Right, well, it's a hotel on City Road in London and it cost me £88.25 per night, including full hot breakfast, so how good did I expect it to be?
Let's start with the good bits My online reservation worked fine, which is always a good sign. The reception area is a little spartan. Just a check-in desk and a couple of vending machines. It's a decent size space as well. I'd have thought a sofa or something would have added a little warmth to the place.
Anyway, the lifts were clean and tidy, although one was out of order for almost my entire stay. I took the stairs once and they were very nice, as stairs go.
The room continued the Spartan theme with white walls and white ceiling decorated with a TFT telly and a double bed. There was an open wardrobe bit and a shelf along one wall acting as a table, upon which sat a folorn looking kettle and a small tray of drink making ingredients. And that was it. No pictures, no adornment, just a white box with a bed.
The bed itself was very comfortable mind, and the sheets were lovely and clean with that just laundered smell. I really can't find fault with the cleanliness in this place.
The bathroom was actually a shower room, with a powerful and hot shower, a flushing toilet (all mod cons!!) and a sink. No complimentary toiletries except a small sliver of soap, which popped out of my hands while washing and dissapeared down the bog. Oh well, there wasn't much to begin with, however, it was never replaced in the three days I was there. It seems that the small sliver is all your going to get so don't flush it down the crapper, for God's sake!
The restaurant was interesting. The breakfast was buffet style, with the usual options of a tediously slow toast it yourself machine that always had a queue of about 4 people waiting, a fruit juice machine with two options, apple and orange, a hot drinks machine (which I didn't try, there was gallons of the stuff at the course location anyway) and cold delights such as fruit and cereals. I'm not one for cereals so I headed straight for the hot foodstuffs. Bacon, nice. Sausage, suprisingly decent. Beans, cooked instead of the usual little bullets in tomato sauce. Tomatoes, out of a tin no thanks. Egg, scrambled, adequate.
The evening meal was a different experience. I went to the bar and ordered a pint, which was duly poured. Whilst musing over the menu I was informed that I would need a table number. So, I took my fresh pint and placed it on a table, returning moments later to the bar and ordered my food. Is that all? enquired the bartender. I replied in the affirmative. No drink? he asked Ummm, no, you poured me a pint about 30 seconds ago. I wasn't THAT thirsty!
Honestly, this guy had the memory of a goldfish. I visited again the next night and recieved exactly the same treatment. I ordered a pint, went and found a table (in a room of about 80 tables, and three other diners, so it didn't take long), returned and was asked if I wanted something to drink. Now I'm not sure if he had terminal memory loss, or just didn't give a damn. I suspect it was the latter.
Anyway, the food was passable, the beer was cold and beery. Nothing special.
So, for less than £90 a night B&B it seemed better value than some of the hotels others on the course stayed at. It had no soul or feeling, and was very impersonal, but as a warm, clean and quiet place to sleep, it fitted the bill very nicely. I would certainly use it again, if only to see the barman. I'm sure he'd remember me! read more