Accommodation suggestions and reviews

[dave87016]

Sorry didn't notice it was a TL rather than a PI you stayed at in Aberdeen.

Are Travelodge Breakfasts still cheaper than Premier Inn - ie under a tenner ?

Yea they are £9.99 at TL I’ve always been a P.I person but found the bedrooms to be far to warm even without heating on , and TL have fans in their rooms should you wish to plug it in and have it on and that clinched it for me , I think TL breakfasts are better apart from the sausages as with sausages the PI ones are nice plump and tasty

 

[Haywain]

I’ve always been a P.I person but found the bedrooms to be far to warm even without heating on ,

I had the same problem with their rooms for a long time but they seem better these days.

 

[High Dyke]

Are Travelodge Breakfasts still cheaper than Premier Inn - ie under a tenner ?

Probably still a bit cheaper. Last week at Canterbury (Travelodge) breakfast was £10.45 regardless of what you have. The nearest PI in Canterbury is £8.99 (Continental) or £10.99 (Standard) breakfast. It can vary from location to location though. Travelodge isn't always a fair comparison as some of their hotels only do the 'Breakfast to go' boxes.

 

[route101]

Premier Inn Middlesborough

Good location 5 minutes walk from station.

Fairly modern Premier Inn, perhaps ten years old.

Premier Inn deliver a consistent product.

I never sampled breakfast but it was served in Thyme Resturant area.

Upon checking in there, was rowdy family of travellers that were very rude to member of staff. Second time I have encountered these travellers staying at Premier Inn, was the Heathrow T4 hotel before oddly.

 

[trainophile]

Premier Inn Middlesborough

Good location 5 minutes walk from station.

Fairly modern Premier Inn, perhaps ten years old.

Premier Inn deliver a consistent product.

I never sampled breakfast but it was served in Thyme Resturant area.

Upon checking in there, was rowdy family of travellers that were very rude to member of staff. Second time I have encountered these travellers staying at Premier Inn, was the Heathrow T4 hotel before oddly.

You wouldn't want them on your corridor. I suppose if they've paid they have to be allowed to stay, but tricky for the staff.

 

[route101]

You wouldn't want them on your corridor. I suppose if they've paid they have to be allowed to stay, but tricky for the staff.

Luckily I wasn't.

I did wake up at 3am to an argument next door between a couple!

 

[Haywain]

St James Hotel, Nottingham

Had a nice 3 night stay in this hotel located quite centrally, just across from the entrance to Nottingham Castle. Probably not the cheapest hotel in Nottingham but at the time of booking* the price was on a par with the Leonardo, and I would say that this was superior. A nice room with a decent amount of space including a lounge area with a sofa and coffee table, although slightly lacking generosity in terms of tea and coffee supplies in the room. Paid extra for breakfast on a couple of mornings but this was one area where they could have done better. The decor in the hotel was a little eclectic with a fair amount of modern art on the walls. The lifts were, errm, quirky but the lift music was an impressive selection from the 1970s! Bus stops on Maid Marion Way and Friar Lane made buses to and from the station and Trent Bridge very convenient. There were also a good selection of restaurants nearby. On balance, I would stay again if the price was right.


*Booked shortly after tickets for a test match at Trent Bridge had been released, thus inflating prices.

 

[317 forever]

Premier Inn Middlesborough

Good location 5 minutes walk from station.

Fairly modern Premier Inn, perhaps ten years old.

Premier Inn deliver a consistent product.

I never sampled breakfast but it was served in Thyme Resturant area.

Upon checking in there, was rowdy family of travellers that were very rude to member of staff. Second time I have encountered these travellers staying at Premier Inn, was the Heathrow T4 hotel before oddly.

I stayed there a few years ago, and was welcomed by receptionist and breakfast assistant Mia. As I had stayed at the other PI just outside town on my previous visit to the area, she was proud to have been at the new hotel right from the start.

I have stayed 3 times at Premier Inn Heathrow T4 too. On my most recent visit, they were reasonably prompt preparing my porridge, unlike on my previous visits.

 

[Steddenm]

My most recent Hotel stays have been

Lille - B&B Euralille. 48 per night
A bit like a travelodge though the window was very small in terms of height. View was over the main road into Lille, Fives TGV Sidings and LGV Nord

[youtube]7vXTQmIIxRk[/youtube]

Dublin - Fleet Street Hotel
Avoid Avoid Avoid. It was cheap but very nasty!

Glasgow - Charing Cross Premier Inn
Really nice with huge rooms

The Premier Inn at Glasgow Charing Cross is now a Britannia Hotel and has got progressively bad over the past couple of years.

 

[High Dyke]

The Premier Inn at Glasgow Charing Cross is now a Britannia Hotel and has got progressively bad over the past couple of years.

The Brittania group has never inspired me with confidence, but that may just be through my personal experience. A short walk from Glasgow Charing Cross there is an Ibis and Novotel (both Accor group). The stay in the Ibis was for a forum meal in the city. It was a pleasant couple of nights stay.

I find i get a better night sleep in a Premier Inn as opposed to Travelodge. Depending on the budget or location, then Wetherspoons hotels can be fairly good; rooms only, but always have the adjacent pub for cheap food.

 

[47403]

Seven Stars Inn - Stourbridge
5 mins walk from Stourbridge Junction Station. Room was large and airy, great power shower, which was always nice. Plenty tea coffee etc in the room. Pub downstairs does various beers and ciders. It being a pub does have events on till late, so could get noisy but didnt bother us. No lifts either I'm afraid, only stairs up to the rooms. Breakfast was an extra £9.50 but you can have cereal or fruit before the full English. Trust me though, when you see the size of the full English with toast, it's worth every penny. Best breakfast I've ever had in a b n b. Staff are incredibly friendly and accommodating too, nothing seems a problem.

 

[Steddenm]

Here's a couple of places I've stayed over the years when out and about:

Belfast - The Old Bank
Located just out the city centre past the Mater Misericordiae hospital, this was a lovely little hotel which has comfortable rooms and large outdoor space (in the room I was in). Not that expensive, paid around £65 a night.

Glasgow - Grand Central Hotel
Located within Central Station, with views over the trainshed (you can hear the PA announcements). Clever TVs hidden in the mirrors. Can be expensive but booked through Trivago and paid around £89.

Dublin - Serviced Apartments in Dublin
Great little apartments, dotted all over the city. Stayed at the Alto Vista building in Google Docks (see what they did there?) next to Grand Canal Dock station and busy bus route into the city centre. Has all the amenities you want and with rates from €119 a night.

Leicester - Travelodge Leicester Central
Basic, yes. Clean, yes. Friendly staff, yes! Next to Leicester station and a short walk to the City Centre. Paid £29 a night.

Birmingham - StayCity Aparthotel Hurst Street
Yes it can be loud and can be busy, but the apartments are hidden away at the back of the Arcadia Centre. Rates from £79 per night.

Newcastle - Hilton Gateshead
On the opposite side of the water to the City, but with spacious rooms, good rates out of season and handy for the Metro at Gateshead. From £88 a night.

And a few places to avoid...

Glasgow - Britannia Hotel Charing Cross Tower
An ex-Premier Inn. Rooms were big, but not very clean. Heating in the rooms wasn't great. Breakfast service was shambolic, and was full of students at the time. From £39 a night.

Blackpool - Grand Hotel
An ex-Hilton, with decent sized rooms, but a lot of people who shouldn't really be staying at the hotel. Fire alarm went off three times in one night. From £49 a night.

Leicester - Travelodge Leicester Forest East/The Red Cow
A bit of a way out of Leicester on the A47, but the rooms are old, dusty and not very secure. Breakfast was a box of snacks. From £39 a night.

 

[83G/84D]

Is anyone able to recommend a good quality hotel or B&B on Orkney (mainland)? I have looked up some of them in Kirkwall and the reviews on trip advisor and the like are very mixed.
I understand that Stromness has places to stay but facilities such as pubs and restaurants are quite limited. The ferry port is nearby and it can be noisy apparently.

 

[route101]

Premier Inn - Milton Keynes Central

Booked 2 days before for £52 which I thought was good value at short notice.

Location was 5 minutes walk from MK Central. I find Milton Keynes a place like no other in the UK.

The hotel had one of them Bar and Block steak places , I have never tried, any good?

Room was a little warm but the air con did work eventually. No complaints with room although the curtain rail fell down which seems to happen often on these newer hotel builds.

 

[Willie Bee]

Here's a couple of places I've stayed over the years when out and about:

Belfast - The Old Bank
Located just out the city centre past the Mater Misericordiae hospital, this was a lovely little hotel which has comfortable rooms and large outdoor space (in the room I was in). Not that expensive, paid around £65 a night.

I was about to comment about your recommendation for Belfast, as my wife and I are thinking about a visit there.

Unfortunately, according to t'internet .. The Old Bank Belfast is now permanently closed

 

[Struner]

@83G/84D
when would you like to be in Orkney. Most places will be fully booked by now I reckon.

 

[83G/84D]

I am going in September / October.

 

[Kite159]

Travelodge, Northampton Central:
Located around 5 minutes (depending on traffic lights) from Northampton railway station (and probably similar to the bus station). 3 floors with a slow lift. My room was quite large (could probably have fitted another double bed in there) with AC & windows with the handles removed. However, the AC was a tad on the loud side, couldn't find a way to disable the swing function so ended up turning it off and turning on a fan to get some air circulation. Room otherwise was quite quiet in terms of outside noise (although I suspect if you ended up in a room overlooking the road it would be a different story)

Otherwise, the usual Travelodge style beds and USB sockets. Not bad for £30 I paid for it last night.

 

[Willie Bee]

Just a tip !

My wife and I have stayed at several Premier Inns over the past couple of years and still have 3 more bookings for 2025.

I found out today that a booking for November was actually showing as being £19 cheaper, when compared to what I paid a couple of months ago. I therefore cancelled my original booking and booked again.

Moral ! ... it's always worth checking prices, even after making a booking.

 

[trainophile]

Just a tip !

My wife and I have stayed at several Premier Inns over the past couple of years and still have 3 more bookings for 2025.

I found out today that a booking for November was actually showing as being £19 cheaper, when compared to what I paid a couple of months ago. I therefore cancelled my original booking and booked again.

Moral ! ... it's always worth checking prices, even after making a booking.

I did exactly that with a Bournemouth booking for December. Only saved a tenner but every little helps! It’s worth paying a bit extra for the cancellable rate.

Been getting alerts from Premier offering 20% off when you book a 3 consecutive nights stay, standard rates only, book before 7th July. I’m not sure when you have to stay, might be worth a dummy booking to see what happens.

 

[ChrisC]

Just a tip !

My wife and I have stayed at several Premier Inns over the past couple of years and still have 3 more bookings for 2025.

I found out today that a booking for November was actually showing as being £19 cheaper, when compared to what I paid a couple of months ago. I therefore cancelled my original booking and booked again.

Moral ! ... it's always worth checking prices, even after making a booking.

Whenever I have booked at a fully flexible rate well in advance hoping to get a good price, I always keep a close eye on the price from about 4 weeks before my booking as prices can often come down quite significantly. They can also rapidly rise in those last few weeks too. Last October I rebooked a 7 night stay at the Holiday Inn in Bournemouth a couple of weeks before the booking and saved £150 on my original booking. I’ve recently just done the same with a stay at the Novotel in Leeds and saved nearly £200 on a 6 night stay by taking advantage of a 20% off offer for stays of more than 3 nights.

 

[Willie Bee]

Whenever I have booked at a fully flexible rate well in advance hoping to get a good price, I always keep a close eye on the price from about 4 weeks before my booking as prices can often come down quite significantly. They can also rapidly rise in those last few weeks too. Last October I rebooked a 7 night stay at the Holiday Inn in Bournemouth a couple of weeks before the booking and saved £150 on my original booking. I’ve recently just done the same with a stay at the Novotel in Leeds and saved nearly £200 on a 6 night stay by taking advantage of a 20% off offer for stays of more than 3 nights.

I had actually just booked the cheapest 'advance' room, but luckily this still has the option "Pay now, fully refundable with free cancellation up to 28 full days before arrival"

My £19 saving was actually only for a single night. Our 2nd stay at the same hotel 3 days later (after 2 nights elsewhere) was only £1 cheaper, so it wasn't worth cancelling that and rebooking

Sometimes the flex rate is barely any more expensive than the standard, but other times there is a significant difference. In Manchester last year the flex rate was £2 extra, for a 2 night stay.

 

[Drogba11CFC]

Celtic Bay Guest House, Aberystwyth

Possibly the worst place I've ever stayed at. £63 got me a cramped room with ripped carpet and a bathroom door with the hinges not properly fixed meaning that I couldn't shut it.

 

[bspahh]

Celtic Bay Guest House, Aberystwyth

Possibly the worst place I've ever stayed at. £63 got me a cramped room with ripped carpet and a bathroom door with the hinges not properly fixed meaning that I couldn't shut it.

The recent reviews at Tripadvisor are not good, so its not just you.

https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Hotel_Review-g186428-d1144561-Reviews-Celtic_Bay_Guest_House-Aberystwyth_Ceredigion_Wales.html

 

[Drogba11CFC]

Sandbanks Hotel, Barmouth

A nice hotel, complete with bar, on the seafront at Barmouth. Superb breakfast, but be aware that it is not included in the price.

 

[Butts]

Sandbanks Hotel, Barmouth

A nice hotel, complete with bar, on the seafront at Barmouth. Superb breakfast, but be aware that it is not included in the price.

How much is it - the brekkie ?

 

[Drogba11CFC]

How much is it - the brekkie ?

£10.95 for regular, £14.95 for big.

 

[Butts]

£10.95 for regular, £14.95 for big.

What did you get for the extra £4 ?

 

[Drogba11CFC]

What did you get for the extra £4 ?

2 bacon, 2 sausage, 2 hash browns, black pudding and fried bread

 

[WestAnglian]

My recent stays:

The Station, Worksop

Great position by station. Room comfortable. Most rooms lack en-suite. I paid for a private shower but it was a power shower with no power, so cold. Toilet so close to shower cubicle you need to s(h)it side-saddle. Kettle must be placed on the floor just inside the door if you want to plug it in. No breakfast despite booking.com saying free breakfast. They didn't reply to my complaint. A pity, with a bit of attention to detail it could be OK.

The Mile Castle, Newcastle

100m from station. Wetherspoons. Fine old building next to pub. Very comfortable room and friendly staff. Good tea/coffee/biscuits plus free tea/coffee in pub during stay. This is the second 'Spoons hotel I've stayed in (the other was Doncaster) and both have exceeded expectations, in this case by quite a margin. I don't like the pubs!

Motel One Piccadilly, Manchester

Great position for Piccadilly. Slightly clinical rooms but decent enough, spoilt by the lack of reachable bedside tables. Friendly staff. Pleasant bar and decent continental breakfast. Email communications were all in German!