Sefton

The Sefton is a real gem in the middle of Douglas, with an affordable stay and a great spot for nearby restaurants, the theatre and places to drink. It’s a beautiful old building, with different room types, including sea-view rooms, atrium rooms with balconies and full top-floor suites. The staff are helpful and attentive. There’s a gym and pool when they’re available, and the breakfast is among the best you’ll find.

We’re staying in room 470 for my mum’s 80th birthday, and the hotel is fantastic, especially this room. Chai and Josh at Bonzai made her birthday meal really memorable. Margaret and Clare at reception also encouraged our celebrations and arranged a lovely surprise, Prosecco in our room to finish the evening. We’ll definitely come back, and I’d highly recommend the hotel.

We chose The Sefton for our wedding stay because it’s supposed to be one of the best hotels on the Island. The promenade location is superb, and waking up to the bay was just right. The room was spacious and the bed was comfortable, though nothing special. It also felt very outdated, with some loose trim, and everything was grubby. During our four days, none of our toiletries, including toilet roll, or the tea and coffee were replenished. Even a Holiday Inn does that, so I’m not sure why The Sefton didn’t. It’s a beautiful building in a spectacular spot, but it didn’t live up to the hype for us.

For nearly £200 a night for B&B, we didn’t find this acceptable. Our wifi was slow and unreliable, most of the breakfast fruit was tinned, and two of the three bathroom dispensers for soap, shampoo or shower gel were empty. The rooms are only made up every three days, so bring your own tea, coffee and milk. It would help if they supplied washing-up liquid and a tea towel so guests could clean the crockery. The hotel didn’t feel like four stars to us. One of the main entrance doors was broken and marked “not in use”. Our sea-view room had a bay window but looked little like the website photo. The decor was very worn, the pillows were past their best, and there was mould in the bathroom. The stairs to the first-floor breakfast area had threadbare carpet and damp marks on the walls. The gym was closed after asbestos was detected there. It makes you wonder how many guests were exposed before it was found. We were also told the spa was fully booked for the next three months.