For what it’s worth my wife and I have used The Petwood quite a few times over the years (last time about 12 months ago) and never had a bad stay. That said we use it for a special occasion and have always stayed in a suite- well worth the investment.

I’m a big fan of Tripadvisor but my favourite hotel in London invariably gets a pasting! If the reviews are mixed you could try The White Hart in Lincoln itself- it too has a history and the advantage of being centrally located so drink/driving isn’t an issue. It’s a while since we used it (and I haven’t checked Tripadvisor before posting) but again we’ve had some nice stays there in standard rooms. You can always call at the Petwood for afternoon tea……