Longdales House

For a work trip, this place is okay: it’s tidy and clean, and there seems to be plenty of parking. I wouldn’t recommend it for a holiday if you’re after somewhere cosy. It’s on a university campus, and key collection is only from 4 to 8 pm unless you arrange something special. Reception, the room and the breakfast area are in three different buildings. I booked a “standard double room” and paid an extra £10 for more space, hoping there’d be a desk for my work. Instead, I got what their website calls a “compact room”, with no desk and barely any space. When I complained, they said it was a standard double, even though there was only just enough room to squeeze through between the bed and the wall on all three sides. After several emails disputing that it was standard-sized, they agreed to refund the extra £10. So if you pay for a “standard double”, be prepared for something closer to the “compact double” shown in their photos. My main issues were being given a tiny room after paying extra, their denial that it was compact when it couldn’t have been more so, and the refund process. I paid by PayPal, but they said they couldn’t refund me through PayPal and needed my address to send a cheque. :( I was annoyed at first that the heating was off and the room was cold. Once I turned it on, though, the room warmed up and got stuffy very quickly.

Good value, clean, and about 10 minutes from town. The breakfast was lovely, and there was tea and coffee in the room.

It was clean and tidy, but the bed wasn’t great and I had a bad night’s sleep. 😴

Since summer 2020, this has been used as student accommodation rather than a bed and breakfast.