County Hotel

We were right in the town centre, with an easy trip to the ferry terminal. The staff were friendly and helpful, and both the amazing breakfast and the big burger at night were highlights. We stayed for a week and had a lovely big bed.

The food was a real highlight, with traditional European dishes and authentic Indian options. We tried a few different meals, and each night was better than the last. The staff were fantastic company while we waited, and I already miss them and the food. It's an old-fashioned hotel, and the rooms are what you'd expect in a place like this, but they were fine. I hope to come back on my next visit.

At £195 a night, they need to do much better. I've stayed in better Travelodges for £69. Our stay felt like being in an underfunded institution, and the food wasn't great while they were looking for a chef and sous chef. The guest rooms were stark, the beds uncomfortable, and there was mold on the windows and chipped paint. Some effort had gone into updating the bathrooms, but elsewhere the black mold on the windows, dirty hall carpets and crumbling plaster made the place feel like a health hazard. The dining room smelled of mildew and its chairs were long past their useful life. The hallways were dark with the lights off, which made the hotel uninviting. With the lights on, the black stains on the carpet stood out. I hate leaving bad reviews, but people should know.

We live nearby and came in for a meal. The staff were incredibly pleasant, a 10 out of 10, but that was about the only redeeming part. The dining area had a concerning smell when we walked in, presumably coming from the kitchen. The chicken madras was unpleasant and had no real kick beyond ginger and overcooked coriander. Its flavours were so out of balance that I felt like leaving a crisis helpline number with the bill. Seriously, is your chef okay? The naan was stodgy and burnt in spots, and the pilau rice was strangely greasy. Then there was the undercooked chicken and a clump of thick, curly dark hair I pulled from the sauce. That was the final straw. This felt like a health and hygiene nightmare, and I'd strongly advise against eating here. The meal may well have given me depression. I'd tried to review the place on Facebook before. When I edited the review, it seemed to switch from “would not recommend” to “recommended”, and then I couldn't leave a review at all. I deleted the old one and was mildly annoyed to see that this had raised their recommendation percentage. In good conscience, I wouldn't recommend the place even to my starving enemy. The poppadoms weren't bad, though I'm pretty sure they were bought in.