The George Hotel

There’s a car park, though spaces are first come, first served, and parking on the high street can be difficult. The room was spacious and basically clean, and the one man on reception, who seemed to be doing everything else too, was really helpful. There are tea and coffee facilities but no breakfast service. That was fine for me, since there are several high quality cafes on the high street. The hotel has rooms over three floors and a spiral staircase, so check first if you have mobility issues. As for the room itself, the mattress was extremely thin, the walls let through pretty much all the sound, and there weren’t enough pillows. The carpets need a deep clean and the walls need painting. It needs a complete refurbishment. This is probably the saddest hotel I’ve stayed in, and sadly I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone.

Battle was a lovely place for a break, with plenty of restaurants for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Most of the shops are independent, and I managed to do some Christmas shopping too. I booked a small single room for a solo trip away from home, and it suited me perfectly. The building is old, there’s no lift, and everything is a bit wonky, but that added to its charm. Being on the top floor did give me a bit of a workout!

The location is great, and the Thai orchid next door serves excellent food. The Abbey has good cocktails too. The hotel itself was a different story: it felt very tired and in need of a major renovation. The bed was uncomfortable, paint was peeling off the walls and the plugs didn’t work. There was a number for out of hours queries, but nobody answered. I had the worst night’s sleep I’ve ever had in a hotel and we were considering leaving in the middle of the night. I didn’t feel safe staying there.

Battle itself was wonderful, and we had a great night out. The hotel was what we dreaded coming back to. The stained, winding staircase felt so neglected, and going up it made me wish I’d had more to drink. In our room, the curtains didn’t fit the window, the furniture looked like it came from a boot sale, and there were two large holes in the bathroom. We couldn’t see anything through them, so they were just an eyesore. The window wouldn’t open wide enough to let in fresh air, which the room needed. My boyfriend felt every spring through the mattress, and the shower had less water pressure than the tear he shed, which was warmer too. We even played a game of guessing what the stains were, but it just made us feel sick. We tried to sleep so we could get to the next day and leave. The only positive was that the guy at reception seemed pleasant. My boyfriend and I stayed one night and immediately wished we’d read the reviews first. The only person I’d recommend this hotel to is the health inspector.