Marine Hotel

A heartfelt thank you to everyone at The Marine Hotel for looking after our special occasion lunch for 18 people yesterday in the Monterey Room. The meal was delicious and the service was superb. Mehul took care of us with warmth, kindness, and professionalism, and the manager on the day, Gunay, was wonderful too. When I was planning the event a few weeks ago, Veronica, the Sales Manager, was incredibly helpful and kind. She understood the situation completely and gave me excellent advice. The room was beautifully set up.

The food in the restaurant was delicious, everything we ordered was fantastic, and the bar had a good selection. There were lots of regulars in the bar, which gave it a nice feel. Service was top notch, and the grounds and views were lovely. The bed, though, was much too firm for my taste. There’s no air conditioning in the rooms, but opening the windows at night cooled ours down nicely. The train was within walking distance.

The waiting staff are lovely and helpful, but the food has really gone downhill. We used to enjoy it, and now it’s poorly presented and seems to use cheap ingredients. The receptionist is unpleasant and has bad manners. A few of us local women avoid the hotel because of her attitude. She doesn’t greet guests. Today my child fell, and I rushed to reception hoping to get a first aid wipe and a plaster. She ignored me and answered the phone, so my partner and I had to take our child to a nearby chemist. With that sort of attitude at the front desk, I’m not surprised fewer locals come in.

The lobby and other public areas looked much more presentable than the bedroom, which felt dated. The back of the couch was partly torn. There were black and pink patches of fungus around the shower, and the water pressure was low, making it hard to get a comfortable mix of hot and cold. Work was going on in rooms along the corridor, with drilling starting around 9:30am. There was no sign warning guests or apology for the disruption, as I’d expect from a hotel. I wonder if they plan to work on the other rooms too. I’d come back if the rooms were updated.