smoked salmon and some avocado mousse ) and my main course ( sea bass in an overly rich sauce with gnocchi ) is unforgivable . 'Any veg ? ' I ask . 'Kale , that 's about it , ' says the waitress in a wouldn't-bother sort of way . ' I 'll have some kale , then , please . ' It 's a Wednesday night , but feels like the butt end of a Sunday . I almost long for someone to ask if 'everything 's all right with your meal ' if only because it would mean I can ask for another glass of wine . I get talking in the morning to the 'sheets and stuff ' member of staff , and I like her no-nonsense honesty . 'Been busy ? ' I ask . 'Not really , bit dead actually . ' 'Who comes here at this time of year ? ' 'We get a lot down for a dirty weekend . ' Perhaps if you 're down for a dirty weekend you can forgive certain flaws . But calling this old boozer a hotel is a liberty too far . The Leicester Arms Hotel . High Street . Penshurst . Kent . TN11 8BT . 01892 871 617. www.theleicesterarmshotel.com . Doubles from £119 B & B . Rating : .
The Leicester lodge Hotel is one of the main hotels in pretty Penshurst . However , this little retreat looks less like a hotel , more a converted pub . The hotel has tall timber beams but an uninspiring fireplace .