The Guards Hotel

The noise was what made me leave so early. Bin lorries, trams and buses woke me at 5am, and I checked out at 8 because I couldn't get away fast enough. For £37, the room was basic, with an ensuite shower that was freezing and so cramped I could hardly fit under it. A large office building looks straight into the bathroom, so people showering are easy to see. What do you expect for £37?!

It's clean, basic and decent value, with good bars and restaurants close by. The location is handy for rugby and sits right on the bus, train and tram routes.

For about £80 on a Sunday in midsummer, the Haymarket location and low price made this a decent deal. You're paying around half what other hotels cost, and barely more than a youth hostel for two people. It's a perfectly fine 2-star place for a night or a long weekend. I appreciate that it hasn't been turned into a boutique hotel at three times the price, though I wouldn't want to spend a week here. The manager was really friendly and helpful, and the cleaning staff were nice too. I don't know the manager's name, but he might have been Eritrean. Cleanliness was good where it mattered most: bedding, mattress, towels, toilet, floors and surfaces you touch were all clean. The paint and inside of the radiator were neglected, though. I've never seen so much dust in my life, and it was clearly years since that radiator had been cleaned. Our bed wasn't very comfortable. I think we had the worst room, right at the top of the building. Its bathroom looked like a badly fitted conversion from what used to be a shared bathroom down the hall. We arrived VERY early and were given the first room available. I'd seen other rooms while checking in, and some looked like the photos, so the pictures aren't misleading. The rooms are just all different.

The photos don't look anything like the rooms. Mine had a dirty carpet and walls, awful pillows, and was filthy overall. Don't be fooled.