Intro
As travelling sales rep covering the Northwest of England, North Wales and the Isle of Man I often have to stay away from home. As well as having worked in Travel for 17 years I think this makes me more than qualified to review hotels and restaurants etc as I have stayed in many accommodations and eaten in many establishments around the world.
This is my first such review but will hopefully be the first of many.
I have stayed in the Groudle Glen cottages on 4 occasions now as they are ideal for me staying away from home as I can make my own food with me and then just stock up on some bits once I get here. It also means that I have the freedom to eat when I like and not be tied to set meal times as is often the case in hotels or B&B's.
Directions
The accommodation is very easy to find. If you are coming from the Sea Port you simply come out of the terminal and head straight ahead a few hundred yards to the seafront. Once at the front you turn left and follow the coastline, which will then start to you up a hill with the railway tracks on your left. You continue up this road with the railway tracks on your left. Eventually, you will reach the top of the hill and it will start to level out and then start to go back down the other side. Follow the road round and down and you will eventually come to a sign on the right directing you to Groudle Glen Beach and a sign for the cottages. It's only a small narrow lane so can be easily missed if you drive too fast so look out for the Train stop on the other side of the road as it's directly facing that.
Once you turn in you head downhill and will come to a phone box on the left and will then see the reception where you can check in.
Check-in
When I have stayed at the cottages my check-in time has always been either early in the morning or late at night due to the ferry crossings. The staff at the cottages are really helpful and if you let them know when you are due to arrive they will leave your cottage open and the key inside. They also put the heating on for you in winter or if it's cold.
The Accommodation
All the cottages are set on the hill and have a few grouped together in rows and go all the way down to the beach where there are some lovely walks. None of the cottages are suitable for the disabled as they all have steps leading into the different entrances be that front, or side door. I have stayed in a different cottage each time I have been and they are all different inside so I can only comment on the ones I have been in. They have all had a kitchen with all the facilities including a microwave, kettle, toaster, iron, and ironing board. There is also a small under-cupboard-type fridge freezer (the kind with a small freezer section on the top).
There are coffee-making facilities in the kitchen on arrival, including a carton of fresh milk in the fridge and a pot of Groudle glen Spiced Rhubarb Jam.
Wifi is available in some of the cottages depending on how far down the hill you are as the office is at the top of the hill so if you are in one of the cottages at the bottom of the hill you might need to request a dongle from the office.
All the rooms have a convection heater so the rooms can be warm even in winter. The décor is quite traditional in style comprising of leather sofa and two chairs with an electric fire and fireplace as the focal point.
General Observations
A lot of the cottages have a doorway from the entrance/dining room. into the kitchen but there is no door so the kitchen can feel quite cold as you get the cold coming from the front door. Also, the only light switch in the kitchen is near the side door so when you are going into the lounge and want to turn the light off you have to turn the light off and then walk through the kitchen in the dark. Similarly, when you enter the kitchen you have to find your way over to the lights in the dark. It would make life easier and make more sense if there was a switch at the entrance from the lounge too.
These are obviously only little gripes but addressing them would make a difference.
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