Empire Cave Hotel

Breakfast had a delicious range of food, the rooms were very clean, and we felt welcome and well looked after throughout our stay at Empire Cave Hotel. The staff were kind, professional, and always helpful, and the service was flawless from beginning to end. Everything exceeded our expectations. We had a perfect experience and would definitely stay again. Highly recommend!

The newly upgraded rooms were nice, and the hotel’s location is perfect. The building finishes are fantastic, but the place lacks attention to detail and seems not to have been ready for the start of the season. It really needs a good, experienced manager. We paid for what we expected to be a 3/4 star hotel, so this was very disappointing. Breakfast was good, with authentic food made in house, but the coffee machine was faulty and there was no milk for cappuccinos. The garden areas had weeds and dead plants, with grass growing through the paving. The setting is lovely but needs finishing touches. The ashtrays outside reception were full of cigarette butts, and weeds surrounded the ground sign. At reception, the paper towel dispenser in the toilets was empty. There was no welcome water or juice and no porter to help with bags. Reception staff weren’t fluent in English, and the two young staff members seemed inexperienced. Breakfast staff didn’t understand English. No one wore a uniform, so it was hard to tell staff from guests. We got no help with restaurant advice or tours and no pamphlets, just instructions to call our agent. Our rooms were newly upgraded, but there was no stool for the dresser, no luggage stools, and no hangers in the cupboard, so our bags had to sit on the floor. We had water on the first day and none afterward. The safe was at the bottom of the cupboard, awkward for older guests. There were blown bulbs in the room and only one cushion per person. The kettle was on the dresser with no wall plug nearby, so we had to plug it in the toilet. There was no fridge or internal phone system, and no room service. For service, we had to walk to reception, and staff then had to come tell us something in the room. The headboard was loose. Extra toilet paper and the hair dryer were stored on top of the bathroom towel rail heater, though there was plenty of room under the basin cupboard. On the second day, our towels were left on the bed instead of being put in the bathroom.

The rooms are huge, the location is fantastic, and the price is reasonable. Breakfast is quite basic, but I liked that they provide a paper cup for takeaway coffee. All in all, 5/5.

We left without staying because the hotel looked nothing like its photos. The terrace was shut, the garden was neglected, and the place felt abandoned. When we raised the issue, the receptionist said, “sorry cannot help.” We asked Booking.com for a refund, but the hotel refused. The listing is misleading. Avoid this place.