Eastbourne Reymar - B&B

The way things were handled left me with a very odd feeling. My daughter had a bad cough overnight, and I can understand how that might sound like someone being sick. The manager said the guest next door had complained, but I wasn't told until checkout, when there wasn't anything I could do about it. They wouldn't accept my word that nobody had been physically sick in the room, and made a point of saying the conversation had been recorded. Avoid. I called back to apologise for my daughter's heated reaction, but she was adamant she hadn't thrown up, had only been coughing, and hadn't knowingly stained the sheets. She felt she'd been accused of something untrue. I wouldn't have used her language, but I think her point was fair. Thanks as well for adding personal details about her to the response. I deliberately kept them out of my review. I'm fine with this being associated with my name, but don't want her details spread around. There were other things that had already made me uneasy. At check-in, some of the wording felt off. At 6pm I got a text reminding me that check-in ended at 7, even though I'd put 6:30 as my arrival time. The person checking us in was confused that I'd booked a room for someone else, despite the form having a field for the occupant's name, which I'd filled in. I was also told, without asking, that nobody would come into the room, and that only my daughter could go up because there were “other families staying.” I don't know what was being implied, but it came across as confrontational from the start. Then there was a joke about her smacking her baby brother. I never said she hadn't been coughing. I know a bad cough can sound like someone being sick, but she was so sure she hadn't been physically sick that she got angry about it, and I believe her. The stained sheets and the supposed cost of having them “professionally cleaned” only came up quite late in the phone call. What the manager led with was “you didn't tell me she was ill,” as though she had some serious contagious disease I was concealing. That again felt confrontational. They laughed when I declined the invitation to return and inspect the room. I didn't fancy being browbeaten by the manager and cleaning staff, with the guest in room 8 repeatedly offered as someone to bring into the discussion. I'm sure that guest would have loved that and it would have improved their stay. The manager also acted as if charging me for one extra night instead of two was a favour. It was their choice to close the whole room rather than simply change the bedding, apparently because they'd latched onto “medication” as treatment for an infectious disease, instead of cough syrup or cold and flu tablets. The comment about my daughter not driving was petty and missed the point. I do drive, and had to drop her off and pick her up. More to the point, the hotel is advertised online as having “free parking,” which just isn't true because it provides no parking. Spaces on the road aren't an amenity supplied by the hotel. It should say “no parking,” “on-road parking,” or give parking advice. When you're in a hole, stop digging.

I had another lovely visit to the Reymar with my mother and daughter. The owner and staff are so welcoming and friendly, and nothing seems too much trouble. If you're going to Eastbourne, it's definitely worth staying here. Thanks so much for a great few days away. I'll be back.

The rooms were comfortable and well looked after, and breakfast came out fresh and hot. You help yourself to toast, cereal and tea, with no limit on how much you can have, while the cooked breakfast is made fresh rather than set out buffet-style. We got such a friendly welcome when we checked in, almost like being part of the family. A cosy, welcoming B&B. Well done, everyone, we'll be back.

I was left without anywhere to stay at the last minute after the property cancelled my booking without a valid reason. It was an extremely disappointing and unprofessional experience, and I wouldn't recommend the place. To clarify after the owner's reply, I stand by what I wrote. I updated my card details several times through Booking.com and added another valid card. Both cards worked at other properties. Nobody clearly told me that payment had definitely failed; I was just repeatedly asked to update my card. Whatever the internal process or recordings show, I was still left without accommodation at short notice.