Elford House - Whitby

Room 4 was on the ground floor and had plenty of space. It was clean and comfortable, with two large twin beds, each set up with two pillows and a duvet. The en suite had a modern sink and toilet, a roomy shower area with a good electric shower, and nice quality towels.

We paid nearly £100 for a small, gloomy room that smelled a little musty. The mattress was soft, but the pillows were hard. We’d booked a deluxe double, and there was nothing deluxe about the room we got. When we raised this with the owner, he became aggressive, hung up, and told us not to call again. We were only booking for one night. We heard nothing from the owner until we arrived and called to ask how to get in. He claimed not to have the right contact details, then eventually gave us the key box code. Inside, the place felt like student accommodation, with an unpleasant, strong smell throughout. Our room was on the top floor. On the way up, we passed the toilet for Room 3, which was oddly on the first floor even though Room 3 is on the ground floor. That could be a problem for anyone with mobility issues or an upset stomach. The room itself had a double bed, tiny TV and garden furniture. The bathroom had a shower, sink and loo. The toiletries were a small bar of soap and a bottle of shower gel that might have been left by a previous guest, or might even have contained bleach. I didn’t risk trying it. The curtains looked like tattered flags, and badly applied wallpaper was peeling off the walls. The website says Elford House was recently renovated, but I can’t see how peeling wallpaper, poorly fitted laminate and a bathroom without an extractor fan count as a recent renovation. I wouldn’t stay here again even if it were the last hotel in Whitby. Avoid this miserable place.

We paid £95 for a deluxe double with a king size bed and space to relax, but ended up in a room at the very top of the building with a double bed and two garden chairs. The website says the rooms have king size double beds, which doesn’t make sense, and we didn’t get the room we booked. When we questioned it, the response was aggressive, and we were told not to call again because we had what we’d paid for. I feel ripped off. We couldn’t wait to leave and wouldn’t recommend staying here. There was no proper arrival communication, so we had to phone for the key box code. No one was there to greet us, and the entrance felt unwelcoming with a strange, unpleasant smell. Room 12 supposedly had just been renovated, but its wallpaper was coming away from the walls and the laminate floorboards shifted underfoot. The advertised complimentary toiletries amounted to a bottle of Radox and a tiny hand soap. Don’t expect much.

We’d booked two nights at Eldon House and paid £198 in advance for the room only. After seeing room 9, our so called deluxe room, my wife and I decided to stay somewhere else. It was tucked under the eaves on the top floor, dreary and uncomfortable, with a jumble of 70s style furniture. The house felt like a hostel, and nobody was there to welcome us. We had to collect the key from a box in the lobby. The bathroom had black mould around the shower seal and just one tiny hand soap. The bedding was poly cotton. We messaged the person who seemed to be the owner or manager about our concerns but never got a reply. That sums up a very disappointing experience. Most of the favourable B&B reviews were three to six years old, apart from one recent review. We hadn’t fully taken that into account when we booked.