The Devil's Punchbowl Hotel

The two staff members I dealt with were delightful and incredibly helpful. They even arranged for the kitchen to make me dinner after it had closed. The room itself needs redoing, and the pillows were so thin they barely seemed to be there. Folding them in half made them usable, and I was glad to be on my own. I might have overlooked that, but there was no hot water in the morning for my shower and shave. Apparently you need to let the water run for 10 minutes, which would have been useful to know at check-in.

The breakfast was delicious, and having it in the lovely dining room, with all the fun framed pictures on the walls, was a treat. The staff were warm and welcoming. Shayan checked us in, served breakfast and checked us out, and was hardworking and so helpful. We'd admired the hotel's quirky facade on earlier visits to the area, when we'd walked the punchbowl, so we were glad we finally stayed. Much of the hotel has been refurbished, though some parts still look tired. Our room had what we needed, but felt dated, with carpet marks and cracked bathroom tiles. We'd stay again for the fair price, friendly welcome and great breakfast.

The staff were always smart and happy to help, and the drinks were fairly priced. The comfortable bed was let down by pillows with very little filling, and the decor feels stuck in the 80s. The cleaners also need closer supervision or the owner should do spot checks. Open surfaces were dusty and the floors hadn't been vacuumed, and it clearly hadn't built up overnight. The bathrooms need the mould treated or the silicone redone. The fittings look like they're from an early 90s plumbing merchants, and the shower hose burst and couldn't be fixed. As someone whose business pays for hotels, I personally wouldn't pay to stay here. Also, some workers start as early as 0800, so it would help to have something to eat available before breakfast starts at 1000.

The hotel feels tired and dated, though the staff were polite and friendly. The sheets were clean, but both pillows were really thin. My shower didn't work, the bathroom tiles were cracked and the towel rail came off in my hands. The carpet was stained and needed vacuuming, and the windows were painted shut with cobwebs all over them. Given all that, I suppose the price wasn't too bad.