I had a pint in a haunted Bristol hotel bar but the prices spooked me more

It stands on one of the busiest junctions on one of Bristol’s busiest roads but how many people knew the bar at the Arnos Manor Hotel was open to anybody passing the door? 

I certainly didn’t realise it was open all day for non-residents as well as hotel guests but a quick check with staff behind the reception desk and I was soon having a pint in the light and airy bar.

Built in 1760 as the private home of William Reeve, this handsome Georgian building (with more modern bits added over the years) occupies a prime spot on the Bath Road.

It is also said to be haunted by the ghost of a nun who committed suicide in the building. Her skeleton was apparently discovered by workmen carrying out work on the hotel when it was damaged by a bomb during the war. 

Since then, a figure in brown has been spotted a number of times in the hotel including in one of the 73 bedrooms. There are also tales of poltergeist activity at the hotel, including bathtubs filling on their own and toiletries flying through the air.

Thankfully, there were no such spooky sightings during my hour in the bar, with its teal walls, mustard fabrics and sash windows.

There were two large TVs showing BBC news and a handful of people having a drink after a work conference in one of the function rooms. It had clearly been a tough session as they were quick to order some much needed pints of cider despite it being mid-afternoon.

The bar also serves a full food menu including a range of pizzas (from £10.95 to £17), steak and ale pies (£15.50) and a ‘builders’ burger for £17.50. Those are certainly hotel bar prices but then so are the drinks.

One of the post-conference attendees seemed slightly alarmed that a small bottle of Peroni had just set him back £5.50.

I was even more horrified by the eye-watering £6.50 I had to part with for a pint of Angelo Poretti Italian lager.

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A large bottle (more than a pint) of Angelo Poretti costs just £2.35 in my local Sainsbury’s.

As I grabbed a seat, the TVs relayed news of more economic doom and gloom in the UK. It seemed a fitting soundtrack as I sipped my overpriced £6.50 pint.

I may not have bumped into the dead nun of Arnos Manor but I was certainly spooked by the prices in the bar. 

Next time I want a quick pint in this corner of BS4, I’ll be heading back to the far more wallet-friendly Sandringham a short walk away. It might not be as swanky as a hotel bar, but at least the prices won't give me nightmares.

Arnos Manor Hotel, 470 Bath Road, Arno’s Vale, Bristol, BS4 3HQ.