Badholmen

We came in for a drink and enjoyed the space, even though the music can get pretty loud. The drinks selection was medium-sized. Then, out of nowhere, we found ourselves in the middle of a pub quiz, with the whole restaurant packed with participants and the atmosphere completely different. I’m still wondering why.

The restaurant was okay, but I’d tell people to sleep somewhere else. Breakfast was awful, and we won’t be coming back, even with a 50% discount. The seagulls were the highlight of the day. My partner surprised me with two nights at Badholmen for my 66th birthday while we were touring B&Bs along the south coast. The pictures and the idea of staying on a tiny island sounded romantic, but the place is old, with peeling paint, and didn’t look like the photos or match what the website promised. The bed was the only part of the room that was okay. We were glad we spent a lot of time out and about. The staff were friendly, and I think this may once have been a top location, but it isn’t now. I wouldn’t recommend the hotel unless the cost came down by 50%. The restaurant is okay if you’re going for food, but stay somewhere else.

The food was edible, but that’s about the best I can say for it. We arrived at 11:45, after the 11:30 opening, and the staff were slow and unfriendly. The place was filthy: tables looked like they’d been sitting there since the day before, with dirty shot glasses and crumbs on the tables and chairs. The toilets hadn’t been cleaned either. Absolutely appalling.

The restaurant and breakfast are good, but the room walls are so thin that the music carries through, and it plays too loudly and too late in the evening. Not great if you’re trying to get to bed early. I wouldn’t recommend this hotel for guests with children. Maybe floor speakers in the restaurant or bar would reduce some of the vibrations reaching the upper floors, compared with the wall-mounted ones.