The Clarendon Showtel

The English couple running The Clarendon Hotel made us feel at home. They're caring, friendly and always ready to help. The room was neat and well kept, and the WiFi worked reliably for studying or work. It's clean, comfortable and affordable, especially for Aspire PLAB 2 students, since the academy is very close by. A great option for a longer stay near Aspire, and I'd highly recommend it.

The bedding was clean, it was a very cheap stay, and amenities were a short walk away. Staff did try to put things right, but we had a bad experience and stayed only one night, leaving at 6:30 the next morning. We arrived at 3 pm to find the room wasn't ready. The receptionist said the hoover had broken, then tried to fix it at reception with a pool cue down the pipe, spreading the dirt across the floor. After about 15-20 minutes, we were told the room was ready. There were no towels, and we were told they'd be put in once they came out of the dryer. There was also no toilet roll or hand toiletries. I had to ask reception twice, and was told it would be sorted straight away. When we got back around 11:15-11:30 pm, reception was closed, the towels and toilet roll still weren't there, and we had to look for them ourselves. Takeaway leftovers were on a table and behind the desk. In our room, the smoke alarm was hanging off the ceiling, rubbish was in the drawers, and there were MDF boards, linen and rubbish outside. Curtains were coming off the rail, the windows were dirty, and there was dirt and mould in the shower door runner. A carpet door plate at the shower edge could have cut us, if we'd been able to use the shower.

Really good stay. The staff were welcoming, the rooms were clean, and the other guests were friendly. I'd book again.

The staff were lovely and did their best, but the rest of the hotel was a no-go. It had only just reopened and really shouldn't have been open yet. The rooms were tiny and depressing, smelled damp, and had old, rotten furniture. The beds weren't comfortable, and the TVs, showers and hot water weren't working. I didn't enjoy my stay. They need to fix things before opening again.