Premier Inn Holyhead

The Mixed Grill was fresh, hot and carefully prepared, and for the price I was happy to eat here. I’m a chef at a 2 Michelin Star restaurant overseas, so trying the restaurant was unusual for me, but there wasn’t much choice for food in Holyhead. The hostess and cooks deserve credit. I had a glass of wine with dinner, then went up to my room for a bath. It was a peaceful place to stay on my first trip to Wales. It may be a bit far out if you’re walking from the Ferry, though I’m young and fit, so it wasn’t a problem for me. A pleasant stay for the price, and I’d come back if I return to Holyhead.

Dinner was the letdown, as the starters were underwhelming in both quality and portion size. Breakfast, on the other hand, had plenty of choice, and the cooked food was hot and tasty. The room was clean and spacious, and the staff made us feel welcome and were helpful and friendly. It’s close to a supermarket and petrol station, and well placed for visiting lots of Wales’s sights.

After missing my ferry in Holyhead, I had to find a hotel at short notice for the night. Toni and Caryl took such good care of me, which meant a lot when I was feeling a bit out of sorts. The room was a lovely, clean, good-sized double, with a great en suite. I slept for twelve hours in a very comfortable bed with lovely linen and woke up in good shape for the next day’s ferry. This is a five star Premier Inn. Thank you so much.

The room was clean and fine, but the welcome on this visit was a letdown. We’ve been coming here for years, usually three or four times annually, and often stay over the weekend between Christmas and New Year. It’s been a lovely short break with the children, close to beaches and walks. Staff have usually been brilliant, remembered us, stopped to chat and made an effort with the kids, including offering colouring pictures. There was often a particularly welcoming dark-haired male staff member, though he wasn’t there this time. We arrived around 6pm after running later than planned and had a small problem with the check-in system. The manager came to help, but was abrupt: she clicked something, waved a piece of paper at us and said “room number” without explaining or being warm. When we asked if we could still eat in the restaurant, the short-haired blonde woman replied bluntly by asking what time, with no politeness. She seemed uninterested and lacking people skills. She took our dinner order later, but the service still felt like a chore. We were also charged for a separate portion of chips we hadn’t ordered. Breakfast was busy the next morning. The children went to get pastries, but there weren’t any left, and they were disappointed there were no pancakes or Nutella, which they usually enjoy. We waited around 20 minutes without anything being restocked. When they asked a waitress whether there were any pancakes left, some were eventually brought out. This hasn’t spoilt what is usually our favourite short break on the island, but the service fell short of what we’ve come to expect after so many years. This time we felt more like a number, and that was disappointing.