The Carlton Hotel

I've stayed in a number of rooms here, and each one I've been in has been nice and clean. I've always had a lovely night's sleep. The staff are friendly to both me and my dog, respectful, and ready to help whenever needed. I'd highly recommend this hotel. It's very affordable for the quality.

For a night, it was fine and not bad for the price. The bed was really comfortable, but I didn't sleep well because the room smelled strongly of paint. Being beside the stairs was noisy, and there was a lot of thumping from the rooms above. The TV remote didn't work at all, and neither the room door nor the bathroom door closed or locked properly.

The only real plus was the location, and possibly a sea view if you're lucky. I wouldn't recommend staying here. Watch out for the hole in the pavement at the bottom of the steps, as it's easy to twist an ankle. The parking spaces are there, but very tight and difficult to get into or out of. The website gives a misleading impression, with pictures of a stocked bar and restaurant food, but none of that was available when we stayed. It advertises a “coffee and tea making machine”, but there was only a kettle. We had no soap, half a toilet roll, one cup for two people, and just one large towel and one medium towel between us. The online photos are clearly of the superior rooms, and I'd hate to see what the standard rooms are like. The second picture was what convinced us to book, but the first picture is what we got. The room was very poor quality, basically just a bed. There was no food or bar available. Dogs are allowed, and barking woke us in the early hours. There were blood stains on the mattress protector, doors banged all night, and light came through the main door and windows. You won't see my review on booking.com because they removed it.

We booked last minute, and it was cheap and cheerful. The rooms were decent and the beds not too bad, but I wouldn't stay more than a few nights. The reception area looks very dated and badly needs refurbishment. The stairwells had an extremely unpleasant smell, rather like wet dog. Doing the place up would make it much more appealing.