Don't be mislead by the nice picture...
PLEASE don't stay here!
I had the misfortune to be holed up in this dump for an entire week on a course in June. The staff on the main desk were ignorant; the much-touted gym and pool were minute, smelly and sweaty due to no air conditioning and crammed to bursting with non-residents.
There were no truly non-smoking bedrooms or floors, and as a result the smell of second-hand smoke hangs in the air at all times and gets into all your clothes.
Away from the main reception area, the decor was shabby, with threadbare carpets on the stairs.
The room I had was a decent size, but the decor was dated and although the bed linen was changed regularly the room itself needed a good scrubbing. I nearly even went out to Tescos one night to buy a scrubbing brush and bleach to do it myself!
We were kept awake most nights by noisy discos which went on until well after midnight.
The conference facilities themselves weren't bad, but unfortunately the breakfast, and lunch, and service at both, were absolutely appaulling. Two mornings in a row I was handed a half-finished pot of stewed tea and milk from someone else's table because the waiters were too busy to get a fresh one. Not what you expect for a 15 quid breakfast! The food itself was very poor, more often than not we had no idea what we were actually eating from the buffet as there were never any signs up.
To top it all off, I get my credit card bill this morning to find out they've double charged me :D
How do they get away with it? Because the majority of people that stay there, only stay one night before they fly off somewhere nicer, so they don't need to worry about repeat business.
PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE, I beg you, don't stay here, or book a course or function here....by hitting them where it hurts (i.e. in the pocket) is the ONLY way they will get their act together!
