Park View House Hotel

The location was the one bright spot, with easy access into town. Our family room was supposed to have a microwave, fridge and seating area, but there was no microwave or fridge. The seating area was one stained, dirty chair beside a coffee table. The beds were so uncomfortable that some of us seemed to be sleeping on a box of springs, and even a small movement set them off. The room looked like it hadn’t been cleaned properly in a long time. There were marks on the walls and thick dust on the floor under the beds. I found mould by the ceiling near the bathroom. The shower didn’t work properly either, just hot or cold with nothing in between. A backpackers would be cleaner and offer more, including a working hot shower. The toilet seat was much smaller than the bowl, so we were practically sitting on the bowl itself. The sink had a big crack. We contacted the owner but got an automated reply. We only saw a staff member at checkout, and ended up helping a few other guests check in and find their way around because there was no one there 99% of the time. For a place that’s meant to be a 3-star hotel, it didn’t feel deserving of that. If you’re looking around here, I’d look elsewhere.

At 3:32 in the morning, after midnight, other tenants were shouting and laughing nonstop. I’d told the managers, but they did nothing. The room itself had several problems, including mould on the walls and cobwebs. The bathroom floor also moved as if there were a gap underneath. I reported these other issues through the Booking app, but they weren’t fixed. This accommodation is extremely dangerous for people’s health.

We spent six days here and the room was never cleaned. There was mould and spiderwebs everywhere. The thin walls meant we could clearly hear people laughing and a man snoring at 3 a.m. Even a cheap room has to meet basic cleanliness standards, and this one wasn’t even cheap, just average for the city. The place and the owners were completely unacceptable. I honestly hope it shuts down. The people managing it were terrible.

It’s fairly clean and has a small fridge, microwave, kettle, and what you need to make tea or coffee, which is great. It’s also quite well located, close to different bus stops, though not in the centre. I’ve stayed twice, sharing a room with three other people. On the first visit, just one night, my mattress was good and I slept well. The second time was two nights, and one side of my mattress was okay, but springs on the other side dug into my back. I couldn’t sleep with my partner and had to find another way. That wasn’t good. We had a private bathroom the first time, but on the second visit the toilet and shower were shared and outside the room, which wasn’t good either. There’s no person waiting to let you in. You need one code to enter and another for the room key, lots of numbers. Fares are quite expensive. Life in Scotland is very expensive for a European. You need to hire a car to get around the Kingdom, though sharing makes it a bit cheaper. Buying food at supermarkets like Lidl helps too. For four people trying to keep the cost reasonable, using Ryanair and sharing expenses and lodging, you still can’t do a seven day trip for less than £1,000 each. That’s £4,000 for all of us, or some £144 a day per person.