Hotel 52 - Stanley

For the last four years I've stayed at hotel 25 when visiting family. It's spotless, with modern decor, and the hotel staff are amazing. Jeanette especially is funny, down to earth and naturally so helpful. My mother and I would stop by morning and night for a chat, and she'd have us laughing so hard we'd leave in stitches. We still talk about her every day. 10/10 experience! I'll be back in Newcastle in April and will book straight away. I wouldn't stay anywhere else.

I couldn't wait to get out of there. I was staying for a wedding, but after the breakfast was cancelled and I wasn't refunded, I got up and left as early as I could. The hotel was unstaffed, with keys in a lockbox, and I didn't feel safe. There were lots of men hanging around the building and in the corridors after smoking, walking back and forth and talking. I slept with a chair in front of the door. The room itself was clean, but from the outside it didn't even look like a hotel.

We found room 13 comfortable and spotlessly clean during our two-night stay, so I don't understand the earlier bad reviews. It could use a fridge, but otherwise it was a pleasant visit.

The staff were really friendly, and getting in was easy. Parking is limited, though there's plenty of on-road parking. Our room/apartment was lovely and clean, but the kitchen crockery was short: there were no bowls and only a couple of plates. The main problem was that they knew we were bringing a dog but didn't tell us dogs aren't allowed in the restaurant. We'd paid for breakfast for three days and couldn't eat any of it because we had to stay with the dog, or weren't allowed to bring the dog along. They should have explained this when breakfast was booked. We'll stay again, but won't book breakfast.