The Ship Hotel

We went in for a meal last week, having not been back since the change of owners. It used to be great, but this visit was awful. The sirloin was full of gristle, the burger had no taste, and the chips were soggy. We didn’t say anything at the time, though we probably should have. It had been a long day.

I slept incredibly well, and the room was adorable. It was small, but I only needed somewhere to sleep. The bathroom was beautifully clean and had everything I needed for a shower, including hair conditioner. There was plenty of tea, milk, coffee and biscuits in the room, along with heating, a fan heater and an extra duvet if needed. The water system growls when you flush the loo, which is another quirky touch. The Ship Hotel feels completely me, with its quirks, delicious affordable food, functions, free wifii and parking, though you need to check in for parking. Breakfast was included in my room price, which was cheaper than Premier/Holiday Inn. I’m looking forward to visiting again now that my friend has recently moved nearby.

Such an odd policy. I called at 7:30 pm because a room showed as available on booking.com and the hotel website, and I was only 10 minutes away, so I figured I’d phone to book. A polite young man answered and said they couldn’t take bookings then. I asked if the room had become unavailable, but he said it was vacant and the manager simply wouldn’t accept any more bookings. I asked to speak with the manager, but was told they were eating and couldn’t talk. I just wanted a room, which seemed like a straightforward request when there were vacancies. I don’t blame the person on the phone, who also said the policy didn’t make sense to him. It’s backwards to turn away people when rooms are free, and it puts staff in an unfair, awkward position, making them explain the unexplainable. Weird place.

The Sunday-style roast was excellent, and the cosy space was nice on a Twixmas day. Service took away from it, unfortunately. Management hadn’t trained the staff well enough to pay proper attention to customers, and they didn’t seem to have enough support or breaks during the busiest season to handle a busy restaurant. I’m local and will visit again, just not on a busy day.