Pck Thas Hotel

There was nobody around when we arrived. When the young lad came to get the keys, water was streaming through a light fitting in the bar, which seemed to stay closed except when that young staff member was partying there with friends. In our room, a shower door was being stored inside the shower, so we couldn't use it, and there was no holder for the shower head either. The sink taps weren't secured and just spun when turned. The smell was disgusting. I tried several times to get a refund or a reduction, but nobody even bothered to reply.

The location worked really well for us, with a car park right beside the hotel and the seafront a five-minute walk away. It was quiet at night too, without loud people passing after the pub. We paid £80 for two nights in a family room with a private bathroom, and the receptionist greeted us warmly, handed over the key and showed us where to go. The room had some water marks on the wall, a broken blind that we had to roll up by hand, and a broken shower door. Still, the sheets were clean, the beds were surprisingly comfortable, the pillows were nice, and we got fresh towels. The shower had good pressure and warm water. It can get quite hot in the room, so I'd bring a fan if the weather's warm. I've stayed in some grim cheap Blackpool hotels, and this was the best of them. I was happy with the stay and would come back.

The downstairs looked tidy and pleasant at first, but the room we found upstairs was filthy and unsafe. We were told the second floor, then discovered it was actually the third. Carrying all our things, a one-year-old and a two-month-old up four flights of stairs was hard enough. Inside, mould covered the walls, damp had made the paint bubble, the window frame had blown out, and there was a yellow leak stain in the corner. The radiator was so loose it felt dangerous. The bathroom was in no better shape. The door had been patched with putty, as though someone had punched a hole in it. The shower head was held on with tape, and a screw sticking up from the floor was a serious hazard. The bedding was appalling: mould on a pillowcase, a very uncomfortable noisy mattress, and a burn mark on the bed frame, despite the non-smoking advertisement. It was unbearably hot with no way to make the room comfortable. The smell was horrendous, and other guests were constantly fighting in and around the hotel. The TV didn't work either. They advertise this as a five-star hotel, which is laughable. It looked decent on the surface, but I'd never stay again. Especially with small children, this was totally unacceptable.

The handy part was the location, about ten minutes' walk from everything, and the 24-hour secured car park right next door. But at £10 a head, this is very much a case of getting what you pay for. The room was worn, and the supposedly fresh sheets had cigarette burns. I couldn't use the shower: it had no stand, and the water was either scalding or freezing. The place needs better upkeep.