Parkview Hotel And Guest House

This is more of a goodbye, since I know Park View Hotel is closed for good. I stayed here at least once a month for nearly 14 years, and was shocked to hear it was closing. It was dated and run-down the first time I came, I admit, but for those prices you can’t really find that kind of value these days. I’ll miss all the memories from here.

I’ve stayed here a few times, though it’s been a while since my last visit. The rooms are clean, there’s always plenty of tea, coffee and milk, and the prices are reasonable compared with guest houses of a similar size. Getting there from the M6 via the M62 link to st Helens is straightforward. You come through Thatto Heath and reach the traffic lights just around the corner from the hotel. The main car park is small and might be tight for a van, but there are a few extra spaces opposite the vehicle entrance if you ask. I’m unsure about wheelchair access. There are no lifts, and it used to be a residential home, so I’m sure there must be some kind of access. The dining room is upstairs on the first floor. Breakfast is plentiful, with cereals for self-service, and the full English is delicious. You can even see it being cooked through the serving hatch. There’s a TV in every room, and some look over the busy dual carriageway towards Taylor park. In the morning there are usually a few staff around, though check-in and the rest are handled by one lovely lass who’s been there pretty much since it opened. Cameras cover the outside areas, including the entrance and car park. I’d pick Park View over the main hotel in town any day. Love the place.

The room was dusty and full of cobwebs, with mould on the walls and windows. I’m allergic to mould. There were holes in the ceilings and doors, and the bedding was stained. The shower unit was tiny, and more water came out around it than from the shower head. The towels barely covered me. Plug sockets didn’t work, and big screws stuck out of the bunk beds. They’d tried to cover them with duct tape, which is really unsafe with children in the room. There was no staff on site when people were fighting during the night. Dogs across the road barked constantly, people in the hotel banged doors and shouted, and the room was so hot that even with the few windows open, my partner, my children and I got no sleep. The price was really unreasonable for what we got, especially compared with a place like Premier Inn, which is only £10 more.

The room was very clean and had plenty of tea, coffee and sugar. I was in room 2, and the woman I spoke to when checking in was very polite and helpful. You have to call a number because the key is in a key safe. She was lovely when I spoke with her further. It’s a shame the stay was spoiled by people in the next room waking me rudely at 1am. The walls are very thin, and there’s a door between the rooms. They kept banging on it and shouting, while a little girl screamed. The screaming was fair enough, but banging on the door was out of order.