St. Andrews

I stayed here for one night only, breaking my journey back from Cornwall.

The St Andrews Hotel is about 10 minutes drive from the M5, and about 5 minutes' drive from the A30, so is ideally situated in that respect.

Walking distance to the Cathedral and city centre is about 15-20 minutes, to the very pleasant Quayside area perhaps 5-10 minutes. That is just as well, for I could find no pubs or restaurants in the immediate area of the hotel , which is largely residential. There's a bus stop to/from the city centre just outside the hotel.

I chose St Andrews just because of its ample free parking: Exeter hotels are dreadful for parking, and city parking is not cheap.

The hotel itself is pleasant enough, with a guest lounge (magazines, sofas) and a very large breakfast room. My single room (at the side) felt somewhat cramped, mostly because it contained a small double bed which almost filled the floor space. It was clean and with the expected items: tea/coffee-making equipment, small wardrobe, desk etc. But there was nowhere to put a bag and it was just as well I only had a small holdall. The en-suite was tiny (especially the wash basin) but clean.

I would have preferred white bed linen, and found the crackly plastic mattress-cover a little disconcerting.

Opening the window let in traffic noise. I think rooms at the front might be very noisy (it's a busy road) but my earplugs did their job efficiently.

The hotel advertises free wifi in all areas but I did not use it so cannot comment. There is a guest lounge with sofas and newspapers, and a large breakfast room.

'Full English' breakfast was perfectly ok and well-cooked although it is unusual to have cereals etc served by staff: normally they are set out in a buffet. Perhaps it was simply because I visited at a very quiet time of year?

This hotel takes payment on arrival, which is unusual in the UK. Staff were courteous enough but, I felt, somewhat disinterested.

A satisfactory hotel for a night's stay, in a particularly convenient location for those travelling up or down the M5/A30.

Directions: Alphington Road is the A377. Hotel is on the right if you are coming via Exeter itself, on the left if you are coming from the A30 Cornwall. It is very obvious, a large red-brick building with flags.