The Golden Strand Hotel

We stayed for two weeks, and they wouldn't refund our money. The rooms were awful, and the staff were no help. We were first put in a room with a double bed and a single bed, no wardrobe, and a TV that didn't work properly. Wayne struggled with the stairs, so they moved us to a ground-floor room, but it was just as bad, with bunk beds and a double bed and still no wardrobe or drawers. Neither room had working radiators. In the second room there was a big crack, and the heater they gave us didn't warm it up. The shower was dangerous because of a small step, and Wayne fell when the floor got wet. We asked staff for new pillows and for something to cover a light in the second room that was bothering Wayne. They said they'd deal with it, but didn't. They didn't fix the TV either. Their website advertised a bar and bed and breakfast. When we arrived, there was no bar because they had no stock, and no breakfast because the previous owner had blown up the kitchen. It was false advertising. I'd never go back, and they wouldn't give our money back.

The bed was the only decent thing about the place. The room was missing the remote and hair dryer that were supposed to be there, and paint was peeling from the walls and ceiling. There was a large yellow stain overhead, curtains hanging loose and dirty tissues stuck to the wall. The smell throughout the place was unbearable. When we arrived, we couldn't find reception and had to phone because it was in a separate building. The room door had been kicked in and wouldn't lock. We put a cupboard in front of it, but still felt completely unsafe. I know a cheap place won't be the best, but I expected a door that locked. I definitely wouldn't recommend it.

The bathroom was filthy, and even public toilets and most pubs have cleaner facilities. The bed hadn't been made, and there was rubbish left along its sides by previous guests. The cleaning staff should have spotted it. The bed wasn't comfortable either. We waited over an hour past the agreed time to get in. We tried calling, but there were several numbers and only one person answered. A man eventually opened our room, and to his credit he quickly got us a second towel. It's cheap and outside the city centre, so I expected some limits. The room was extremely cold, and the small portable heater barely helped. Heating is expensive, so I suppose that part was to be expected. The only good thing is you don't have to worry about rats, since even they have standards and wouldn't stay there.

We booked through Booking.com in advance, but on arrival the hotel was closed because there was no electricity or water. The number in the window told us to go to another hotel they'd arranged. That hotel had no record of our booking and no rooms available. They sent us to Hollandales Hotel, where the staff also knew nothing about it. It was really stressful dealing with all this with the kids and suitcases. They said they had 18 hotels by MyRooms. I'd avoid all of them. The third hotel did give us rooms, but they were horribly dirty. The bed had visible bodily fluids, including blood and sick, on the mattress. We refused to stay and had to find last-minute accommodation. Completely avoid.