Vue Grand Hotel

The old building looks beautiful, but our room smelled really musty. The windows were set so high I had to climb on a dining chair to open them, and they kept sliding shut. We wedged the hotel manual in one to hold it open about 12 inches, then asked staff for the wifi code since it was in the book. The lovely woman we spoke to offered an ice bucket to help keep the window open and asked if we needed anything. We did. We couldn't cast a movie we'd planned to watch onto the TV, and were told ours was a standard TV, though other rooms had smart TVs. That spoiled our plan. We thought the spa might be nice instead, but it looked dated, ugly and worse for wear, so we passed. The beds weren't bad. At checkout the next morning, we rang the reception bell for ages and nobody came. We left the key on a bench and went. For the price we paid, we won't be back.

The rooftop bar's view and vibe were lovely, and the staff were friendly and helpful throughout. Our mattress was extremely comfortable, and the L'Occitane soaps from housekeeping were a nice touch. The location is A+, close to the Ferry and museums. My husband and I had a lovely stay at the Vue Grand and will return. Its original floors, high ceilings and period decor are what give this historic hotel its charm. I feel a lot of the negative reviews come from people expecting a modern-style hotel, and it's disappointing to judge it by that expectation.

The building is beautiful, and we'd been buying drinks all afternoon looking forward to dining here. But the dining area's service and management were absolutely appalling. I've never experienced anything like it. I asked for a manager and apparently spoke with the owners. I can see why they were understaffed: if that's how they spoke to several customers, I can only imagine how they speak to staff. We left without eating. I won't even buy a drink here again.

This was how our visit went with a garlic allergy. We asked which meals could be made without garlic. The waiter said he'd check with the chef, but when he came back to take our orders, I had to ask again whether he'd spoken to the chef. He hadn't, and asked us to say which dishes we wanted instead. He went away to check, then returned to say those couldn't be made garlic-free. After an awkward silence, we asked if he could find out which ones we could have. We chose what we thought should work, fish and chips. When the meal arrived with tartare sauce, we handed it back and asked him to double-check the salad dressing. He said he was sure the chef had checked, then took the meal away to remove both the dressing and sauce. We had to ask for water. We were told there was no need to ask and that water was coming, but it took ages, after all the other drinks. A water station would be better. Orders were mixed up or forgotten, and the Gambian stew was very bland. Nobody comes to work wanting to do a bad job, but there's clearly something off about how this place is run.