Room with a View?

[Offcut]

As you can see this was our bedroom with garden view? Shame they omitted the fact we had a girder built fire escape out side! I understand that the fire regulations and the reason for this but it was so close I could not open the window all the way as it was stopped by the railings? The view was available as long as you stood in the bathroom and next to the toilet with the door open. At that angle it was a great view but not really sustainable or the best place to drink the vodka and lemon afternoon freshener

It was claimed to be a 4* hotel the only 4 stars we could see were those blinking though the rails and girders at night. The evenings we were there were quite warm so it was thought a good idea to keep the window ajar to freshen the bedroom. (No Aircon) It did seem like a great plan and until first light? As soon as the sunlight peaked over the horizon, it was the alarm call for all the pigeons of Torquay. I am not sure if it was all of them on the fire escape, but it did sound like it was the testing ground for all the cooing and chirping they could muster at a time I was not intending to wake at!

To help our sleep they also did not mention on check in that the rail station across the road was removing a temporary metal bridge throughout the weekend evenings so they do not disrupt the trains in the day!

I do think it only fair that next time I go away I give due notice to all my friends on HU of where I will be so that you can avoid it.

Be Well

[Hidden]

Oh dear Offcut. I guess you stayed in the Grand Hotel? It has seen better days x

[Offcut in reply to Hidden]

Their promo photo's are of their refurbished rooms not the majority of the rooms

[Hidden in reply to Offcut]

Typical! x

[sassy59]

Dear me Offcut you do know how to pick em. Pete and I stayed in a B&B in Weymouth and all throughout the night the gulls were making a terrible racket. We hardly got a wink of sleep so made our excuses and left after breakfast. We could not be bothered to stay for our 2nd night.

Wishing you well. xxxx

[Offcut in reply to sassy59]

I looked at so called hotel in Somerset once and the room was yellow from the nicotine of the bar below and smelt foul. We did not stay.

[sassy59 in reply to Offcut]

Yuck! xxx

[Puffthemagicdragon]

I get the gull noise every night but I'm used to it now. I suppose it's like people who live near a railway track.

[Offcut in reply to Puffthemagicdragon]

I think it was the closeness and the amount of cooing they were doing.

[piggi]

For us it's the church bells where we live. Oh yes... I know... how charming BUT there's an art - it's an extremely difficult one. They start off merrily enough doh te la soh fa me rey doh, doh te la soh etc etc. THEN someone gets slightly out of kilter and we start getting doh la soh me fah and it gets out of rythym and becomes de dah de dah de dum etc. Eventually it just becomes CRANG CRANG CRANG!!!! That's Tues and Friday evening bell ringing practice, all day saturdays for weddings and the like and, some unspeakable hour on sunday mornings. I still have hissy fits about them sometimes ... sighs... but then we've only lived here for 15 years so ...... ah ha ha! I guess we all have our cross to bear lol x (Oh and we have sea gulls too - and at the moment an absolutely rabid pack of starlings as well). Quiet, sleepy Morecambe for you.

[Offcut in reply to piggi]

My in laws had a church that clanged out a tune most days and on a Sunday morning they did not bother me strangely?

[Hidden]

I have gulls and church bells After the first week I don't hear them anymore x

[Offcut in reply to Hidden]

that was the problem we were only there a week

[Hidden in reply to Offcut]

Oh dear x

[Azure_Sky]

Reminds of the time my son had to get rid of his beloved rooster, because of newcomers to the area.

Country folk get used to them and don't object to the cock crowing at first light. I didn't even notice, Wish there was one living near me now.

I can understand how annoying it is, when you pay for what you think will be a nice room and you end up with a horrible dive. this happened to us in Blackpool.

Many flights of narrow stairs and horrible food. Advertised as a hotel but it was a basic B&B with a drinks licence. Seagulls go with the territory at the seaside.

When I went to Morecombe I was struck by the shortage of birds. I was really weird. I have no idea where they had all gone. Perhaps they were busy fishing?

[Offcut in reply to Azure_Sky]

Or maybe out side my bedroom? We have a farm over the road where we live so we do hear the cock a crowing and we get geese flying over twice a day with their chattering and the occasional pigeon but these were just so many and so loud !!!

[Azure_Sky in reply to Offcut]

Outside your bedroom really is not acceptable. They should have given you another room.

I hope you did a review to warn other people. Trip advisor is one place you could put it. You can also see other reviews.

[Offcut in reply to Azure_Sky]

I sure did but they do not seem to have posted it?

[katieoxo60]

Offcut, Sorry your bedroom was not ideal, hope you enjoyed the rest of the holiday. Did you go to the otter sanctuary while down there? Think Torquay needs to look at some of their Hotel ratings, some of the rooms are a little compact in some of the hotels. As for Gulls I get them at home and I don't live near the sea, if windows are open I always get a dawn chorus one sounds like a woodpecker and the pidgeons break the branches on my fruit bushes. Hopefully next holiday will be better for you, at least you got a break, what was the food like.?

[Offcut in reply to katieoxo60]

No we never got around to that. We only really had one bad meal. The rest was of a good to high standard. The holiday was not so much restful but helped the head get away from the usual daily chores and tribulations. It was a shame the hotel did not meet our expectations. It was only the pleasant staff that saved me from going into meltdown. They had another hotel in Torquay but that was 36 steps to the room with no lifts and I would never of got the cases up there.

[katieoxo60 in reply to Offcut]

Know the feeling, stairs are a nightmare, sadly although Torquay is a good holiday destination, and they pander to the holiday maker, cant get away from the fact it is hilly and the hotels in general are old fashioned to spite efforts to update there are some problems in old buildings that cannot be changed.Don't understand why some of the hotels don't install stair lifts like we have at home, I expect it is to do with health and safety. I felt hotels could redesign some rooms so they were larger and opt for less guests but more comfort. We had a bathroom the size of a broom cupboard, in the old days it was probably a walk in wardrobe, good job we did not have claustrophobia. Our food at hotel and out was all good, except for a mistake one night, and choice was quite good too. Enjoy your evening speak again soon, sorry you never made the otters but maybe next time, its a reason to return and try a different hotel.

[Offcut in reply to katieoxo60]

True

[Azure_Sky in reply to Offcut]

Why not try Norfolk? No hills here. There are a lot of nice hotels on ground level or only two floors. Wroxham/Hoveton have a good hotel.

[Offcut in reply to Azure_Sky]

I would love to do the broads but not sure if I would be any good with locks etc. I could do some fishing as well from the boat.

But the wife does not like the flatness of the area for some reason?

[Azure_Sky]

tripadvisor.co.uk/Hotels-g1...

You can find the hotel and then add your review. If it isn't there, you can add the hotel, then do a review.

[Offcut in reply to Azure_Sky]

Funny enough all the others went on straight away but this was a long one so they probably needed to pass it first but went on last night.

[Azure_Sky]

Ha ha Offcut..We don;t have locks round here, Norfolk is very flat. We are just a short drive from the Broads.

We had a 20 foot day boat for many years until it sank We went on all the Broads and rivers. Not a single lock.

There are lots of lovely pubs there. There are a couple of hills on the North Norfolk coast at Weybourne, next to the Muckleborough Collection of tanks and other War memorabilia.

muckleburgh.co.uk/

There is some spectacular scenery on the broads, lots of windmills and the How Hill Nature Reserve, a few hills there. Molehills by your standards I suspect.

howhilltrust.org.uk/

If ever you decide to visit Norfolk we will be happy to let you know the best places to go.

[Offcut in reply to Azure_Sky]

When I was a child we had a caravan at Caster. The only time it did not rain was the week we went to look at the caravan to buy!

[Azure_Sky in reply to Offcut]

We tend to get less rainfall in East Anglia, Lowestoft has less rain than anywhere else in the UK apparently.

I went to school in Caister for two years. These days I go about once a fortnight.

Great Yarmouth council have been making an effort to smarten it up, but it hasn't regained it's past glories. July is the best time to visit.

Caister is not very exciting, you wouldn't recognise it now, there have been so many houses built as well as a bypass.