The Marine

So slow. Took 45mins to microwave the pie and mash I ordered. Clearly forgot when I asked how long after 25mins. Then when I asked to have it to go as I now need to race along the pier to catch my ferry, he dishes in a plate and foil. Nice chap, but really wasn't a great experience

Stayed here for 2 nights to celebrate both my and my partners upcoming birthdays. However, we were left very disappointed with the marine from the offset. No parking ( my fault for not checking). Ok, we can deal with that. Once we found parking and found our way back to " The Marine", I had to enter under the said name to ask the lady behind the pub bar where I had to go. She told me "here". I was confused, this was a pub ! So I booked rooms above a pub! Nowhere in the advertisement of this place does it mention rooms above a pub. I would never have booked it. Photos advertising this place are very very misleading indeed. I do not do pubs! Anyway, the key was promptly handed to me, (no ID requested as in the email confirmation said it would be). Then shown to a side door to be let in. The bar lady showed us the emergency evacuation plan and the meeting point if the alarms were to go off. Off to our room we went. Photos online looked good. Double deluxe room here we come. Bar lady let us in to room 3 on the first floor up steep narrow turning stairs as can be seen in their photos. At first glance, the room seemed nice and clean, big, towels on the bed, nice view of the sea, nicely decorated, kettle on the side, modern bathroom, albeit very small. However, we arrived at 8 at night when the pub was shutting and we were weary from travelling so did not pay too much attention. Just got a quick wash, changed and went for a meal at the Alamo restaurant a few yards away (highly recommended for dinner and breakfast). Came back to the room and that's when we became much more frustrated and unhappy at the cost and the "state"of the room. There is a large stain on the carpet. The net curtains are hanging of the rails. Curtains hanging of the rails and allow too much light in. No lampshade for the main ceiling light. Stain on the bed throw . Non- ironed fitted bed sheet that is way too big for the mattress . ( Super king size for a king size). Stained mattress. No hair dryer. Pillows that are flat as a pancake and have certainly seen better days. The duvet is too big for the cover and therefore is bunched up in places. For the size of the room, somewhere comfy to sit would not go amiss rather than two uncomfortable desk chairs. Small bath towels that would just cover a child and thin as hell. Noise and light pollution another issue! A stunning view of the sea with the hovercraft dock and bus station and train station all thrown into the mix. Great for transport enthusiasts and if you don't wish to sleep. This brings me onto the next issue of the curtains. Everywhere I have stayed there have been blackout curtains. This is much needed in this room unless you fancy being woken up at silly o'clock. Humming of the fridge will either keep you awake or send you to sleep. Water stain on the ceiling has not been painted over. Plenty of kitchen storage in the "kitchenette" area. But no toaster, or cooker ring. No microwave as advertised. Yes there is a separate

There is a difference between economic and cheap. This place is economic as in it doesn't cost a lot but it's not cheap as in the quality is not low. You get value for your money here and while things maybe small or basic, they are all functional and fit for purpose. We took two rooms here one single, one double, the difference in the price was reflected in what you got for your money, but both the rooms were perfectly habitable and comfortable. I took the smaller room and had no problem staying for a day. One big advantage you get here is something I have not seen even in bigger hotels and that was access to a dining room and kitchen. It was a big shared kitchen, very well-equipped with even some consumables already provided. In the kitchen, each room had its own locker containing plates and glasses. When the staff member gave us a tour of the kitchen and dining room during check-in I just nodded and listened to be polite with no intention to use it. But then when we came back from wandering around at 10PM and didn't find any acceptable food solution, we ended up buying stuff from the supermarket and using that kitchen. It was a lifesaver! I was able to sleep at night as the noise from outside was minimal. Checkout was as simple as dropping the key in a lockbox. Tip: When you get to the location that Google maps takes you, go to the bar and ask for the rooms, there is no dedicated reception for the hotel. But they found our reservation quickly enough and there was no issue in checking in. Warning: The hotel is right across the road from transport links including the hovercraft service which is great if you want to go somewhere but not great when you are in your room. The hovercrafts don't run at night so you don't get that noise when you sleep at night. The weather was warm so it was quite a problem to keep the window open because of the noise from the road as well as the hovercrafts. An additional tidbit. It was a very hot weekend when we visited and like a dope I left my jacket in the room while checking out. I remembered it only after getting back home at night. I got a quick response from the hotel that they had it and they sent it back to me by post. I was so relieved as it was my favourite jacket. I would recommend this place to anyone travelling on a budget, just take earplugs with you.