Sandcastles Guest House

We couldn't leave early after finding the conditions at Sandcastles, since we'd travelled six hours by train, my mum has physical disabilities, and another place to stay wasn't financially realistic. The whole stay caused us a lot of stress, and I strongly advise avoiding this guest house. I was there for two nights with my mum in September. In our first room there was visible dust, cobwebs and spiders, mould, and bedding that felt unclean. I couldn't sleep in it. I slept badly because of itching and an uncomfortable mattress, then found a beetle or cockroach running across my bed the next morning. I photographed it and trapped it under a cup. We reported everything respectfully, but the host said she was "puzzled" and came across as defensive. After talking it through, we were moved to a second room and given £20 as a goodwill gesture. That room also hadn't had a proper deep clean: there was black mould along the curtain lining and windowsills, black specks on the sheet consistent with bed bugs or bed bug excrement, and thick dust and old food particles on the bed frame. I clean residential apartments for work and was shocked by the cleanliness here. I don't understand why the rooms weren't cleaned and dusted before guests arrived. On the second morning, my toast was served on a rusty rack. The dust, mould, insect and rusty breakfast rack were all visible to the naked eye and documented as we found them. As paying guests, we expected basic cleanliness and professionalism, and got neither. When we got home, we tried to get a refund through Booking.com, but they couldn't help. Citizens Advice explained that Booking.com is not UK-based and therefore does not have to fully follow UK consumer law, which makes resolving complaints through them very difficult. We followed their advice and sent one formal letter requesting a refund through the proper channels, respectfully. We acted appropriately. EDIT: In response to the owner's comments, we did not run a "campaign". We followed Citizens Advice guidance by sending one formal letter. All later communication went through third parties, including our booking platform, rather than directly to the hosts. We did not "threaten" Trading Standards. Our letter only said that if the matter couldn't be resolved directly, we would follow Citizens Advice procedure. That's standard consumer-rights guidance, and we were within our rights. The issues are backed by clear, time-stamped photos. They weren't "zoomed in"; they show what was visible to the naked eye. This review reflects our genuine experience during the stay. I'm sharing the conditions we found so future guests can make an informed decision.

The room was clean and comfortable, and we had a fantastic stay at Sandcastles. Jo & Dean are friendly hosts, and breakfast was excellent. If you're staying in Gt Yarmouth, I'd definitely recommend booking here. Looking forward to coming back next yer.

The rooms are bright, airy and very clean, with a comfortable bed, and the breakfast has a superb range of choices. Joan is so welcoming and friendly. She even remembered us from our visit two years ago. We were lucky to get a couple of extra nights when we decided to extend our stay, and for us this is the best guest house in GY.

The beach front is easy to reach from here, and breakfast was yummy with plenty of choice. Jo was welcoming and made sure we had everything we needed during our overnight stay. Our room was bright and airy, with a wardrobe, chest of drawers, tea and coffee, a TV and even a handy fan. Room 4 had its own toilet and basin, and the shared shower room was only a few feet away, so that worked fine. Would definitely recommend.