Old Park House

The rooms were beautiful, but the towels didn't soak up water at all.

The bed was very comfortable, and the room had a really nice, slightly quirky style. We stayed in room 5, which was tiny and felt like a spare room in someone's house. It’s basically an Airbnb in a house, with seven rooms. You pick up the key from a small black coded box in the hallway. The location is good, only about a five-minute walk to the centre, but I don’t think it was worth the money. I’ve paid less for four-star hotels. The ensuite was so small the sink was set into the wall, making it hard to lean over while brushing your teeth. The electric shower kept switching between boiling hot and freezing cold, maybe because someone else was flushing or showering. The walls were paper thin, so we heard the next room’s toilet and the shower water hitting its tray in the morning. There was a bloodstain on the duvet cover, which was disturbing. The lock also didn’t feel secure, just a bedroom doorknob with a key tumbler. After we’d left our bags, we came back to find a welcome book on the bed that hadn’t been there before, so the owner or someone else had been in the room. The decor in the rooms seems to have its own style, but there were some real drawbacks.

The housekeepers were friendly and helpful, and the key boxes for check-in and check-out were a clever idea, though not intuitive and some people may struggle with them. The place is basically a house converted into a seven-room Airbnb and priced at a premium. It’s modern and acceptably clean, but standard rooms are very cramped: the bed takes up so much room it’s hard to get past the door to the sitting area. In my room, the sink was set into a wall recess and awkward to use without bumping my head. The electric shower was hot but weak, and the noise carried badly. Next door’s door slammed loudly enough to wake me while I was trying to sleep and make me jump in the morning; I could hear their shower too. The towels were rough and heavy, and there wasn’t room to hang both in the bedroom or bathroom if you’re a pair. Only cow’s milk was supplied, so anyone with a dietary requirement should bear that in mind. The tea tasted odd too, my first cup was spicy. The room doors are heavy, the front doors narrow and the stairs very steep. Bring minimal luggage. A solo traveller for a night or two could manage, but I can’t imagine a couple or a family of three, say one adult and two children, sharing a standard room.