The Shores Hotel, Central Blackpool

I was travelling with my two children, an eight-month-old who was teething badly and my 13-year-old with disabilities. We arrived around 3.20 pm to check in, but no one was there to let us in. After about five minutes a man came by and said the manager had just gone to his car. He called down the street for him and checked the basement, but couldn’t find him, even though he said the manager had just been there. After 20 minutes I gave up and booked at the hotel a few doors down, where my family members were staying. Once we’d settled in, I called Booking.com customer service for a full refund. The manager later called to say he’d tried to find out when I was checking in, but I wasn’t going to wait around any longer with two kids. The outside felt shady and dodgy, so I’m glad we didn’t stay there. I paid £110 for two nights and will have to wait to get it back, and I also had to pay for another hotel, an expense I didn’t need.

We had booked in January for four people, and paid in March, for an arrival on 3rd May. Then on 1st May, Booking.com emailed to say the hotel was overbooked and had to cancel. I had to find money for another hotel while waiting 7-12 working days for the refund. I feel badly let down and extremely stressed. I’d never book this hotel again.

The first thing we noticed on arrival was a strong smell of cannabis. The stair carpet was coming loose, and the room upstairs was freezing, with no heating on and windows that wouldn’t close properly, so the wind came in. We had our grandchildren with us, aged three and four. I told the young lad, who offered the next-door room, but it was just as cold. He said he could get electric heaters, so we ended up back in the first room with heaters. A complete joke. The ceiling paint was peeling too. When I asked if the bar was open, the young lad opened it, but there were empty bottles and cans on the bar and Christmas decorations all over the floor. I was charged £10 for four cans of lager. I also asked for a large coffee for my wife, which was brought to the room. I won’t book here again. We were not happy at all.

The owner made us feel very welcome, and the hotel was quiet, tucked away from the busy main road. That helped us get a restful night. Our room smelled nice, the white bedding was clean, and the beds were comfortable. The toilet and washroom were clean too, with natural light. The hotel was well maintained, from the carpet on the stairs through to our room, and there were useful cabinets for storage. My only difficulty was parking. There’s free street parking outside, but few spaces, shared with the neighbouring hotels, so I left my car a little further away in a safe car park. Even with that hassle, I’d definitely recommend staying here.