Worst/best night in a hotel or guest house?

About ten years ago we were driving though France to Dordogne and as was normal at the time we had not booked a hotel but just pulled in during the evening. We were much later than usual and DH missed the turning where we knew there were a number of hotels and would NOT turn back so we continued on and found the meagre number of hotels on that part of the route full.
Eventually about 9-30 we followed a sign to a village Etape and to the hotel which looked lovely. Greeted by a very nice woman who looked totally worn out, we had a DS with us too - she said she had one room left and we could have an extra bed- looked at the room on the top floor in the attic space and there was an acro outside the door holding the roof up! The room was decorated with orange flowery paper on the walls and ceiling. The beds were clean and DS had a Z bed type of thing in the window extension bit. We agreed to stay ---only one night of course - and then she showed us where the bathroom was - two floors below and was really just the toilet with a shower the other end. DS announced he would be up early to get his ablutions done. When I actually went in to use the loo I saw the state of the towels - all just hung together and grey looking and many with HUGE holes in. Needless to say I did not need a shower in the morning.
We had missed the dinner so went to the only bar with food in the village - saw a lovely salad being served and asked for one only to be told no more and all that was on offer was a croque monsieur - so we had that with a large glass of beer - it was a roasting hot evening. Breakfast was fine but we paid more for that room than the modern hotels and even had to pay for parking.
Looking back on it I don't know why we stayed - apart from the fact that we were worn out!

It could easily have been, AnnoD.

That first sentence led me to believe you were writing a horror story, papaoscar.

On a wet and windy night the guest-house front door opened and a waft of stale cabbage, cigarette smoke and sweat met us, together with an unshaven bleary-eyed old man wiping his hands on a dirty old tea towel. We didn't stay, and luckily found a Travelodge about an hour later which was excellent, thank goodness.

A B&B in Aberdour, Scotland, where the owner wanted us out between the hours of 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. - although the upstairs was practically a private suite as we were the only guests (there were 2 bedrooms and a TV lounge); and we had booked for 2 nights.

Anyway she became extremely tetchy when she overheard me telling my husband at breakfast that I intended having a bath before we headed out (as it was nearly 10 a.m. and that would have meant we had broken her rules).

I noticed her heading up the stairs out of the corner of my eye, and when I went to the bathroom after breakfast, she had hidden removed the bath plug!! . I didn't find it funny at the time, and had a row with her. She gave me back the bathplug when I threatened to report her to the Scottish Tourist Board.

We've had loads of wonderful hotel experiences, one memorable one was in North Wales, can't remember where, artisan food and exquisite decor in this tiny boutique hotel owned by a lovely gay couple, need I say more I've never seen such attention to detail.

Not, strictly speaking, 'the worst' from a quality point of view (and not a hotel, I realise!) but disconcerting to find that the self-catering 'Scandinavian lodge' we had booked (well before widely available internet allowed you to see what you were booking) turned out to be a timber-clad static caravan!!! Not only that but DH was taken ill and was swiftly admitted to Hull Royal Infirmary (was I glad I could drive!). So there was I with 2 small children & a poorly DH miles from home!
The best? Hotel in Montreux with a balcony that overlooked the lake. I still look at the picture on my 'phone.

Worst by far was the Belgravia Mews Hotel in Ebury Street, London. We booked in for 2 nights to attend a big 'do' and arrived to find no room ready but were taken up to the top floor of what can only be described as a doss house. I refused it before even seeing it on the grounds that there was no fire escape route and also DH had heart problems and could not be expected to climb 5 flights of stairs. We got a room on the ground floor : the shower room was a disgrace, filthy, rusty and no hot water and the windows were covered by grills, so still no escape route. I went to the party unwashed and feeling very angry having had a row with the Manager. This was 4 years ago and I see from Tripadvisor that it continues to operate and continues to get appalling reviews
Best has to be the Intercontinental in Paris and even better was that we weren't paying and I got a day of treatments in their spa!!

Worst ever was a B&B just outside Dublin. Many years ago DH was working there for a few days and suggested that me and DD came along for the trip. We had a family room. DH got up and went to work around 6 and at 7.15 (sharp) the old witch landlady knocked loudly on the bedroom door saying (in her Irish accent) "come on now, lets be having you, you can't be staying in yer bed all day now".

I thought it couldn't get any worse until we went down to breakfast only to be told that "the sausages are all gone...those people who bothered to get up at a decent time got them ".

I kid you not !

Can't decide on the 'best' as there are many of them. The worst? Well, that B&B that everyone else has stayed in comes to mind, 40 years ago,with the nylon sheets, crumby carpet, greasy breakfast, iffy owners.I think it miust have been a travelling hotel, because we encountered it twice, first in Newquay, Devon and then in Uist [Isle of Skye]. Truly dreadful.

Worst hotel was a b&b in Oban. Mismatched bri nylon sheets cold room,no towels,awful breakfast ,musty smell,anti Brit landlady. Thankfully forty years ago,but I can only stand Scottish hospitality if it's wrapped up in five stars. Best hotel recently was Holbeck Ghyll in the Lakes. Not just the service but the atmosphere. Or perhaps Salish Lodge in the US where the luxury was over the top but the staff were so proud of the hotel. I think it's the input from the staff which lifts a good hotel into the top of the range.

Deedaa I'm also a 'partner' and I live locally to Brownsea Island so have visited the castle several times. Haven't stayed but we go with our social club from time to time, we have a delicious lunch and afternoon tea. The inside is all wood panelling with very comfortable lounges, chat up the manager and he'll take you up to the roof where you can see all the glory of Poole Bay. The last hotel I stayed at was the Cumberland Hotel once owned by the so called Duchess of Duke Street. We had a lovely room with comfy beds, the bathroom had proper bath towels and not the flannel size we usually get. They provided an ironing board, dressing gowns and even an umbrella.
Years ago my late mother and I stayed overnight in a B and B in Wales. Like others on this thread there were horrible nylon sheets, the room was dingy and depressing. Tea was brought up to us in the morning and Mum asked for a jug of hot water so we could have seconds. When we came to settle the bill the owner had added two shillings for the hot water. Mum just laughed and refused to pay for it.
Friends of mine had stayed at several guest houses during their holidays, some made Basil Fawlty seem a mild mannered man. They got so fed up with the terrible service, food and rooms they decided to open their own. They owned their guest house for several years and managed to get so many repeat bookings they hardly needed to advertise.

Best hotel ever, Chateau Saint-Martin in Vence , the last word in luxury.
The worst was probably in France too, a logi in northern France, where the bed linen looked iffy and the towels were so dirty that I unpacked my beach towel to use in the bathroom. The bedroom carpet was so dirty I felt like wiping my feet as I left. The food in the restaurant was an insult to French cuisine and we left after one course.

Icyalittle

Best, when I was a 16 and my parents lived in Malaysia. Weather conditions made it impossible for the plane taking us home for the holidays to land at Kuala Lumpur airport so it flew on to Singapore and BOAC put us up overnight at the Raffles Hotel. My DS and I had a suite of rooms with air conditioning (the ultimate luxury in the 1950s). We also ate a la carte in the main restaurant. My father rang us up and said ' Enjoy yourself girls, I cannot afford to take you there'

The worst, DH had both been working very hard and were tired out. We decided to have a relaxing weekend away in Winchester. We booked a lovely hotel, our room was wonderful as was the dinner we ate there - then we went to bed, no no, shenanigans. The mattress on the bed was so hard, we would have been more comfortable sleeping on the floor. Given that we were both tired to begin a sleepless night on a hard bed was the final straw. We were both so tired the following morning we just ate our breakfast, also very nice, and went home. We haven't been to Winchester since.

Worst was a hotel in Switzerland that had slatted beds which were so sparse that we fell through them several times a night. Also, on the same holiday a promised cot didn't materialise and DD2 had to sleep in the bath.

Best, always, The Brudenell in Aldeburgh which is why we go at least once a year!

Delightful little hotel, high up in the Aosta Valley in Italy, where Greatnan and I spent a couple of nights. Nothing fancy but clean and friendly, glorious mountain views from the balconies and really excellent food. Such great memories of a never-to-be forgotten trip with a sadly lost friend.

Last Saturday night we stayed at the Hard Day's Night Hotel in Liverpool. Fantastic if you are a Beatles nut like me.

Worst was a hotel in Malta some years ago. The hotel next door was being renovated and during the night rats invaded our hotel and scrabbled about in false ceiling absolutely the worst night , we left in the morning! Not sure of the best night.

Most recently, the Hallmark Hotel in Derby. It was excellent.

www.hallmarkhotels.co.uk/our_hotels/derby/

We are going back again later this year. The rooms are huge, good walks are nearby, as is the station and the town centre is a short walk away. The food is great. I loved the thick soundproof walls and the great big rooms - and the delicious biscuits and treats they leave in the room!

Best was the hotel Rely on Lake Garda. The dining room was sort of circular looking out onto the lake and the mountains. Worst - we hired a gite in France some years ago. It was horrendous. It was practically falling down. The windows were filthy with crumbling frames. There were fly papers hanging from the ceiling with dead flies stuck to them. There was a hole in the kitchen floor which they had put a dirty rug over. There were bricks and rubble in the shower. The bed linen was damp. We went into the back 'garden' to hang the linen on the line to try to get it dry and there were cow pats and beer bottles strewn everywhere. It was described as having a barbecue. This was six house bricks with a metal tray on top! We had to stay one night as it was late. All night we could hear something scratching at the door (I dread to think what). We had to find alternative accommodation and cut our stay short as our money ran out. I took lots of photos which I still have. We eventually got our money back. The owners (English) said 'no one has complained before' !!!!! We have hired many gites in France which have been fantastic. We just put it down to bad luck on this occasion. Aka - I love Cobh. Eloethan - We've been to Sunny Beach - the hotel was fabulous. Just bad luck sometimes.

Not necessarily the best in terms of luxury no spa etc but as I was there on business, it didn't matter (biggest downside no lift, but lovely staff who were more than happy to help), but absolutely the best in terms of quality with value for money, the Alma Lodge in Stockport www.almalodgehotel.com/.

Stayed there twice on business and both times were exemplary. Lovely rooms, very good restaurant, great staff!

Worst was a night in Canterbury in the town centre, so noisy at night, all night long. The room was tiny, barely big enough to walk round, the curtains thin so the street lights shone through all night, the lift was next to the room and I believe the water tanks must have been above us, as every time a loo was used somewhere it sounded like next door. Everything was dark brown. It wasn't cheap, either.

The best was The Dorchester, years ago. Ex used to take me there for functions quite often and we would stay the night. I loved it, especially near Christmas when they would decorate all the trees outside with little white lights. I shall never be able to afford a night there again in this lifetime.

Best was without doubt the two nights we spent in a suite at Northcote Manor following our daughter's wedding. The room, food and service were truly exquisite.
Worst was a couple of week's ago in Sale, Cheshire when we had to move the hotel bed into the middle of the (albeit very large) room in order NOT to hear every sound from the adjoining room. The walls were so thin it was like having a sheet of cardboard between the rooms.

Worst was a caravan at Mawgan Porth in Cornwall, in 1968. We arrived at lunchtime, after an overnight train journey from Heywood, Gtr. Manchester, with 3 young kiddies, only to be told that we couldn`t access the caravan till after 2pm. When we finally got in there, it seemed OK, until it was time for bed. We turned the settees into beds, and although we`d brought our own sheets, they provided blankets, those thick, grey itchy ones, which turned out to be slightly damp and infested with maggots!
Best was bed and breakfast at what was then the post office in Redmire in the Yorkshire Dales. We called in on the off chance, and were provided with a gorgeous room, and a beautifully comfy bed. Breakfast wasn`t too great, but we still stayed for 4 days, and loved it.

Like When our best stay in a B&B was in the Lakes at an inn overlooking Ullswater. Basic but friendly, fun and very good value for money.

The worst was a stay last year in East Sussex. I suppose it could be described as bijou or boutique but the dining room only sat four people at a sitting! The bedroom was so cramped we slept with our heads on the windowsill and if you wanted a morning cuppa, you had to make do with powdered milk!! The bathroom was shared between three rooms. It was the only B&B near to the venue for a 60th birthday party so we didn't really have a choice. Nice breakfast but we gulped when we got the bill for £80