The Peninsula Hotel

The biggest issue for me was how the general manager dealt with us. During our week-long stay, he ignored us when we had complained on two earlier nights that our meals were stone cold. On the fifth day, the menu was the same vegetables and meats we'd had for the previous five nights. We mentioned that to the women at reception, but no alternative was offered, so on the anniversary of my father's death we took my disabled mother out for dinner. Later, another group of guests told me they disliked the menu too, but had been offered a refund of £20.50 each. I asked to speak to the general manager. After being passed between five staff members, I was told to come back in 20 minutes because he was busy. When I returned, he refused to refund our £61.50 for three meals, saying I hadn't spoken to him personally. He was rude and showed no sympathy when I explained what had happened. He had not come out to speak with us about the earlier complaints, and seemed to stay in the kitchen through all 12 meals of our stay. We were not the only guests complaining. The wheelchair access also caused trouble. We chose the hotel because it was described as “wheelchair friendly,” but with no table allocated, finding a place to sit with a wheelchair was difficult. On Monday 30th July, there was a private party and nowhere to park, either in the car park or outside the hotel. There was no designated disabled parking, and not a single space free for us to get my mother and her wheelchair in. The pool was another problem. We were paying to use the amenities, yet it was opened daily for “chip and dip,” and by 10am there were no seats left. That wasn't mentioned in the brochure. The lift also broke down while we were in rooms 210 and 212 with a wheelchair. Three times, we were told to wait for it to be fixed during “chip and dip.” I paid £2210 expecting a relaxing holiday, but it was a complete waste of money. I'm still waiting for the owner, Ian Walker, to respond.

Great location, close to the beach and with lovely views. The rooms are clean and roomy, but feel dated and don't meet modern needs, with no charging sockets beside the bed. The restaurant food was good, and the staff I met seemed friendly and well dressed.

The bed was uncomfortable, with two singles pushed together and one side higher than the other. The duvet was very thin, and although the linen was changed, its cover had black marks. Our room was dated and not very clean, and it wasn't vacuumed during our 11-night stay. It also took ages for the water to get hot. Breakfast was dreadful. The bacon had been left too long in the chafing dish, the fried eggs were rubbery, and the sausages, fried bread and hash browns were deep fried, with poor quality baked beans alongside them. My wife doesn't eat fried breakfast, so she asked for boiled eggs. They came without egg cups, which made them awkward to eat. The sliced bread looked like poor quality plastic, and there was also some white sourdough. Coffee from the self-service thermos was lukewarm and weak. We saw staff using the coffee machine and asked for fresh coffee, but were told it cost extra. We declined on principle. The roller toaster broke on day two, and the toast then came from the kitchen. The reheated, pre-toasted sourdough was rock hard and inedible. My wife told reception the breakfast wasn't acceptable for a 4* hotel, and they apologised. After she complained again to a manager the next day, we were told things would improve, but they didn't. In the end, we bought our own fresh berries, smoked salmon and bread. On the penultimate day, we arrived to find no buffet, but a menu on the table with lots of choices, including smoked salmon, avocado and fresh berries. Our son was livid. He found the General Manager and challenged him about our shocking treatment and why we'd never been offered that menu before. The GM blamed staff for not following his instructions. That was a poor attitude, especially since he'd ignored us from day one. As my wife told another manager, these problems start at the top.

We come here regularly for the nice bar and cafe, and because it's dog friendly. We've also had a really nice staycation here. The food menu is good, there's a good choice of drinks, and it's one of my favourite places in Guernsey.