The Scole Hotel

We came looking for somewhere to stay for two nights while in the area for my mum's funeral, and at first this place seemed like a gem. The historic building has lovely original features, plenty of parking behind it, and a very nice entrance and lobby. But there was nobody at the desk when we arrived, so we had to ring a bell. For a place of this grandeur, I expected the desk to be staffed around the clock. We were given a key and told our floor and room name. I understand it's a listed building and there may be restrictions on changes, but the description should warn people that there's no lift to the upper floors and that it may not suit people with walking disabilities. The stairs, landing and our room floor were so uneven that getting around felt like a funhouse. The room had a dirty wine glass on the bedside table, a cracked window pane, and another window that didn't sit properly in its frame, leaving a big gap. There were lots of cobwebs around the windows with dead bugs in them, clearly there for some time. The TV was unsteady on its bracket. The fridge had no milk, and when I went down to ask, we were given just two of the smallest pots I've seen, barely enough for one drink each. We were booked for two nights, so were we meant to have only one drink? The bed was described as a four-poster, so we expected something really nice. Instead it was a four-poster frame with a smaller divan bed in the middle and gaps all around it. The mattress had what I can only describe as pothole-like dips, and even turning over was hard. My partner and I were both in pain all night and hardly slept. I woke with pain in my back, hip, pelvis and both legs, and it continued the next day. There was also a crack across the ceiling. In the bathroom, the shower door couldn't be opened either way. The cracked shower control knob was hard to operate and leaked when it worked. The bath seal was coming away, and the sink tap didn't turn on properly, leaked, then wouldn't turn off. The floor slabs were loose, and the grouting was dirty and had holes in it. There was no emergency number, not even on the fire instructions on our door, and nobody available at reception during the night after 10 or 11. I ended up emailing to demand a full refund. We heard nothing straight away, only the next day. We got somewhere after spending a night there, going down at 9 and speaking to the receptionist, who contacted the manager. Even then, we waited until 12 for him to arrive. He did refund us in full, but because the money didn't go back into our account immediately, we had to spend the second night in our car. That was down to their incompetence. Would I stay again? No. Would I recommend this place under any circumstances? Definitely not. Disappointing and disgusting.

We booked a standard double for three nights and told the hotel we'd bring our dog. They took payment but sent no confirmation. As the trip got closer, we called to check the dog was okay and were told we'd be placed in one of their dog-friendly rooms. We'd paid for a standard double. When we arrived, they put us in a dog-friendly room in the stable block. It was so tiny there wasn't space for the dog's bed, and it was shabby and dirty, with dust on the headboard and stains on the carpet. The bathroom was dirty too, with mould around the bath, a shower holder that wouldn't stay up and no bin. The hotel seemed badly understaffed. Very young people were covering reception, the bar and restaurant service, though I must say they were polite and worked hard. At checkout, when we returned the key, they asked for £15 for the dog. I refused for the reasons above. This hotel isn't dog-owner friendly. We were treated like second-class citizens in terms of our room, which was nothing like their standard double. I've contacted the hotel through its complaints section, and my husband phoned to ask for the manager, but so far we've had no response.

There was dirt caked on top of the four-poster bed frame, and the place was filthy. I reported it to reception, they sent a cleaner up, but when we returned the grime was still there. I hate leaving bad reviews, but this needs saying. I've stayed here for years and it used to be a lovely hotel. Since the refurb, it seems each area is run by a skeleton staff. Such a shame to see a beautiful building treated this way.

The building is lovely, the staff are great and breakfast was good, though a bit more attention to detail would help. We liked our room and it was pretty clean, but the bathroom door wouldn't stay shut unless we propped something against it. We arrived a little early and were told there was absolutely no early check-in, even though the room was ready, unless we paid £10 an hour. That suddenly meant an extra £20. At breakfast the next morning, there were no side plates for toast and there was salt on the tables but no pepper. Two young women were serving, one seemed rushed off her feet while the other didn't seem to have much to do. Whoever manages the staff could give them a little more basic training: put out the salt and pepper and side plates, and hand out cups and saucers or mugs. A mug alone would've been fine. We had a great stay, but it needs some fine-tuning.