Arrandale House

Breakfast: Breakfast is consistently praised for its quality, variety, and inclusion of local specialties like kippers. Guests appreciate the well-cooked meals, ample portions, and options for dietary preferences such as gluten-free choices.

I’m sure we all have fond memories of staying in seaside small bed & breakfast hotels in our youth. To tell the truth those places as we remember them would not stand up to modern expectations. Arrandale does and does not match up to those modern expectations but it gets enough right that so long as you’re not too precious about certain things then it can certainly serve as a decent enough base for exploring Douglas and beyond. My room at least did have a rather decent en-suite and although the bedrooms themselves don’t have air conditioning the en-suite did have some sort of extractor fan. There’s a good TV in the rooms, a kettle is provided with sachets for tea and coffee and even biscuits are provided. I got a good night’s sleep there on both nights but I had to keep the window wide open throughout despite it only being medium warm outside. On the negative side there are no safes in the room for valuables storage and I didn’t see any USB charging points. These are the types of rooms where you’ll probably want to spend as little time in them as possible, which is fine for busy holiday-makers. The reception desk usually isn’t staffed but a number is provided for you to get in touch. As for the wi-fi, I don’t know, I found it so confusing. A card with passwords was provided but my phone didn’t pick up any of those options. I scanned a QR code that is provided in the rooms and that got me online but I honestly don’t know if I used up my personal data doing so which is annoying because The Isle of Man isn’t covered by my UK mainland phone provider’s data and minutes package. The real star of the show here though is the inclusive breakfast. There’s a really good selection to choose from – more a case of placing your order rather than the buffet approach. The ‘Full Manx’ breakfast with local kippers is superb – you can probably skip lunch on the back of one of those! The service was quick and friendly and that dining/bar room is certainly a nice area for breakfasts at least. I’d be tempted to stay here again just for the breakfasts!

What a DUMP was going to say it’s a sh*t hole but that’s not strong enough Arrived - no one on reception key left in an envelope! No wi fi as promised Beds awful so uncomfortable Tv doesn’t work Shower crap Breakfast late starting God I could fo on for ever but why waste my time on a dump like this