Shanklin Beach Hotel

We found the staff great, including the friendly bar team and their good choice of drinks. The balcony was worth paying extra for: the view was great, and it was peaceful at night. When it was warm, leaving the balcony doors open brought in a lovely breeze. The hotel was clean, though a few spots could use dusting and touching up. Breakfast was okay but could have had more choices. The food was fine. I also thought staff had to deal with a ridiculous number of complaints over little things.

The room itself was shabby, with cracked wallpaper and peeling paint, though the beds were comfortable, the linen was good, and there were plenty of soft towels. The only real bright spots were the lovely view from our window and the friendly, hard-working restaurant staff. Christmas was a miserable stay. The entertainment lounge was cold enough that people wore coats, and it smelled damp and musty. The room was freezing too: its only radiator stayed stone cold, and after trying the controls, a staff member gave up and brought an ineffective heater. We ended up buying one in town. The TV remote didn't work properly and the water was only lukewarm. We had to wait for reception staff to change the batteries in the door after the key cards failed. We took the lift to the first floor and then found we still had stairs to reach our room. The food was mediocre, and Christmas lunch was worse, with rock-hard sprouts, raw pigs in blankets and hardly any gravy. A kind restaurant staff member got us more from the kitchen. Drinks on the same order were charged at different prices depending on who served us.

The holiday company picked this hotel for me, and it's not one I would have chosen 😒. It badly needs updating: the carpets were old, torn and dirty, and the food was just okay. The shower room was so cramped there was no room to move, and the sink was beside the bed. The mattress on its metal frame was uncomfortable.

The room had a great position, with a balcony and a fab view. Staff were great, but the food was average. The shower was too small, and its fitting wouldn't stay in place. We reported that it needed replacing, but they only wedged it with paper, which didn't fix it. In the end, we tied it up with electricians tape.