Hillcrest

I'd made the booking at least six months ahead and asked not to have an attic room because they're too low for me, but on arrival I was sent to one. I don't like confrontation, so I didn't say anything. At first the fresh paint made it look improved, but the room was cold, the towels very damp, and the mattress creaky and worn out, as I'd noticed on earlier visits. It looked clean but was very dusty. The toilet and shower run out of water in the mornings when everyone starts washing, one of the three ceiling light bulbs worked, and the air vent fell off the wall overnight. There wasn't enough complimentary tea or milk, so we bought our own. I've stayed here many times over the years and had noticed things that needed fixing before, but never complained. This visit wasn't good. Breakfast was poor: the food seemed oven-cooked and came out dried up, the toast was thin end slices, according to other guests, and the coffee was instant. Everything came in sachets, which added to the feeling of penny-pinching. Other guests complained that part of a shower had fallen onto someone's wife's head. Another couple said they'd been told to wait until 9am for breakfast because there weren't enough tables. At 8:50, when there was an empty table, the owner asked why they hadn't come out yet, and they said they'd been told to wait until 9. The owner also tried to sell a guest a 50p bottle of water as they were heading out for the day. I think two stars is generous. It feels more like a poor B&B than a hotel. Next time I'm in Scarborough, I'll stay elsewhere.