Royal Discovery

The room was tidy and clean, fairly basic but really good value. I’ll definitely be back, though it needs blackout curtains because it gets so bright early in the morning.

I stayed a few days ago and was a little worried after reading the reviews, but the room was pretty decent for the price. There was a booking issue, and they helped sort it out over the phone since nobody would be at the property. The place was clean and everything worked. I hadn’t realised checkout was at 10, but they called and waited 30 minutes for us to arrive.

The location was good, about a 10-minute walk from the beach, with good views once outside. The accommodation had everything we needed, but there were serious problems. The mattress was very uncomfortable and sagged in the middle. Neighbours were making a racket and banging around into the early morning. There was black mould in the bathroom, the shower didn’t drain, and water went everywhere, nearly flooding it. We also found grime under the kitchen sink, used earbuds behind the sofa, food on the carpet, and leftover food spillage in the freezer. We tried contacting the so-called helpline, but they kept passing our messages to superiors who never got back to us, or seemed to look for a loophole to avoid compensating us. My partner and I won’t stay with this company or its parent group again, and I’d advise others to do the same. Thanks for reading.

The location was the best part. It’s close enough to walk into town, with plenty of interesting things to see on the way, and there’s a nearby car park. During the day, the same parking ticket works in any of the SBC car parks, which was handy. Management also fixed our door code over the phone straight away when it didn’t work. But Room 4 was awful. It smelled of spicy food, and when I put paper on the table it came away covered in orange, spicy grease. I think someone may have spilled a takeaway there, and the cleaners hadn’t properly cleaned it. The “kitchenette” was just a bin, worktop, tiny kettle, one cup and two glasses, and we had to fill the kettle at the bathroom sink. There was only one comfortable chair despite room for a two-seater sofa. The shower was mounted at an angle, its head was broken so we couldn’t adjust the height, and the cubicle opening was tiny, making it difficult for anyone who isn’t wafer thin to get in and out. A sliding door would help. The TV had to stay on for the Wi-Fi to work. The double glazing was fortunate, since there was a hole in the outer window pane. My husband booked without checking the reviews, and if he’d read them we’d never have chosen this place. It needs a major overhaul, starting with a deep clean and updated furniture. Such a good location, but the place is a dive.