The Esplanade

The owners were so kind and went out of their way to help me replace something I’d lost. One of the cleaners was just as lovely and helped me get into my room. Breakfast had loads of choice, from salmon on toast and full English or vegetarian breakfasts to fruit, pastries, cereal, toast, yogurt and spreads. The orange and apple juice were good too. I’ve stayed here twice and would definitely recommend it. For the price and quality, it’s been better than the two other B&Bs I’ve tried. In my opinion, the spot is hard to beat in Tenby, right by the town walls and beach, with ice cream nearby and a corner shop down the road. My Sea View Double was a good size, with plenty of storage, sockets and a big mirror. One window faced the sea and opened wide for a breeze, while the other looked down the road. There was an iron and board, a little fan, a huge TV, a bath and shower, a kettle and some tasty sweets. The shower pressure was low, though that wasn’t a big deal. Wi-Fi and phone signal in the room were slow or absent.

A relative booked a holiday for 12 people three months ahead. The hotel said payment had to be in cash, though we’d have been happy to pay beforehand. A week before we were due to go, we were told every room had been cancelled and sold because we hadn’t replied to a second confirmation email sent two days earlier. We never received that email. Not everyone checks email every day, and they didn’t even call to confirm before cancelling the trip. Somehow all the rooms were then sold the same day. I can only imagine they got a better offer and thought a few extra pounds were worth throwing our plans away. It’s caused a lot of avoidable stress. We work hard for our booked time off. They could call guests to confirm, ask for a deposit, or even accept payment online when people book.

I’m pretty sure this is my first negative review. I usually try to support small businesses, but I don’t want another family to go through what we did. I’ve already explained my feelings directly to the B&B. We were a group of 12 with three dogs, including children and grandparents who needed ground-floor rooms. I booked on 19/9/25 for 27/05/26, and they were helpful in matching rooms to our needs. Over the eight months before the trip, I exchanged more than 20 emails with Gabriella about confirmations and other details. Gabriela suggested booking direct and paying cash on arrival, with a £20 discount per room across six rooms, including the family suite. That meant giving up Booking.com’s protection, which I won’t do again. We were all excited to visit, especially as I love Tenby. Then Gabriela cancelled the whole booking on 18 May, saying we hadn’t confirmed in time. She said she’d contacted me on Sunday 17 May. But the paperwork said we had until the 20th, and by the 18th the rooms had already been rebooked. We were left scrambling to find somewhere for the family, which was very difficult. Gabriela seemed confused about why I was upset. She said the rooms were gone and it had nothing to do with the beautiful weather or high demand, even though I can only assume those new bookings didn’t get the same discount. It was heartbreaking and stressful. After corresponding with me for eight months and understanding my family’s needs, she showed no empathy, went against their own policies, and changed her attitude so quickly it made my head spin.

We were glad to be close to town and had a lovely view of the water during our one-night bank holiday stay. Inside, though, the room was dirty, with sand and dust over the floors and furniture, cobwebs in the corners, and mold in the shower. The hot water wasn’t working either. Street noise came straight through the very thin windows, and there was nobody at reception to talk to about any of it.