Bluewaters Hotel, Blackpool North Promenade

It’s a good base for adults on a short Blackpool visit, with helpful, nice staff and comfortable beds. The hotel looks shabby outside, though it’s well kept indoors. There’s a small indoor pool for £6 an hour, a 24-hour reception, and restaurant and bar food available throughout the day. You can book full board, B&B or just the room. The lift wasn’t working, so there were lots of stairs, and the amenities are basic. I don’t think children or teens would enjoy it much, as they’d probably find it boring.

Right on the seafront, and no more than a 10-minute walk from the main town. My ground-floor room was large, with a big, comfortable bed. It’s an old place, but the room was nice and functional, with complimentary tea, coffee and a stick of rock, which was a nice touch. There was an electric heater, so I stayed lovely and warm. The bathroom had a strange smell, maybe from the drains, so I kept its door shut. Breakfast the next morning was okay, but there were no hash browns left, and the woman switched off the coffee machine and removed the juice cups 30 minutes before breakfast ended, which was annoying. Parking was free during my stay, though I think they’re about to introduce a fee, as cameras and Parking Eye signs had been installed.

It’s nothing like it was three years ago, and I won’t be back. Over Christmas, just three staff had to cover reception, the dining hall and bar. They worked hard, but it was unfair on them when guests took their complaints out on them. The place felt lifeless, the live entertainment was a complete shambles, things were falling apart, drinks were awful and prices were horrendous. The games room was poor, too. Andrea Jenny Philip Sarah and the little cook really went above and beyond and tried their best, but the hotel is missing the old staff, especially Taz and Alan, who made the place.

The restaurant staff were the one good part, working really hard, and the food was excellent. Everything else was negative. The hotel was dirty, the lifts and door handles were broken, window hooks were broken, and dirty laundry sat on the floor outside the room for three days. People knocked on bedroom doors at 3:20 a.m., and someone stole a fire hydrant. There was no accessibility help for disabled guests. The TV didn’t work, there was no wardrobe or drawer space, half the blind was missing, and the bed was so high it was almost impossible to get into. The hotel has gone terribly downhill in the last 12 months.