Golden Lion Hotel

We had a two-day stay with friends and will definitely be back. I'd seen reviews saying the rooms were cold, so I was worried, but ours stayed warm the whole time and we had to open the windows. That might help management bring down the heating costs. The food was great and most of the staff were lovely, though a few who may be new could communicate better with customers. It looked as if management were planning some renovations to the bar area.

We paid extra for a renovated room on a high floor. It was a little more modern, but nowhere near worth the added cost. The refreshment tray didn't even have a biscuit. The bathroom ceiling had mould, the shower pressure was poor, and the room was cold. The extra blanket in the wardrobe was stained. We had booked a double but got a twin. I've stayed here a few times, and the place seems run down now. Breakfast service was atrocious. The server was nice, so I can't fault her personally, but the switch from buffet to table service meant a wait of 50 minutes even though it wasn't busy. At 9am the orange juice was empty and there was no bread, so we and other guests had to ask for refills. One couple had to leave without eating because they'd waited too long and had somewhere else to be. The continental selection was awful, with one yoghurt and a few unappealing bits of fruit. At £165, the stay felt like being robbed. Maybe at £80-£90 for a basic room, something like a Blackpool B&B would be expected. Unfortunately, we won't stay again.

The food was nice once it finally arrived, and the piano player was very good. But the service at Cronies Restaurant was poor. We arrived at 6.30pm on Friday, when it wasn't very busy, and I was concerned to see they were still using their Festive menu. The menu had changed since my visit last year. The pianist played louder when a group of eight women came in, and it got noisy enough that we had to raise our voices to hear each other. Three of our group of six had starters, which were cleared away, then we waited more than an hour for the mains. A waiter came by and asked if we'd had our starters. Five minutes later he brought out mains that belonged to the table next to us, who still had their starter plates. I also saw the same waiter walking around with other starters and trying to take them to the wrong table. I'm giving it three stars because the food was good, but I don't know why the chef took so long when the restaurant wasn't that busy.

I'm staying here now, and I don't usually complain, but this needs saying. The place needs renovating and my room was absolutely freezing. Noise from the room opposite kept me awake all night. I told reception, but they didn't deal with it. They just said they'd check that the same person wasn't staying again tonight. What about the noise already affecting other guests and the sleep I've lost? I booked for a relaxing weekend and a good night's sleep, and this hasn't been that at all. Do yourself a favour and don't book.