Northfield Hotel

We were a big group of friends and appreciated having nice shared areas to sit in. The food was lovely, with a good gluten-free selection, and happy hour was a great extra. The hotel was good and very reasonably priced for dinner, bed and breakfast.

A nice hotel near the seafront, with a pool. Staff were friendly, the food was good and the Wi-Fi worked reliably. The high street is about a ten-minute walk away, and there’s a pleasant park just inside the hotel’s bottom gate.

The friendliest part of the visit was the receptionist, who was lovely and clearly good at juggling jobs. When we arrived, the South African woman at reception was very polite. We booked the dip and dine by phone after seeing it online. It cost £20 each, including money towards food in the restaurant afterwards. I had the steak baguette and my wife chose white bait and chips. The meal had an old-fashioned hotel feel. The steak was stewing steak, and, as the waitress explained, it couldn’t be ordered rare because it was cooked the same way for everyone. The white bait had a thick crumb and a deep-fryer taste, like it had picked up flavours from other things cooked in the same fryer. Nothing was really wrong with the food; it just felt like the kitchen was stuck 30 years in the past. The place itself took me back to the 1980s, a bit like Fawlty Towers. The spa was a nostalgic throwback to pools I worked at back then, with concrete floors, dodgy showers and old tiles around the jacuzzi and steam room. I found it funny, but my wife didn’t after I’d promised her a spa day. The waitress was the same person who’d greeted us at reception, and I wondered if they also had her cleaning and turning rooms when needed. I actually enjoyed the nostalgia, which reminded me of visiting my grandparents in hotels as a child. I’d love to return if we’re staying nearby, but I don’t think I’ll persuade my wife to come with me.

We had a lovely time at Northfield, with a comfortable lounge, pool, steam room and jacuzzi, and friendly local staff. The bed, breakfast and dinner package was competitively priced. The food tasted great, though after a full day hiking I’d have liked more potatoes or other carbs. They’re cheap as chips, Chef! We stayed two nights in early January and plan to be back in March. Thanks, Northfield.