The Georgian House Hotel

We chose this place only because we were going to a nearby wedding. The bed sheets and towels seemed clean and fresh, and there was free parking at the back. Those were the only positives. The place was dirty and grubby, and the shabby furniture looked ready for the skip. The shower tray was close to overflowing after just a few minutes. The stair carpet was loose in places and a real trip hazard. We were called the day before with the front door code and our room number, which was lucky, because we didn’t see a single member of staff during our stay. Honestly, one of the worst hotels I’ve stayed in.

I arrived late after travelling most of the day and was told by the owner, Elizabeth, that the ground-floor room I’d booked wasn’t available anymore. She offered me a great apartment just next door on the ground floor instead. There was no hot water in that NOT fantastic apartment, and neither of the two different Wi-Fi codes worked. I told the young man, who said he’d sort it out, then left to find food because I was hungry. When I got back, there was still no hot water. I went next door again, and the young man said I could move to the first-floor apartment at no charge. I was so tired I burst into tears, and the poor young man was upset for me. I’m 72, and it was hard. I suggested that maybe I could shower upstairs and sleep downstairs instead. It’s a big Georgian house with wide, bare stairs that weren’t very clean, and there was NO LIGHT EITHER. By then, I felt like I was in the film Psycho! The apartment upstairs was huge and had hot water, but the shower over the bath and the DIY bathroom weren’t very clean or well done. The bathroom looked over the parking area, where some youths were blasting music and dancing, just having fun. I pulled the blind down, but it got stuck halfway, so I didn’t shower after all. At least I had hot water to wash with. The whole place felt grubby and unwelcoming. I felt sorry for the young man, who’d only been working there for a week. Poor lad.

The staff were lovely, and the hotel is on a very pretty street in a convenient spot. It was really good value, with beautiful rooms apart from a couple of small issues: one towel was dirty, and there were only two coffee sachets for two people staying three nights.

The location was the best part, and we were only there for two nights. I’d stayed in hostels in England and Ireland that were much nicer, so if you’re on a budget, I’d suggest staying in one of those instead. The owner/manager called to check we’d found our room and seemed quite nice, but that couldn’t make up for the room we were given. If I’d seen its condition beforehand, I’d have paid more to stay somewhere else. We picked the hotel for its location and the information on the website. Room 10 was in the basement and wasn’t up to the standard or quality shown there. I asked about another room and was told they were fully booked, so I can’t say if all the rooms are misrepresented or just room 10. There was no reception, only an entryway table with a note directing us downstairs and saying the key was in the room. The ground floor was run-down, and the basement was worse. The stair carpet was coming up, and the whole area smelled damp and a bit like cat urine, though luckily our room didn’t. The beds were less than promised online, though the bedding was clean. The pillows on the right bed had been moved in the picture; when we arrived, that bed was made up like the left one. I don’t want anyone to think it was unmade when we got there. The mattresses were so old that we could feel springs digging into our backs, so my husband and I slept on top of the comforter/duvet, trying to curl the edge around us for warmth. It cushioned us a bit, but there were no extra blankets, and we slept poorly. The cracked window above our beds faced the street and had a piece missing, so traffic made the room loud at night. The bathroom was dirty. The shower was held together with extra piping and a zip tie, and the flooring behind the sink wasn’t finished. The website says parking is limited and first come, first served. We arrived two hours after the 3pm check-in and the lot was full. It’s a space behind the house for roughly 6 cars double parked. With 12 rooms, you’d need to get there as early as possible for a space if the hotel is full, though there’s a lot down the street with a very reasonable daily rate.