Gothic House

The location is excellent, right in the middle of the historic high street, close to shops and the hospital. The staff we dealt with were pleasant and helpful, and the room was very clean, with clean sheets and good pillows. The shower had good pressure, too. My partner had stayed in another room before and found it spacious and comfortable, despite black mould in that bathroom, so we assumed the hotel's three rooms would be similar. That was wrong. We booked nine nights so my partner could recuperate after an operation nearby and attend a follow-up appointment. We left after three because the bar's live music venue behind the hotel was intensely noisy midweek. We wanted to support a smaller business, but wish we'd booked the cheaper, nicer Travelodge instead. It isn't clear in the listing that the venue is right behind the hotel. When we checked out early, staff apologised but said they knew it was noisy. The noise was really bad, not us being sensitive. Our twin room was tiny and dark, and the decor was poor, which was a shame in such an interesting historic building. It didn't feel like a four-star place, three stars at best. One bed was comfortable; the other squeaked so badly we had to put a mattress on the floor to sleep. The metal frames are awful. The en suite was tiny, its heater didn't work, and there was little privacy because the window looked onto a courtyard where people came out to smoke. If that bothers you, don't open the window. There was nowhere to work or do much besides sit on the bed. The TV was complicated if you don't use Fire TV, and there were no instructions or code for signing into your own streaming services. There wasn't enough table or storage space either. Our wardrobe was full of spare pillows, and the two tiny tables had dollhouse sized drawers, so there was nowhere to put things. We skipped breakfast at the attached cafe because it was always empty or nearly empty, which didn't appeal to us. I wouldn't recommend staying more than one night, or staying here if you feel unsafe without staff always present. You're meant to call a mobile if there's a problem. We didn't bother, and chose to leave early to focus on health.