Everglades Park Hotel

The outside and reception gave a good first impression, but the room was a different story. Everything felt stuck in the 90s and badly in need of a refurb. The bath tap spun unless I held it, the toilet lid came off when opened, and the pillows were so flat I had to put towels underneath them to sleep. We were there one night, and I wouldn't stay again.

The bath was a decent size, but the extractor fan was so loud it sounded like a light aircraft. The rest of the room felt like a trip back to the 90s. The bed was so hard that sitting down too heavily meant hitting the bed board, and I could feel all the springs when I got up. The pillows were lumpy, too, like they'd been washed countless times. The car park and reception initially made the hotel look promising, but I'd only use it as a last resort for one night. I wouldn't make a special trip to book it again.

Yesterday's Christmas lunch was the worst I've tasted. The gravy was very salty, the stuffing was raw, and the turkey was pressed meat. The pastry was undercooked, and the coffee was too strong to drink. The tiny mince pie and smallest slice of Christmas pudding didn't help, especially with the pudding tasting like stale Christmas cake and only a spoonful of custard.

The staff made my birthday stay feel fabulous, and Mike deserves a special mention, though everyone was great. They decorated the table and gave me a card, birthday pudding, fizz and a framed picture to remember it by. The food was great and the drinks kept coming. Absolutely brilliant stay.