City Lodge

There’s no restaurant, but that was fine for us. A Witherspoon is about a two-minute walk away and does breakfast, lunch and dinner at good prices, with plenty of other places nearby for lunch and dinner too. The room was spacious and quiet at night, the beds were comfortable, and the facilities were fine. Our “view” was a blank wall, but in a city you don’t usually expect much of a view, and there was still plenty of light. Yeovil isn’t especially attractive, with lots of demolition work going on, though it’s well placed for exploring the surrounding area. There’s a reasonably priced car park just across the road. You enter your number plate and pay for the time you’ve parked. It didn’t seem to accept foreign plates, so we parked for free :-)

The second year was much better. I was in one of the ground-floor rooms away from the main building, more like a maisonette, with a big open room and dated decor. The room stayed cool and the mattress topper made a huge difference. That was a pleasant surprise, even if I nearly didn’t need the topper. The first year, though, was so bad I can’t bring myself to give two stars. My room in the main hotel was roasting despite the cool weather outside. Being on the high street, opening the windows didn’t make for a decent night’s sleep. I was above the sign, and its glow came through the curtains all night. The bed was awful: the pillow was the softest, lightest thing I’ve ever had, less firm than teddy bear stuffing, and I could feel the mattress springs poking into different parts of my body. Others in my party complained too, so it wasn’t just me.

The hotel really needs renovating. The bathroom was good, with a powerful shower, and the bed linen was fresh, but the room smelled awful. The stink seemed ingrained in the old, dirty carpet, and even opening the windows didn’t help.

I’ve stayed in plenty of hotels, and this bed is easily at the top of my list for comfort. I’m sinking into it, my feet disappear into the lovely clean carpet, and the place feels homey, not like a business. The bottled water, tea and coffee were there, and the small shampoo and conditioner bottles were branded and full, unlike the ones at Travelodge and Premiership. The shower’s next, and I’m looking forward to it. There are loads of takeaways nearby too. The fella at the desk was kind, and I can’t think of a single complaint. I’ve got time to edit one in, but I don’t think I will, there’s nothing wrong that I can see. Stay here, you’ll sleep like a baby 👶. It’s lovely and worth every penny.