Basic, clean accommodation

Our double room was small but adequate, clean and tidy. There was evidence of limited-competence DIY in poorly-fitting architrave to bathroom door and incorrectly fitted towel rail in bathroom (falls off when you remove a towel). The bathroom water was extremely hot -- good for shaving, but caution required with children. The most infuriating aspect was the shower. It was a basic tap-mixer type. The standard procedure of adjusting the temperature at the tap outlet then pulling the diverter rod did not work, presumably because of a disparity between hot and cold water pressures: the result was ice-cold shower. WIth the water through the shower and hot full on there was about 1/4mm difference in the cold tap between unpleasantly cold and unpleasantly hot shower. Even when it was adjusted to a comfortable temperature, it would suddenly change, presumably if water was used elswhere in the building. To top it off, the bathroom had several lables requesting the saving of water. I imagine these are ineffectual because merely adjusting the shower temperature takes about 3x as long as having a shower, and I imagine that most people would give up and bath instead! Although the room overlooked a busy road, the double-glazing effectively sound-proofed the room. The bed was very firm and the bedding (sheets and duvet) adequate; we slept well. The TV is terrestrial only (no channel 5) -- if you want more, take your own FreeView box. The breakfast was bog-standard UK B&B fare. My first attempt to get a fried egg with a hard yoke was a dismal failure, but they did better on the second morning. The cooked tomatoes were tinned, making the breakfast plate very watery. My wife said the scrambled egg was very good. At least the food was served on hot plates! The coffee was instant, and suitable only for a morning caffeine-hit, but there is a Starbucks in the Sainsburys about 10 minutes walk away. The other irritant was finding, from the documentation in the bedroom, was that they don't accept debit or credit cards. This is not stated on their web site (it states they accept cheques, Euros, etc., but not that it's *only* these -- we assumed that, as so few people take cheques nowadays, that these were additional to modern payment methods) and we were not told this when we booked by phone. However, despite the niggles, the cost of £60/night for two people is reasonable. If they would sort out their shower and provide palatable coffee, I would give it 5 stars. We'd stay there again.

Stephen Tonkin - 09/04/2009 | report this review