Bike & Boot

The location is great for South Bay, and the hotel has some thoughtful facilities: dog baths and drying, plus bike storage, cleaning and maintenance areas. Staff were really friendly, the food was nice, and our comfortable, cosy room had a great shower. We had a lovely stay.

There's no need to be a dog owner, cyclist or hiker to enjoy this place, though it's very welcoming to all of them. We loved how cosy and welcoming the decor felt, with lovely lounges to relax in, including one with a sea view. You can get cocktails from the attached bar and take them into the lounges. Free hot drinks and cake at 4pm each day were a fun touch. Our dog loved the little bed, blanket and cute duck toy they provided. We booked the boot room knowing it would be small, but it worked fine for my wife and me. There was enough room to move around, and it felt cosy. It also had an iron and board, hairdryer, coffee machine and TV with Chromecast. Parking outside was easy in December. Lovely stay, and we'll definitely return.

We came back for our third stay this year. The hotel has lovely views and is in a handy spot for the town, beach and Spa. Our room was spacious, clean and really comfortable, and we felt very welcome. The staff were friendly, both generally and when we ate at the hotel for the first time this visit. The food was excellent too. It's a brilliant place to bring our dog, and I'd especially recommend it to other dog owners. There's limited parking out front, but plenty of street parking nearby and a multi-storey car park around the corner.

We left extremely dissatisfied. The whole building was uncomfortably hot, and our room was unbearable. Other guests complained too. Even with the radiator turned down, we had to leave the window fully open in February. Gulls making a racket at 4am meant one of the worst nights' sleep I've ever had. The meals and drinks were far too expensive for the quality. A £20 burger and fries would be steep even if it were good, but the brioche bun was dry, the burger overcooked, and there was only a little cheese and chutney on it. The chip portion was tiny. My wife's focaccia was dried out too. Breakfast was no better: bland scrambled eggs, beans, bacon, pre-made pancakes, a 'boil your own egg' station, and poor coffee. It was £20 per person. I don't mind paying that for a burger or breakfast if it's good, but it wasn't. We raised all this at checkout and got a brief, mediocre apology and a remark that they hoped our next stay would be better. There won't be a next stay. The good points were £4 parking and some good decoration. That's it. This was nowhere near the experience we expected when booking.