Lyndhurst Hotel

We booked a room for one night and drove three hours, but nobody answered when we knocked. When we rang, the owner refused us, saying he’d given our room away, even though Booking.com was still selling rooms. A woman at a hotel a few doors down helped us massively, and I couldn’t thank her enough. I wouldn’t recommend this place. Some customers staying there said it wasn’t very good, and I heard he does this to a lot of people who book. Honestly, seeing the smashed window when we arrived made it feel like a blessing that we didn’t stay.

The location was pretty good, just a five-minute walk from the beach, Pleasure Beach and Sandcastle Water Park. The staff were welcoming when we arrived and even gave us towels because we were soaked from the rain. The first room was dirty, with stains all over the sheets, and it didn’t have the hair dryer they’d said would be there. They moved us to another room. The sheets were clean and there was a hair dryer, but behind the headboard we found dust and cobwebs. The radiator didn’t work either, so I had to dry our wet clothes with the hair dryer. We wouldn’t stay again.

The owner was friendly, and we got chatting. He runs the place on his own now, though his wife helps sometimes. He seemed to be trying his best, but it needs some TLC and could be a nice hotel. Parking nearby was good. We found a space across from the hotel, and there’s a car park if that’s full, though you have to pay. We arrived at 3:30, so we were fine. We had two rooms: one with a double bed, and one with bunk beds and a double. Both were dated but clean. The double room was small, but the bed was comfortable, and it had a TV, hair dryer, tea and coffee. The family room was bigger and had the same things. The bathroom was small, though the shower was big enough, and there just wasn’t much room. We skipped the £7 breakfast because our daughter only likes toast. Across the road, breakfast cost £5.65 for a small one or £7 for a large one. When we arrived on Friday, the owner offered us tea and coffee while he finished our room, then carried our suitcase up once it was ready.

We were overcharged for the room and breakfast, while the online price was significantly cheaper. The room had no TV, the radiator didn’t work, and I couldn’t close the vent, so a cold draft came in. It was pretty chilly. There was no evening meal, and breakfast was abysmal. No bacon, mushrooms or black pudding, cold beans, and the sausage was one hotdog cut in half. The hash browns were the only thing worth eating. The bar had no licence, and the pool table didn’t work. The host was nice enough, I suppose, though there was a language barrier. The place needs an overhaul, and I wouldn’t return.