Laguna Hotel

Carol and the rest of the team made me feel very welcome, and the staff were efficient throughout my stay. Laguna is my favourite hotel in Bournemouth, partly for its old-style look and the service. It’s close enough to walk to both town and the beach, and the swimming pool is a nice extra. It’s a lovely hotel with lovely staff, and I can’t wait to come back.

The people working here are lovely and clearly working hard to keep the hotel going. I don’t blame the front-line staff, who seem to be trying to manage problems without the investment they need. The owner should step back, look at the whole place and bring in an outside professional to review it. I know cheap stays involve sacrifices, and dirt normally doesn’t bother me, but this was an exception. I used to live outside, so it takes a lot for me to say that. The room was very dated. We were put in the outside suites, which we hadn’t chosen, and the front door didn’t have proper security protection. The small lock you’re meant to use wasn’t locked because it was “easier.” I don’t usually comment on design, but it seemed to add to the dirt building up around the place. The bathroom door also didn’t close properly, and when I sat on the toilet, it came right off the wall, even though I’m a small person. The nearly empty swimming pool had clumps of hair touching us as soon as we got in. We lasted about two minutes, then got out, and my body felt strangely slimy afterwards. Everything felt dirty and we didn’t want to touch anything. I know a bit about pools, and I suspect this one may not have been serviced for years. I would have liked to check the pH levels, though maybe not. A professional needs to look at it. I almost forgot that when I turned the tap on, brown water came out. I wish I were being dramatic. The ground staff are working their butts off, but they can’t keep preventing these problems when they’re constantly chasing their tails.

The hotel is old, and the shower in our room didn’t work properly, switching between hot and cold, but that didn’t spoil our stay. It’s in a lovely part of Bournemouth, close to the beautiful gardens, the centre and the beach. We went out every day, and when we came back the room had been tidied and the bin emptied. It was regularly cleaned, and the staff were so friendly and helpful, always ready to do what they could for us. Great service.

The hotel was nothing like the pictures. It was run down and the rooms were dirty. Our room for four had one double and two single beds, but was so cramped we could hardly move or fit anything else. The bathroom was rusty and full of mould, with barely enough room to get dressed between the toilet, sink and bath. Towels had hairs and stains on them, and some duvet covers were stained too. There was nowhere to hang wet towels to dry. The front of the hotel has double glazing, but our room 16 was around the back with no view and rotten window wood. The tea and coffee setup was almost nonexistent, and the kettle was filthy. When we asked for a replacement, we were treated as if we were being a huge inconvenience. The swimming pool was disgusting, and the bars to hold onto were broken and coming away from the edge. The games room was falling apart: the windows didn’t shut together, the floor looked as if it might collapse, the pool table was missing balls and some cues were broken. Don’t go here. There are plenty of nearby Holiday Inns that would make for a better stay.