Guest User
July 31, 2025
We stayed at The Grotto expecting a comfortable experience, but were left extremely disappointed. The room (Room 8) was tiny — more like a storage cupboard than a proper hotel room, and certainly not the one shown in the brochures. The bed was a very small double and incredibly uncomfortable — you could feel every spring. The shower had no hot water throughout our stay, and there were no shelves or storage, making it difficult to unpack or feel settled. The lighting was so poor, we couldn’t even see our reflection properly in the mirror. To make things worse, the room was unclean — the amount of dust and cobwebs was ridiculous, especially considering the price we paid. Check-in was another issue. The bar staff also serve as hotel staff, so we had to queue with regular pub visitors just to get help. The bar was extremely busy, and I waited 25 minutes just to register our car for parking. Yes, the room had a nice sea view, but that in no way made up for the state of the room or the hotel overall — especially not at £252 for two nights. Anyone would expect far better at that price. The windows didn’t close properly, so we heard every noise from the beer garden late into the night. The lift from the car park to the rooms shuts at 10pm, and after that, guests must use the steep, poorly lit stairs beside it. We had to use our phone lights to see where we were going — not exactly safe or comfortable. While the sheets were clean, the overall experience was uncomfortable, overpriced, and frustrating. If you are planning to stay here, avoid Room 8 at all costs — I can’t speak for the other rooms, but ours was a huge disappointment. We would have left, but had family engagements in the area and felt stuck. This hotel is severely overrated and did not meet even the most basic expectations. We definitely would not stay here again.
