Don Valley Hotel

The room was very clean, cosy, secure, and warm, with a massive shower. The lady who showed us to it was polite and welcoming. At £75 for two days, it wasn’t bad, and the set-up is nice, though I’m not sure we’ll visit again. Breakfast was disappointing: it wasn’t hot, the eggs were overcooked, and there were no mushrooms. We paid £21.80 for a small and a large breakfast and two hot drinks. There was a kettle and two cups in the room, but no complimentary tea or coffee, unlike every other hotel I’ve stayed in. I wasn’t given the Wi-Fi password, which would’ve been handy. The price list said pints of Carling were £4.50, but they cost £6 or more at the pub, then £5 or more the next day. Strange!

The bar has loads of character, with quirky signs that made a welcome change from the usual hotel-chain feel. And it’s really handy for Sheffield Arena. Stuart was especially good, friendly and professional, and quick to help.

There’s a pub and good food downstairs, and the staff were really friendly. I also felt safe with several locked doors between the room and the street. The room was huge and mostly clean, with good amenities for the price, though I’d have expected at least some shower gel. The vending machine came in handy late at night, since there aren’t many shops nearby.

Our booking was cancelled less than a day before we were due to stay, with no explanation. We’d paid through hotels.com after seeing good reviews, and had even received a welcome email offering a voucher for a free coffee if we booked direct next time. When I tried to book again, I spoke to a man, then got a text a couple of hours later saying they couldn’t take the booking. I asked several times why the original booking had been cancelled and got no reply. We were left unsure whether the hotel or the booking agent had made the mistake. Since we never saw the rooms, we can’t rate them.