Celtic Bay Guest House

I thought I’d booked a sea-view room at the Cardigan Bay Guest House, so I was confused to be sent to the Pier Hotel around the corner. A bewildered man said I was booked there and handed me directions and a door code, but never explained what had gone wrong. The room turned out to be spacious, as was the bathroom. There was no sea view, though I did get a good look at the chicken shop’s comings and goings. The bed was comfortable, the lights and sockets all worked, and the bathroom was surprisingly nice. The shower had strong pressure, stayed warm, and was easy to use. A note advised pulling both sets of curtains for noise reduction. It seemed unnecessary at first, since it was quiet. Then the bar in the same building turned into a nightclub around 10pm, apparently staying that way until 2am, maybe 3am. The music was so loud I could make out the words to Bohemian Rhapsody over the TV. The curtains didn’t help: one outside window was jammed open, and the noise was coming from inside the building. On the second day, the curtains fell off their rails. I barely slept during my three nights there. The corridor beyond my room was piled with junk and cleaning equipment, and I never saw staff except for the man at reception in the other hotel. A very odd stay.

We left after four nights instead of the five we’d booked from 22 August, once we found somewhere else. Room 6 at Celtic bay guest house was in poor shape. The carpet on the stairs and in the room was threadbare, and there was no TV signal. The shower room had no handle on the hot tap, a broken extractor and a door that wouldn’t close. The toilet was noisy when flushed. There weren’t enough drinks in the room or plates in the kitchen, and the kitchen table was badly marked. The fire alarm certificate was a year out of date, and the panel showed faults, so who knows if the alarm worked. Parking details were out of date, staff were hard to find when needed, and the property didn’t match the advertised photos, which were also very old. Sorry, I couldn’t upload photos.

After booking this guesthouse ten months ahead, I was told before arrival that there was no room for me and I’d have to move to their partner business, The Pier Hotel. I tried calling and messaging to discuss it, but got no reply. The replacement place wasn’t suitable at all. Nobody was available to check me in, and I had no door code because they hadn’t sent a new confirmation email. I couldn’t get hold of anyone. The hotel was beside a nightclub, and the noise was excessive. We left after the first night of a three-night break. I contacted the Guest House about the problems, but they’ve ignored every way I’ve tried to reach them. Hotels.com managed to get through once after several days. The guest house refused a refund and said they’d give me credit if I contacted them, but they haven’t answered me since. I’m out of pocket. The accommodation was awful and the customer service nonexistent. Rude and incompetent. Definitely avoid!

The people running the guest house were lovely, and I had a pleasant evening there. My sea-view room had lovely views, and I slept well enough. It also stayed a comfortable temperature, which was a nice change. The place itself is very tired and run down, and badly needs some care, but the service made up for that. I’d stay again.