We stayed here overnight for a relatives christening in the area over halloween weekend…read more First impressions were not excellent, check in was a little bit of a hassle there were two staff on checking people in and there were two couples/families waiting to check in before us and it must have taken over half an hour to get checked in which I feel was way too long. We were however given free WifFi once checked in BUT as the rooms were set out I could not get a signal on my smart phone other than when I was in the bar area. Speaking of how the rooms were set out, it looks like the hotel has been converted from an old resedential home. Other than that the rooms were comfortable and clean. Once we had check in out of the way the experiance took a bit of a step upwards the bar area is really nice and the touch with all the wine bottles scattered around the bar as the pictures I took look well. There is a decent variety of drinks on offer as I sampled quite a few of the whiskeies which were all very nice. We didnt eat in the restaurant in the evening but the menu looked very nice. There is a nice pool area and a large gym which is also available which I didnt make use of while staying there but is a nice touch. Breakfast was nice with a buffet style set up with fresh fruit cereal and full english breakfast available to choose from, so naturally I chose all three! All in all after the palavour of check in the stay improoved and was much better and for £50 a night was quite reasonable

My partner and I had booked a wedding package with this outfit for July 2020. Despite frequent…read morechanges in coordinator (they currently dont have one at all) and very little in the way of communication we thought all was looking ok as the time approached (We initially started the booking in 2018) When the lockdown began we realised we had backed the wrong horse. All efforts to reach them failed up until 2 months before the wedding when we managed to get in touch to be offered an alternative date. we stupidly agreed to move the wedding to the next year but had an uneasy feeling regarding the continued lack of communication or engagement from the coordinator regarding decoration, seating plans etc. Attempts to contact were fobbed of with claims that the person we wanted to speak to wasn't there or had left the business (seemingly a common occurrence for sporting lodge employees) As the 30 people restrictions showed no sign of being lifted we enquired about costing up a smaller event, we were told that this would be fine and to expect a price the next week......2 weeks later I ask again, again, by the middle of next week you'll have the price. My partner is a Nurse and I work in public transport so we have little time to be running after people to persuade them to let us spend money with them. So I asked to cancel in order to book a place that is actually geared up and has the staff to host wedding receptions. This is where things got nasty. Despite guidelines from the government saying that weddings which are cancelled due to the coronavirus should be given a full refund of any advance payments, and even without the virus the government guidelines say there should be no retaining of deposits that dosent reflect actual costs incurred by the cancellation, we were told repeatedly that the overseas owners of this establishment refuse to adhere to this and will retain the substantial deposit. Attempts to ask how 2 meetings with 2 different wedding coordinators could possibly cost £600 were met with a week long silence followed by rude and dismissive conduct by the general manager (Dean Long). So, to sum up, this venue is incredibly insensitive and would gladly screw over key workers for their own financial gain during a global pandemic. I genuinely hope no one else books with these unscrupulous characters and can only pray for the poor couples who'll have their money stolen if they need to cancel with the new 15 people limit in place. May I add that every other supplier from Cars to photographers...even the kids entertainment have been nothing but helpful and understanding.Show less

Loved it. Very nice clean rooms with everything you need…read more Good bar, excellent food. The best nights sleep I've had in ages, although the beer may have helped. Four pillows AND seven cushions on the bed may have been overkill, though.

Can't comment on the rooms I've never stayed there but if you are in the area and want a really…read moresuperb meal try it Recommend booking as the Laplace is always busy and if you like steak the fillet mignon is to die for if I had a photo your mouth would be watering

Exceptionally friendly reception. They were extremely helpful about nearby places to eat in the…read moreevening. Lovely quiet room with all the amenities. Great place for an overnight stay with a carvery next door. Time for a nap after the journey on their comfortable Hypnos bed, hope I wake up in time for this evening.

So I travel a lot for work about half my time is traveling so there are things that are very…read moreimportant to me whist on the road and this place did not deliver. Firstly no elevator so had to lug my fully packed and over weight bags up the stairs. Secondly only one way in to the building so a long walk from the room to the door. Thirdly no iron in the rooms so had to walk my fat a@& to the front desk (note a desk not reception) then lug the iron and ironing board up the stairs through all the security doors, no alarm clocks and the tv alarm was disabled so had to get a wake up call. 5 am the next day I realise no phone in room because someone is knocking on my door crap that's a wake up call? No aircon in the rooms pet peeve of mine I know it's not needed much in this part of the uk but when it's needed it's needed and it's been around for a really long time In the plus side the staff were super friendly and the did come wake me up by knocking on my door at 5am Would I stay here again? No freaking way I'd rather stay in Newcastle and make the hour drive to this town

I could feel her stare, with every mouthful of Rice Crispies that I swallowed. There was no getting…read moreaway, this young lady had thrust herself in my vicinity and was showing no signs of leaving. The moment I dreaded became a reality - she spoke to me. I nodded and answered politely, but my inability to ignore her just opened the verbal floodgates until it became one long 'buzz', not dissimilar the rattle of German MG-42 bunkers along the Normandy coast. Before I knew what was happening to me, she was on my left hand side, my right and back to my left again. She was making sure I was digesting her verbal chatter, cleverly assuming I may have a weak or deaf ear. A multitude of opinions, statements and topics were covered. I was trying my best to put on my 'I really care, honestly I do' face on, but it was difficult - she had me right where she wanted me! Just when we were getting onto the terrible and heartbreaking story of when a rice crispie once hurt her mouth as it popped, in popped her father and asked her to find her shoes for school. She skipped over to him. I was free, free at last .. She gave me a menacing glare as she left the room, as if she knows where Salford is .. This B&B has bags of potential, but please let your guests have a quiet breakfast and keep your children out the dining area!

EDIT: I originally gave the Thistle Hotel two stars because I went to a special Murder Mystery…read moreevening and even though I'd told them well in advance about my dietary requirements (I'm vegan) they still had no meal for me! However after I wrote a complaint letter they invited me for a free meal to prove that it wasn't what usually happened there and it was lovely.

Recently refurbished pleasant hotel located near central middlesbrough. The outside is very dowdy…read morebut inside very pleasant with gym and swimming pool. The rooms are a good size.