Guest User
December 29, 2024
This is a very popular family run hotel located in extensive grounds with views of the sea, albeit some distance away and the other side of the railway line. There is plenty of parking space, which is free for hotel guests. We booked to stay over Christmas and on arrival we were impressed by the beautiful decorations throughout the hotel and its grounds. Check in was quick and easy, and we were told that our room was on the first floor, up some stairs behind the Reception desk. My wife and I are both in our eighties, but no help was offered to assist in taking our luggage to our room, and it was quite a struggle for us. The room had an en-suite bathroom which was excellent and seemed to be almost new - it included a heated towel rail which was greatly appreciated, but, in contrast, the bedroom was a disappointment with cheap wooden furniture with drawers and doors that had sagged and didn’t shut properly. In the bedroom a very thoughtful touch was that a bin bag had been left with a note saying it was for wrapping paper etc. from any gifts that were exchanged. The room was heated by a radiator that seemed to have a mind of its own. There were some confusing instructions on how to operate it using a remote control, bur even a staff member agreed with us that the instructions were impossible to follow. Similarly, there were instructions on how to use the TV remote, but they were for a different model from that in our room. We had been sent a brochure containing interesting and very appealing menus for all the festive meals, so it was quite a disappointment to find on Christmas Eve that the main course was served carvery style and we had to join a long queue to fetch it. Christmas Day breakfast, and that on subsequent days, was the usual hotel buffet, but the selection and quality of food was excellent, and warm plates were provided. Lunch that day was somewhat of a disaster, mainly because we had to wait two hours to be served with our main course. The hotel manager took to the stage and apologised for the delays, but blamed them on the fact that they were very busy. As the hotel had accepted bookings from all present the management was fully aware of the numbers involved and should either have declined some bookings or taken steps to cope with them. As an aside, one of the main courses was ‘Thick sliced sirloin of beef’ but when it eventually arrived it was just a couple of very thin slices. In a similar vein, the Christmas Day buffet supper offered ‘A vast array of cold meats….’ but when we reached the front of the queue the only meat available was one slice of beef, and no staff were in sight to keep the various dishes topped up. Boxing Day dinner was being enjoyed when suddenly a very competent electric guitar player started up at a volume that prevented any conversation for the remainder of the evening. The same music at a lower volume would have been very enjoyable. Apart from the above complaints, all the food was excellent and served by