Sunny Bank House

The hostess made us feel very welcome with her warmth and compassion. We stayed in this beautiful guest house in a lovely part of Hythe, near both the town centre and supermarkets. Our room was very clean and had all the amenities we needed. We'd certainly book again.

At £105 a night, I thought the accommodation wasn't good enough, and we won't be returning. The landlady seemed to have forgotten our arrival, though she let us in after we rang. The hall doubled as the dining room, with doors to outside at either end. She assumed without asking that we both wanted a full English breakfast, which we didn't. Getting into the bathroom meant climbing over an 8 inch high, roughly a foot wide box around the soil pipe, something not mentioned when booking. The bath panel had a long, very visible crack and no sign of any repair or replacement. When we asked for a non-slip bath mat, she curtly refused. At breakfast, one of us asked for porridge, and when we said the portion was small, she said that was the sachet size. To her credit, the next day's serving was much better.

Were the people leaving positive reviews at the same guest house? Our room was adequate and the bedding was clean, though it didn't fit well. The toilet, sink and shower were there, but the bathroom was very old fashioned and badly in need of an update. Breakfast was in the hallway, cluttered with the family's coats, scarves, books and other things. People were passing through constantly, so there was no privacy, and the hallway led to a kitchen that smelled of burnt cooking fat. About six cereal choices were simply left on a table, with no fruit or juice. Tea came in a cup, not a teapot. We didn't fancy a cooked breakfast, so we had bacon sandwiches to take away. The owner who greeted us wasn't rude, but definitely not welcoming. The girl serving breakfast was much nicer, though she wore black jogging bottoms and a hoodie. The clean sheets and cornflakes are the only reason I gave two stars. WILL NOT BE COMING BACK! I only review places when they're very good or very bad.

We booked three nights through the MOD while my family was moving out of the area, but left after one. When we arrived, nobody answered the front door despite 20 minutes of ringing the bell, and we couldn't get into the B&B. After driving nearby and feeding the family at a restaurant, I called to explain. The owner accused us of not ringing enough and not trying hard enough to get in. She was rude on the phone and awful to deal with. Once we finally got into the room, she asked about breakfast. I explained we wouldn't need it because we wouldn't be there, and she replied, 'more money savings for me, dont worry about it'. The rooms felt like an old woman's shrine, old and poorly decorated. On our first morning, we tried to sleep in, but at 0930hrs the owner came into the room without knocking while my wife was sitting up in bed. She questioned why we were still there and didn't apologize for walking in. A horrible experience with an awful owner, like a cheap horror movie. AVOID!!!