At one time, a weekly train ride to Southport was a habit for our family; all the girls would gear…read moreup for a day's shopping, a visit to Silcock's or the crazy golf or even, on occasion, Southport Fair. Each time there were debates on where to dine; I was fond of the Chinese, mum, the tea rooms, most of the time it ended up a bag of chips on the pier, but occasionally, especially if my nan came along, we would dine in the Scarisbrick Hotel. There was always a sense of elegance surrounding this place when we entered; it was warm and inviting yet luxurious and quite grand. I believe we ate in the Cloisters dining room which is a later addition to the hotel facilities. Cloisters is perhaps not as majestic as the Knightsbridge Restaurant and offers less superior dining but it was impressive nonetheless. I loved the little extras about the place: the stained glass; the old fashioned ornaments; the umbrella box, it all added a sense of tradition to the hotel; with areas named Baron's Bar and Knight's Bar, history and tradition appears highly relevant to the venue. Located on the bustling Lord Street surrounding by contemporary stores, traffic lights and busy roads, stepping into the Scarisbrick is like seeping back in time. I have lots of happy memories here. There are four bars; two restaurants, each offering a choice of A la carte and table d'hote, early bird offers and theatre-goer packages available in Cloisters; leisure facilities for guests include air conditioned gym with leisure pool, spa, sauna and steam room, and a beauty emporium offering "Nail Treatments, Spray Tan, Facials, Waxing, Semi-Permanent Lashes, Massages, Eye Treatments, Make-Up, Tooth Gems" as well as "acupuncture, Botox, Reflexology, Teeth Whitening, and Holistics". There are 88 rooms in the hotel all well appointed with all the basic requirements plus wifi. Four poster beds and whirlpool baths are availabl in the Deluxe Rooms.

Fantastic small family run hotel. Staff great. Would recommend.read more

I stayed here Christmas 08 and was very pleased. Fantastic room, nice attention to detail and…read moresumptuous bed. The breakfast was good and the staff are approachable and friendly. Good value. Wouldn't hesitate to stay again.

The start time for the evening meal is 5pm and the waiter was trying to say it was 5.30 but we…read moreshowed him on the afternoon menu it said 5pm not 5.30 he was not impressed when my starter came it was like wallpaper past not soup like at all when my main meal came it was chicken pot pie and they gave me minted lamb grave it was appalling from star to finish

Room was so hot (even though we had the radiators off) we had to open the window and turn on the…read morefan they provided. The refrigerator didn't keep anything cold. The WiFi didn't work the entire 5 days we were there. TV didn't work for the first two days. And, there is no elevator, so have fun getting your bags up and down two to 3 flights of stairs. We booked 6 rooms total for family for one of the nights, and they had the same issues. We paid almost $500 for 4 people for the New Years Eve dinner/show. Terrible food to start. Then drunk people blocking the view of the Jersey Boys show as they just wanted to stand next to their chairs instead of sitting in them. I booked our tickets 3 months in advance and they stuck us at the very back table. When my husband asked Ian the manager, to tell them to sit down, Ian said the people were "cut off" at the bar. So they went out to the lobby bar and drank there. He didn't ask them to sit down, and said "We can't stop people from having a good time". What about my good time? Nobody else in the room was dancing up on chairs and standing in front of people. I was so upset (as it was also my birthday celebration), that we left without "hearing" the rest of the show. I will NEVER stay in this hotel ever again. Nor will any of my family or friends.

Old world elegance. Beautiful location. Friendly welcoming staff. Stunning views. Did not enjoy the…read morefact that we had to go physically pick up our room service order ourself from the bar because they couldn't charge our room. Very odd. Interesting history ... the original building was built in the late 1800s and was a hospital during both world wars. It is said to be haunted. There is old memorabilia Scattered about. This is old world elegance do not come here if you want sleek plastic minimalistic Modern style. This is pure old elegance.

Think Death in Venice…read more The Royal Clifton at Southport has the faded tatty "pomp" of the mid 50s, the kind of place Philip Marlow would describe as a "seedy joint". Everything is shabby, the service is barely acceptable, there's a run-down "fin de siècle" feeling, an odour of tiredness, decay, of inertia - as if they just can't be bothered any longer but are simply going wearily through the motions. The "Royal" part is as used with pains in the rear- you know? I ate a three course meal here last year- Christmas dinner allegedly. The main course was barely enough (I think they count the peas), the starter came mostly from a jar, the dessert tasted entirely from a packet. A pint of beer was handed to me that I couldn't see through - twice on the same day, different bars. There were a couple of quite astonishingly discourteous bar staff who gave new meaning to the word "lippy". And any waitress calling a customer "Darlin'" should be shot along with her boss.. I complained by letter to the manager several times. I was utterly ignored every time. And their bosses Best Western were even less use than a stamp instead of loo roll. Management like that might be considered cowardly, bullying, incompetent, arrogant, as hostile as Fawlty to criticism, disrespectful, disorganised, deep-down nasty. I couldn't possibly comment. But the run-down dump that is the purlieu and the responsibility of this prime example of mismanagement certainly won't be seeing me again. I've dealt with some awful hotel managers in my time, but this one's imaginary head and antlers are now firmly above my mantelpiece with the appropriate legend - which you can supply for yourself. You may think I'm exaggerating. So - try it for yourself. You wouldn't get me in there again alive. The Clifton gives a whole new meaning to the word "hotel", one which, for the worst of reasons, you'll never forget.

Love this place to bits, and wouldn't stay anywhere else in town now. Not a character hotel, but if…read moreyou want clean, comfortable, reasonably priced accommodation, with friendly staff, this will fit the bill. The location is convenient across the road from the beach, on a complex of restaurants and discount clothes stores, but only a 5-minute walk away from Lord Street, the town's main shopping area. It used to be difficult to find a room here, as they were booked out every single night. However, a recent expansion might make this easier in future. The hotel is attached to a Brewster's pub & restaurant, which provides breakfast for hotel guests if needed. The pub also has a small indoor play area, which is ideal for younger guests. There's only one entrance to the play area, so for parents it's a chance to relax with a meal or drink, while still keeping an eye on the little ones.