The Nyton

The rooms and location are great, and the place has lovely old-world charm. Breakfast could have been a bit better because the bacon was microwaved, but that’s a minor gripe. Fabulous place, and I’ll be back.

Our room, number 1, was large, with plenty of towels and cupboard space. It looked out over a big, welcoming garden with beautiful trees, and the rooms are serviced daily. There’s plenty of parking, pets are welcome, and Robert was incredibly helpful when we arrived. Breakfast came quickly with a smile and there was lots of choice. The Nyton is an eccentric hotel in a nice way, relaxed and quirky. We’d certainly stay again. It’s about a 10-minute walk to the cathedral.

The two mornings we ate in the restaurant, the waiting staff were pleasant. Some of my family also had dinner Friday night and said the food was nice, though I didn’t eat there so can’t comment. Their meal arrived nearly an hour late because the chef, who is the owner, had messed it up and said the fish was “black”. Our room was in a terrible state. The beds had been made, but it clearly hadn’t been cleaned. There were razor heads in the shower, toothpaste-looking mess on the sink, stained bedding, dirt and dust on the surfaces, empty coffee packets, and bits of dirt on the floor. I stood on a piece of glass and got it stuck in my foot. The whole hotel smelled of smoke and weed, definitely coming from the kitchen area. At check-in there were no staff around, and all the keys were left on the front desk with each guest’s name on a card. Anyone could have walked in and let themselves into a room, and that seemed like a data protection breach. In the morning I was told they could make me a full English with gluten-free ingredients, but then offered vegetarian sausages in a packet, frozen, with wheat clearly written in bold. They did have gluten-free bread, so I was able to have breakfast without the sausages. We had a large booking over two nights, with five rooms the first night and three the second. They completely messed up the booking and caused chaos while we were getting ready for a family wedding. My sister, her husband, and their three-year-old son had to pack up and move rooms while getting ready. There were no apologies from staff and no consideration. Staff walked in and out while my sister was dressing. It was a complete shambles. When I told the owner about our room at checkout, he apologized and offered a small discount. Then he charged me extra because they’d put my daughter and me in a larger room by mistake, one we hadn’t booked. He said I still had to pay the upgrade since we’d stayed in it. How was I meant to know they’d put us in a larger room and planned to charge more? I wouldn’t recommend it. There are much cheaper and nicer-looking places available. The hotel is very dated and not clean, and the whole experience was awful.

The bed was very comfortable, and the location was peaceful with easy access to Ely Town center. The staff were polite, friendly, and helpful. It’s an old building, so the rooms were a bit dated, as expected, and we had to let the taps run longer to get hot water. I was a little worried after reading the reviews, but I’m not sure where the negative ones came from. It was exactly what I needed. Thanks for a comfortable stay.