The Twyford Inn

The listing called it Twyford Inn, 600 from the castle, with city views, but none of that was right. We arrived to find La Espanola near Tesco, nowhere near the castle. The room was dirty, with rust and mould in the shower, lots of dust and mould on the walls. The TV didn't work and its small coaxial cable was broken, so staff had to fix it. I also saw several slices of bread left on a radiator by the kitchen the previous evening, which didn't seem hygienic. At 8.30am the ground floor was all locked up and there was no staff available. The owner wouldn't refund us, so we stayed the night but didn't use the facilities. Premier Inn next time, cheaper and better quality!

The beds were just springs, the place had no atmosphere, and the closed windows did little to keep out street noise. Staff also got defensive when they couldn't find our second room booking. We were only staying one night, so we decided to see how it went. I regret not leaving straight away. When we returned that evening, we were supposed to use the back door, but our key wouldn't work. There are no staff on site, so after trying for several minutes we called the number on the door. A very unpleasant man said he'd be there in at least 15 minutes. It was very cold outside, and one of our party needed the bathroom, so we asked if anyone could come sooner. He said no, and offered to cancel our booking. We'd already checked in and all our bags were inside, but he said he didn't care if we couldn't get to our belongings. He arrived 20 minutes later and couldn't unlock the door either. Eventually he got in through another door and let us into the hotel. We stayed only because our older parents were exhausted and didn't want us to drive 2.5hr home at 2am. On our own, we would have taken our bags and left. These people shouldn't be working in hospitality.

The room had a really bad smell, and it worked its way through my suitcase, so I had to wash all my clothes again. The TV didn't work either. It was terribly loud at night because the hotel is near a nightclub. The shower liner stuck to my body, making it impossible to shower comfortably, and there weren't any toiletries, not even soap. I wouldn't stay again.

It's recently changed its name to La Espanola. The staff were welcoming and friendly, the room was clean, and the bed was extremely comfortable. I was in room 9. The food was excellent, and I enjoyed every meal there. It also has a 5-star hygiene rating, free Wi-Fi, parking at the rear, and a big-screen TV in the room. Tesco is literally a two-minute walk away. I'd definitely stay again if I work in the area.