Bournemouth Carlton Hotel By Sunday

We were very impressed by the spacious, quiet and comfortable room, and the service was faultless. The staff were polite and very helpful. The hotel has a relaxing, elegant feel, with all the amenities you could wish for. It’s right on the seafront, with wonderful sea views. The Christmas decorations and arrangements really caught the eye. I was also impressed that the hotel has Hypnosis mattresses'.

The room is clean, in good condition and well prepared, but getting through to reception is almost impossible. I called twice to ask for an email address because it’s very difficult to contact the hotel unless you’re standing right at the desk. On my first call, I was told to wait while a conversation went on in the background, and I waited five minutes. On the second, someone tried to say an email address, but there was no ‘@’ in what they gave me. I pointed that out and they hung up. Meanwhile, the music is horrendously loud and makes the walls in my room shake.

The heated indoor pool was such a lovely experience, and the food was incredible. We only ate at the hotel twice during our five-day stay, and I really wish we’d eaten there every day. The waiters and waitresses were wonderfully professional and gave fantastic service. Every staff member we spoke to was welcoming, and the receptionist answered every question straight away. We’ve adored our stay at the Carlton hotel. The rooms could use a little TLC, with some plastering here and there, but I honestly don’t care about that when everything else was so good. You’ve earned two new guests for life. Fantastic job, everyone at the Carlton. You’ll see us again!

The location was excellent and the view from our room was great. The breakfast staff were very helpful, though the breakfast itself was just okay. The suite smelled smoky and musty, the bed hadn’t been made properly, and it wasn’t serviced or cleaned until we called housekeeping. The rooms are tired and need some TLC. They don’t leave water bottles, just two small, cheap biscuits. Reception staff weren’t welcoming or friendly. The outdoor pool was shut, and the indoor one was awful, unclean and uninviting. They call it a Spa, but it’s just a tiny pool and a pathetic sauna, both only open from 9 am to 4 pm. There was no management on site because the hotel had been taken over. We booked a weekend for our 35th wedding anniversary, hoping to relax and use the so-called spa facilities, but that didn’t happen. It was extremely disappointing and not worth the money. I wouldn’t recommend staying while things are like this.