Leasowe Castle Hotel

There are lots of stairs, so be prepared. The hotel itself is beautiful, though the interior feels a bit dated; the lobby is fine. Breakfast was pretty decent but a little pricey for what you get. The room price was reasonable, which balances that out. Staff were helpful, if not especially personable. The bed was comfortable enough. Pretty decent stay, to be fair.

We were glad we stayed and would happily come again. Although ours was one of the cheaper rooms, it was spacious, well equipped and very clean. We had a quick drink at the bar; prices were reasonable, and the young man serving was polite, friendly and helpful. Breakfast was well cooked from good ingredients, served at the table in a pleasant dining room. We booked in a hurry, then read reviews that left us dreading the visit. We're glad we hadn't read them first, because they would have put us off. We can't recognise the hotel in some of the negative comments. The £200 deposit is unusual, but it's listed on the hotel's website and was fully refunded within a few hours of checkout. It's a charming hotel with attentive, hardworking staff and good service.

The staff were great and did their best in difficult circumstances, but the stay wasn't what I'd expected and I feel I should've been offered a discount for the inconvenience. I booked a room with breakfast for my husband and me on 6 January 2025. I got a confirmation, then an email mentioning a current heating problem. By then I couldn't find another place to book, and was very disappointed that this hadn't been mentioned when I asked staff about availability or shown on the website when I booked. The reception was cold when we arrived. We were told a heater had been placed in our room and turned on. Some parts of the room were warm, but the bathroom was freezing, so we requested and received another heater. That evening, the bar staff told us the chef couldn't cook, so there'd be no food. The nearest restaurants were in town, at least a 15-minute drive away. Back in the room, the power points kept switching off and on. We were advised against using both heaters because the system was overloaded. They were so noisy that we couldn't leave them running overnight, and we woke to a freezing room. Breakfast cost £20 and was disappointing. The room was very cold, and the food went cold almost immediately, making it hard to eat. Staff and visitors were wearing coats and hats the whole time. When I asked at the desk for a discount because of the cold and breakfast, they told me to email. I've sent several emails since and haven't received a response.

Breakfast was the part that really let the stay down. I was told to make my own toast, the cooked food was so greasy I felt it all day, and finding a long dark hair inside a sausage put me off eating anything else there. The room itself was spacious, clean, fresh smelling and modern, though the bathroom grout had a few spots that looked like black mould, and there was a large damp-looking patch under the windowsill when I drew the curtains. I also found the bed uncomfortably hard despite what seemed to be a mattress topper, so I slept badly. The old building has plenty of charm, but the bed and breakfast were disappointing.