The Sea Hotel

We were working near the GNR finish area ahead of the Great North Run and stayed two nights at The Sea Hotel. Our twin room had a nice view of the beach and theme park area, and the staff were friendly and accommodating. They even came in to tidy and clean the room, a thoughtful touch that doesn’t usually happen on a two-night stay elsewhere. There were little shower gels and shampoos, plus tea and biscuits in the room. It isn’t a luxury hotel, but it was comfortable and exactly what we needed. We thought it was good value.

We’d stayed in the main building before and had a good experience, but this time we were put in the annex and it was poor. The whole floor was dirty and gritty. After my shower, dust from the floor got on my feet and dirtied the towel when I dried them. The radiators and air-con heater didn’t work, and there was only a small plug-in fan heater, which I thought was poor. There was no vanity mirror for my wife to sit and do her hair and makeup, and only one bedside light and cabinet. The bath seal was badly fitted, with black underneath. I couldn’t see any fire escapes in the annex. Its only entrance and exit door caught on the floor, resisted when opening, then got stuck open while leaves blew in. At 09-00am on Monday, the fire alarm sounded and we went outside, but nobody was there. I reported it at the main reception. They didn’t know it hadn’t appeared on their main panel, and the receptionist came over and switched off the sounder for us.

We were lucky to get a sea view, and the rooms were lovely. The restaurant was good quality and reasonably priced, and even the hotel bar was very well priced. This place ticks all the right boxes.

The location is great, right on the beach, and there’s easy on-site parking. Just be aware there’s no lift if you have mobility issues. The first room in the "annex" was disgusting, it stank and the windows wouldn’t open. They moved me to another room, but it was like a sauna, with paper-thin walls. I could hear people in the next room all night. On day 2 I found the radiators were on, which seemed odd in summer. I turned them off, but the pipes stayed warm. Maybe the previous guest turned them on, or maybe someone else did. The carpet on the stairs is absolutely rotten, and it wouldn’t take much to hoover it. The bar food was average. I ordered a medium ribeye and it came well done. The breakfast area was clean and service was good on day 1, but on day 2 they forgot my order, which ended my stay nicely.