Milford Waterfront Holiday Properties

The gentle movement of the room and the wind in the lanyards made for a lovely, almost enchanting night, and we slept very comfortably. My friends and I had a wonderful time in the Floatels, a novel and different sort of stay. The lady at reception gave us a warm, friendly welcome, and we shared a bottle of wine in the bar before walking along the marina to our rooms. I only wish we’d been able to stay longer.

The cabins are surprisingly warm, even without putting the heating on, so they’re not just for summer. We had an excellent weekend aboard the floating cabins at Ty hotels. There are four in the harbour, each spacious, with a nice shower room and decking out front. They do float, but are cleverly stabilised, so even in strong wind you only feel a gentle rocking.

The location is fantastic, with fabulous local amenities and some great restaurants and bars nearby. Our floatel room was fine in stormy weather, with just a bit of bobbing, as you’d expect. The rooms are adequate, but there’s literally no storage. Service was seriously poor too: during our four night stay the room was cleaned just once, and only after we specifically asked. Ty Hotels needs to sort out the cleaning and add some storage, perhaps drawers in the bedside tables. Do that and it would be a top place to stay.

Check the location carefully before booking the floatel. It’s tucked away in an out of the way corner of the marina, down deep because of the dock construction, so there’s no view to speak of. The big picture windows look out onto a disreputable sailboat.