We don’t use hotels often, partly because I feel they’re a very expensive option, especially in the UK, where they seem mostly to offer uniform mediocrity at over- inflated prices. On the plus side our rooms were clean and spacious, the adjoining San Carlino restaurant was excellent and welcoming and the location for access to trams at Altrincham and Manchester Marathon was pretty ideal. We had a pleasant stay.
On the downside, some of the staff on reception didn’t speak English well enough to help us with queries ( including a mistaken cancellation of our booking which we were only notified of on the day we were due to arrive! ). The breakfast was extra and very average. Pretty much everything on offer being slightly chewy and lukewarm due to the buffet system on offer and inadequate heating of pre- prepared items for a cooked breakfast. The changing rooms and pool area were also quite dirty with a murky plunge pool and muddy changing room floors. I’ll sign off with the greatest insult which were the prices charged in the self-service shop. £6 for a packet of crisps, a medium size bar of Cadbury or £4-5 for a packet of Haribo etc wich we felt were unjustifiable and merely an opportunistic attempt to rip off residents.
