Avalon Guest House

I was relieved to leave. I stayed roughly three weeks while waiting for repairs so I could move into my new property, and the conditions were awful. I’m sure I’ve forgotten some of the many problems. They put me in the attic, which was a heat trap in 29°C weather, directly under the sun from 10am to 1pm. I was over 30 weeks pregnant and high risk, yet they expected me to carry a hoover up two flights of stairs to clean the room. They expected me to change my own bedding and take my rubbish to outdoor bins, with no one to empty the bins or even occasional hoovering, things I consider standard in a B&B. The duvet had yellow stains and pen marks, and there was black mould on the mattress. They replaced the mattress after I complained, but there’s no way that was missed before I arrived. It showed complete disregard for guests’ health. There was no apology, just excuses. I found hair in the kettle, so got a travel one for myself, cobwebs everywhere, holes and marks in the walls, filthy extractors, marks on everything and carpets that were absolutely destroyed. Builders came into my room for repairs without telling me, which was fine in itself, but I returned at 1am to find the door wide open, a box in the way, materials all over my bedding and my own belongings, which I still haven’t managed to get out, and a mess across the floor. When I confronted a worker, they just said, “we have cctv”. Again, no apology or care that my things had been left vulnerable. The window was broken, with the handle hanging off. I don’t understand calling this a B&B when there’s no breakfast and nowhere to sit except your room. They say to knock downstairs if you need anything, but no one ever answers, and you’re lucky if anyone picks up the phone. It’s a poor-quality room to rent that you have to maintain yourself, nothing like a B&B.

I’ve never had a worse room. Most nights I had to listen to people shouting, swearing, spitting in doors and shouting abuse. The mattress was stained with blood and feces, there were holes in the wall and door, and I was told never to go to the council, just to see him. It says this is a 3-star place, but where did they get that rating? I’m sure it’s illegal to use when it’s clearly not even half a star.

I’ve been staying at the Avalon guest house for a few months, and I don’t feel safe here. Staff make me feel like a prisoner by not letting me have visitors. The toilet is never stocked with toilet paper, the shower doesn’t work properly, and the bathroom and shower hardly get cleaned. They changed the front door locks and refuse to give me another key for my bedroom door.

For £55 a night, it was adequate and had what I needed. Abbey greeted me and was really friendly and helpful. There’s plenty of on-site parking, but I saw no wheelchair access: the entrance is up steep steps and there are lots more stairs inside. My small room had an en suite toilet and sink; the main bathroom and shower are shared. Tea-making facilities and a small TV were provided. It was reasonably clean and in need of some TLC. A towel, hand sanitizer, hand soap, body wash, shampoo and hair dryer were provided. There’s no breakfast. I didn’t see any provision for wheelchair access. All in all, adequate, though it could have done with a lick of fire.